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The honest truth is that it's not them, but it's you. Like you said, gauging a potential great technical co-founder is not hard if you have a chance to work wi

The honest truth is that it's not them, but it's you. Like you said, gauging a potential great technical co-founder is not hard if you have a chance to work with them on various projects. However, that is close to impossible if 1) You are located in China. 2) Going to school there full time. 3) Traveling every few months for fun. As an entrepreneur, I would never seek out a co-founder who isn't local, isn't always available, and wouldn't sacrifice entertainment/travel/fun for some serious hard work. I have worked with those people in the past and none of them are co-founder material. Working 18 hours a day off of Ramen is simply not something they'd do to realize the bigger dream. While you have ambition, you are definitely biased. If you want to create something great, you need to chase after your dream with reckless abandon. That could mean a number of things including moving, finishing school, networking, or picking something you can do from China that isn't necessarily coding related.

olalonde 15y ago
First, thanks for your candor. I share your feeling: if I had a clear startup idea in mind and the ability to go full time, I would be looking for a local co-founder that is willing to go full-time as well. Furthermore, I'd try my best to find someone I know well and trust. I would never jump in full time and give my 200% with a co-founder that I have only met a few times over a cup of coffee. I made that mistake in the past and it resulted in a miserably failed venture (actually, that's what initially brought me to China). I came up with the approach described in my post (collaborating online on small projects in order to identify potential co-founders) specifically to avoid that. Eventually, when I find a good co-founder match and a good startup idea, I'll move wherever makes most sense and give my 200%. In fact, I think more people ought give consideration to this strategy. Why risk everything (including choosing the wrong co-founder) on an hypothetical startup before validating your idea/market through an MVP that can in most cases be done "on the side"? A lot of famous startups were started that way. On another note, why do you think it is necessarily a bad idea to do a software startup in China? For the record, I study part-time in Hong Kong and the travelling bit refers to the fact that I've been alternating between living in Canada and China over the past few years. In any case, thanks for sharing your advice.
- kappaknight 15y ago
  I'm not saying doing a software related startup in China is necessarily a bad idea - but China does censor certain websites and that stifles creativity to some degree. China is also known for other strengths so if you're there, you may as well take advantage to your unique opportunities and play to those strengths.

olalonde 15y ago

First, thanks for your candor. I share your feeling: if I had a clear startup idea in mind and the ability to go full time, I would be looking for a local co-founder that is willing to go full-time as well. Furthermore, I'd try my best to find someone I know well and trust. I would never jump in full time and give my 200% with a co-founder that I have only met a few times over a cup of coffee. I made that mistake in the past and it resulted in a miserably failed venture (actually, that's what initially brought me to China). I came up with the approach described in my post (collaborating online on small projects in order to identify potential co-founders) specifically to avoid that. Eventually, when I find a good co-founder match and a good startup idea, I'll move wherever makes most sense and give my 200%. In fact, I think more people ought give consideration to this strategy. Why risk everything (including choosing the wrong co-founder) on an hypothetical startup before validating your idea/market through an MVP that can in most cases be done "on the side"? A lot of famous startups were started that way. On another note, why do you think it is necessarily a bad idea to do a software startup in China? For the record, I study part-time in Hong Kong and the travelling bit refers to the fact that I've been alternating between living in Canada and China over the past few years. In any case, thanks for sharing your advice.

kappaknight 15y ago
I'm not saying doing a software related startup in China is necessarily a bad idea - but China does censor certain websites and that stifles creativity to some degree. China is also known for other strengths so if you're there, you may as well take advantage to your unique opportunities and play to those strengths.