13 ms·

Finding a tech co-founder is like trying to get married

24 points by Major_Grooves 13y ago

AznHisoka 13y ago
While it's hard to find a tech co-founder, it's twice as hard to find a tech co-founder willing to work on an existing codebase. Techies love to create new things from scratch.
- integraton 13y ago
  If there's existing code then it typically means one of two things: 1) it was outsourced and, therefore, terrible and painful to work with or 2) there was a developer who was either pushed off or decided to part ways with the project at a very early stage, which isn't a good sign considering how self-described "business" people often view and treat developers.
sbarre 13y ago
The other end of this would be that splitting up from a co-founder (especially on less than great terms) is pretty much the same thing as getting a divorce, in terms of stress, hassle and potential emotional toll...
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  Yup - that's what I've been saying - and potentially more expensive!
gotrecruit 13y ago
as the business guy in a tech startup, i feel your pain. everything you've said, i've gone through myself on a smaller scale. the difference between us is that i, fortunately or unfortunately, was blessed/cursed with a mildly successful startup exit which gave me a substantial amount of money to build my next startup. why unfortunately? i squandered almost all the money by trying to make too bold of a leap from my unsophisticated first startup to what i aspired to be a very technologically-driven and innovative startup. i too used a contractor, except it wasn't just one dude but i hired an indian software firm to build my product with a team. this was a terrible decision because the machine i wanted to build was too ambitious, and far too complex for the indians to understand. anyway, i started seeking tech co-founders after the failure of that outsourcing attempt. it was too hard - the few talented people in my school (i was still in college at the time) who i befriended were either more interested in gainful employment with competitive salaries after graduation, or they wanted to do their own startups and not ride on mine. i believe i have successfully sold my vision to a few of them, and a few of them have informed me that when i described my ideas, it has changed the way they look at the industry i'm tackling (advertising). some has expressed interest, but without external funding and significant traction, they usually fizzle off after a short period. so anyway, right now i'm at a stage where since i can't find a tech cofounder, i've decided to BECOME one myself. that's right - i'm returning to school for a computer science degree. i start school in january next year, and hopefully over the next 3-4 years i will build my skills up to a level where i'm either a successful founder, or i'm one of those engineers you mentioned in your article who are deluged with attractive offers. good luck to you and your startup though, as a fellow entrepreneur i sincerely wish you the best. it's a hard road to tread.
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  That's cool that you're going back to school to learn CS. Can I ask how old you are? It's something I've thought about, but I'm 33, and at some point you have to accept your skill set and focus on your strengths. If I was 23, I would probably try to learn programming. That sort of talk usually prompts a bunch of people to say - hey - you can teach yourself to be quite decent in just 6 months! Possibly true - but that requires a lot of spare time that I don't have. Also, there's no way I would have been able to build Satago with 6months of experience. In fact I briefly tried and started blogging about it: http://newbiehacker.wordpress.com/ http://newbiehacker.wordpress.com/
  - jjsz 13y ago
    I want to put a Drake quote here from "Too Much", but I think that's too much so I'll just paraphrase it: there's still time to check things off your bucketlist.
  - gotrecruit 13y ago
    i'm 27 this year, and i too consider myself very old to return to school. unfortunately, i'm also a foreigner (to US) and the only viable way i can continue pursuing a startup in the US, where i want to be, is to return as a student. so i guess there are a few different reasons i choose to return to school, including getting a visa as well as pursuing technical knowledge. if i was allowed to return on a different visa, i would not choose to go back to sch for CS and would instead learn these stuff on my own. unfortunately, i was denied such a visa and thus... here we are.
- highace 13y ago
  Have you tried any one of the plethora of code-school type websites that'll teach you what you need to know over the web for a fraction of the time and cost? A degree will get you what you need to progress into employment, not necessarily what you need to become a technical founder.
  - mooreds 13y ago
    I agree. I am not sure exactly what the poster was trying to tackle, but a CS degree can be overkill for a developer.
solve 13y ago
Dear Europe, Stop trying to turn middle-manger types into tech startup CEOs.
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  What does that even mean??
  - solve 13y ago
    It wasn't directed towards you in particular, I promise. It's just that since I moved to Europe, I've noticed an incredible difference in how many middle-manager types get funding from the accelerators here vs the US. In fact, here they strongly encourage former middle-managers to become founders. In US accelerators, often the whole founding team in engineers. In response to your article, maybe you might consider showing more of a love and understanding for technology? Perhaps even acknowledging that traditional business knowledge may be a hindrance to a startup, instead of a clear benefit? [1] [1] http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/01/the-management-team-while-building-product.html http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/01/the-management-team-while-bu...
    - jval 13y ago
      Don't insult people and then deny that you've insulted them and attempt to back it up with a blog post that isn't an authority for what you just said. OP worked at Rocket Internet for 2 years. Say what you like about them, there is nothing 'traditional' or 'middle-manager' about a role like that. OP also has a PhD in genetics and an MBA, a not-too-dissimilar set of qualifications to US founders. You don't have to be a software engineer to have useful startup skills...
      - solve 13y ago
        I am insulting Europe's tech business culture, yes, if that's what it takes for us to begin to discuss this topic. Coming from me, that's saying a lot, because I usually never find culture similarities that span the whole of Europe. Please don't take this as a personal insult towards anyone. The obsession with PHDs and higher level education.. great, another Euro-obsession. Look, I'm not saying that he can't be a great startup founder. I'm just offering a different perspective for how to present one's self to potential tech cofounders. Emphasizing "business skills" and higher level education is definitely not the best way.
quaffapint 13y ago
Of course, coming from the other side of the coin - trying to find a proper business guy that you match well with is just as challenging. Unless you work well and it just feels right, well, it will just be a marriage that won't last.
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  True - trying to find a good match is difficult, but if we're honest, the tech guys are in much higher demand than your "biz guy" (excuse the generalisations - of course tech guy can be biz guy).
- scrabble 13y ago
  I know of exactly one person that I've worked with and would take as a business-side co-founder in a heartbeat. And he won't leave his current job. I can definitely agree with your comment.
Shish2k 13y ago
Easy to do by accident while drunk in Vegas?
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  I hadn't actually thought about trying to get a developer drunk.... Underhand tactic, but it could work. Unfortunately I'd probably end up married to Britney Spears!
rch 13y ago
As compared with being a prospective tech co-founder, which is more like hanging out in a Vietnamese pool hall in a short dress. There's money to be made, but you know the chances of being mistreated are pretty high.
- petenixey 13y ago
  Well played Rch. Well played.
- AznHisoka 13y ago
  I think there is a difference though between a tech guy who wants to implement an idea a business guy has, and a tech guy who HAS an idea already and wants a business guy to help sell it. The latter is hard to find too, so it's not like tech guys have it any easier.
- ludicast 13y ago
