4 ms·

To answer your question: "What's more important...a highly technical partner or a highly compatible and motivated one?" Hands down motivation over skill in my

To answer your question: "What's more important...a highly technical partner or a highly compatible and motivated one?" Hands down motivation over skill in my opinion and experience. I've seen one go the other way, or finding a way to get help, but I've barely ever seen the reverse. Also, one quote of Richard Bronson’s I find myself repeating often "Hire for attitude, train for skill." I think your team might benefit from a 3rd, back-end/server side cofounder. Then between the three of you should be unstoppable with all bases covered. If you cannot find that then you're doomed with or without your non technical cofounder, unless you learn enough to be dangerous, build enough to be able to afford an employee who is a back-end person, who most likely will end up trashing all your code and building it from scratch. I'd sure hope you'd welcome that. You never said what your dilemma was.

abbasmehdi 15y ago
Oh, and in my opinion, if you want to be a successful business person, then don't apply the general YC rules to your business. Those rules are generalizations, and partners often make exceptions. Do what's best for your business, and they will see it too. The best way to think of your app is to think honestly and truthfully about your business. If there was no YC and its set of guidelines, would you have considered tossing this person out? How would you have built your app? Think of YC as a co-founder in your business instead of thinking of them as a college you're applying to. They will be impressed by the same things a potential cofounder might be, every company has its unique set of challenges based on which you will be gauged. I am not related to YC in any way, but cannot imagine them looking for the same six things of everyone that walks in. My point is, give your own intelligence credit, and YC partners might recognize it. If they don’t now then there is always the next cycle and you can try again.
- ElizabethBH 15y ago
  I am very glad to have posted this question. The feedback coming in from different perspectives is helpful, and yours is especially refreshing. Thanks
ElizabethBH 15y ago
The dilemma is deciding whether to take on a business specialist partner (with all the right qualities) and hire out the development, or keep looking for the perfect match in a technical co-founder. I have many hacker friends who are ready to pitch in and I trust them. We've worked together for many years. But no one that is in a position to leave their day job. I do have a few leads through my network and am still scoping things out. I wanted to get insight from this forum though and glad I did.

abbasmehdi 15y ago

Oh, and in my opinion, if you want to be a successful business person, then don't apply the general YC rules to your business. Those rules are generalizations, and partners often make exceptions. Do what's best for your business, and they will see it too. The best way to think of your app is to think honestly and truthfully about your business. If there was no YC and its set of guidelines, would you have considered tossing this person out? How would you have built your app? Think of YC as a co-founder in your business instead of thinking of them as a college you're applying to. They will be impressed by the same things a potential cofounder might be, every company has its unique set of challenges based on which you will be gauged. I am not related to YC in any way, but cannot imagine them looking for the same six things of everyone that walks in. My point is, give your own intelligence credit, and YC partners might recognize it. If they don’t now then there is always the next cycle and you can try again.

ElizabethBH 15y ago
I am very glad to have posted this question. The feedback coming in from different perspectives is helpful, and yours is especially refreshing. Thanks

ElizabethBH 15y ago

The dilemma is deciding whether to take on a business specialist partner (with all the right qualities) and hire out the development, or keep looking for the perfect match in a technical co-founder. I have many hacker friends who are ready to pitch in and I trust them. We've worked together for many years. But no one that is in a position to leave their day job. I do have a few leads through my network and am still scoping things out. I wanted to get insight from this forum though and glad I did.