  Unleas you're an undercover ladyboy. Then you can "flip the script" and dish out some pain. Wait, what are we taking about?
touristtam 13y ago
"You need to have someone in the team that can fix a crashed server at 3am, or burn the midnight oil to hit a new feature deadline." Looks like this guy needs to write down the list of qualities his co-founder will need to have and which one he is prepared to discuss; I mean if he is in his late 20s, early 30s, it is likely he would choose someone around his age and that's probably around the time someone is starting to be concerned about settling down.
websitescenes 13y ago
I have been looking for years. I have been applying to Ycombinator by myself. I live in El Paso Texas, which apparently, is the equivalent of the moon when it comes to finding like minded tech driven partners. This is a really frustrating topic for me. I hope to move to San Francisco soon so I can be around other developers.
makerops 13y ago
It is surprising you are having a tough time finding a tech co-founder; of all the bullshit MBA types, you have traction, a site that seems fairly developed, and a decent idea. In theory, I for one, after a cold intro, would be interested in what you have to say, as opposed to my typical "I am too busy to build your idea for you" default. Honestly, I think your biggest problem is Java, it's just not going to hit a large enough cross section of 20/30 year olds, that want to take a risk, that are into tech.
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  well tbh I don't have any trouble getting people initially interested. As you say, I do have some filters that should separate me from the "MBA chaff" It's getting the few people that I have felt I could work with to actually decide I am the one for them. hold on... "of all the bullshit MBA types" - that means you are calling me one of the bullshit MBA types! :( Perhaps you meant "compared to the usual bullshit MBA types"? ;) The Java point is interesting, and something I have discussed lots with various people - including people who have contacted me today after posting this blogpost. Half the people think I should stick to Java - it's a fine tool for the job, half the people think I will need to switch language. No doubt being in Java reduces my pool of potential co-founders.
  - al1x 13y ago
    There is no reason whatsoever to switch from Java. Ignore this noise.
    - makerops 13y ago
      Of course there is, if he can't find someone to work on it for equity, but can convince someone to write it in PHP for equity.
      - al1x 13y ago
        Everyone knows Java. It's the first programming language taught to every freshman Computer Science undergrad, everywhere in the world. Even most die hard Rubyists know how to write Java. They may hate it, but they know it. Who in the world teaches PHP?
ludicast 13y ago
Your simile is right, but I think the problem is always in part these things: 1) Programming isn't impossible to learn. An outsourced MVP might be a sign that the non-tech founder is not fully committed (my grandpa owned a small factory, but stressed the importance of knowing how to work all the equipment even if he stayed in the office). 2) Technical people (of which I am one) frequently underestimate technical challenges. I'm a good developer but at times have have massively missed deadlines, released buggy/untested shite, and mis-predicted technologies (e.g. I once thought Flex would take over the world). So if we have worked for years in a field and made these mistakes, we have a hard time trusting a non-technical person the even guess at the challenges/tradeoffs up ahead. And to tell when it's time to right the ship or pivot from an idea they are attached to. So to flip it, you need to market yourself more than your project. I think the best non-technical cofounder is somebody who is a some-time developer. As a manager at Vanderlay Industries once said: "If you think I'm looking for a guy to sit at a desk pushing around papers, forget about it. I got enough headaches trying to manufacture the stuff."
integraton 13y ago
The website referenced in the post, FounderDating, is unusable, unfortunately. They got in trouble recently for using dark patterns to spam the linkedin contacts of potential users' references, and when called out on it the CEO tried to debate the use of the word "spam" when referring to their behavior: http://ilikestuffblog.com/2013/04/26/do-you-want-to-spam-your-linkedin-contacts-and-be-humiliated-try-founderdating/ http://ilikestuffblog.com/2013/04/26/do-you-want-to-spam-you... That you have to get approved and give references is also the biggest "f* you" to potential users. Why would any sensible person waste their references' time and goodwill with this nonsense? Hopefully someone will make a worthwhile "founder dating" service that just lets users find others who want to work on something and gives them a way to make contact. Don't make users jump through hoops, and don't abuse users.
- Major_Grooves 13y ago
  yeah - did you read the blog post (mine) I linked to?: http://wannabevc.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/founderdating-nice-concept-dodgy-viral-mechanism/ http://wannabevc.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/founderdating-nice... Not good.
al1x 13y ago
Do you really need a co-founder? I think co-founders are over-rated. > You need to have someone in the team that can fix a crashed server at 3am, or burn the midnight oil to hit a new feature deadline. Almost every contractor I've worked with on elance has been willing to work whatever hours were required. For $5 an hour. Why give up precious equity for something you could hire out for a few dollars an hour? > To date I have been using a contractor to build Satago, and whilst he is very good (one of the best developers I’ve worked with to be honest, but sadly based very far away from me in Russia) the fear is that without the large chunk of equity that a co-founder would be working towards, he could just down tools, and then Satago would grind to a halt. If I were you I would find a few other good developers to work with. Elance has them in abundance and they'll be more than happy to work for you at $5-$10/hr. (I prefer fixed-budget projects, personally.) Here's how I get projects done: I take a few INDEPENDENT features from the product roadmap, set clear expectations with the developers, hand off the code, iterate, finalize, then pay my main developer to integrate their code into the main code-base. In my case I'm the lead developer so I do the code integration, in your case maybe it would be your contractor from Russia. If the developers I've hired write good code and deliver as promised I keep them. If they don't I move on to someone else. In one year I've gone through 6 developers and kept 2 of them. 2 competent, hard working, reliable developers. When I said "set clear expectations", some expectations I've found useful to establish with a contractor are: clearly define the project specifications (you need to be able to tell them exactly what needs to be done), clearly define the project deadlines (first iteration due in 2 weeks), clearly define the budget ($300 for features X, Y, and Z), and clearly define the communication requirements (respond to emails within 24 hours, provide constant work status updates). It's also a good idea to let them know that you're looking for developers with whom you can establish a long-term relationship and that this small project they're about to work on is a test. If they meet your expectations you will keep working with them, if they don't you won't be repeating business. I also make sure to tell them that the code needs to be thoroughly documented. It helps the other developers who have to work with their code and it could help you get an idea of what's going on under the hood. In summary, I think technical co-founders are over-rated. I see no reason to give up equity for something that can be easily contracted out. Ok, finding good contractors isn't "easy". It takes a lot of time -- it's taken me 9 months to find 2 solid ones. But the ones I've found can reliably get the job done, on time, within budget, guaranteed. I own 100% of my company.
gremlinsinc 13y ago
personally as a Dev and entrepreneur with about 50 ideas for startups I would like a confounding team to simply bounce ideas off and share the load... my top idea is a CRM for rental property that - collect rent, schedule maintenance, list rentals, handled roommate splits, background checks, financials, and more... but would be nice to have another back end coder to help(laravel), and a designer for front end, a business developer.. monetization would be 6-7$ per month per unit. Building something great can be hard when you are a one person shop.

24 points by Major_Grooves 13y ago

While it's hard to find a tech co-founder, it's twice as hard to find a tech co-founder willing to work on an existing codebase. Techies love to create new things from scratch.

integraton 13y ago
If there's existing code then it typically means one of two things: 1) it was outsourced and, therefore, terrible and painful to work with or 2) there was a developer who was either pushed off or decided to part ways with the project at a very early stage, which isn't a good sign considering how self-described "business" people often view and treat developers.

sbarre 13y ago

The other end of this would be that splitting up from a co-founder (especially on less than great terms) is pretty much the same thing as getting a divorce, in terms of stress, hassle and potential emotional toll...

Major_Grooves 13y ago
Yup - that's what I've been saying - and potentially more expensive!

gotrecruit 13y ago

as the business guy in a tech startup, i feel your pain. everything you've said, i've gone through myself on a smaller scale. the difference between us is that i, fortunately or unfortunately, was blessed/cursed with a mildly successful startup exit which gave me a substantial amount of money to build my next startup. why unfortunately? i squandered almost all the money by trying to make too bold of a leap from my unsophisticated first startup to what i aspired to be a very technologically-driven and innovative startup. i too used a contractor, except it wasn't just one dude but i hired an indian software firm to build my product with a team. this was a terrible decision because the machine i wanted to build was too ambitious, and far too complex for the indians to understand. anyway, i started seeking tech co-founders after the failure of that outsourcing attempt. it was too hard - the few talented people in my school (i was still in college at the time) who i befriended were either more interested in gainful employment with competitive salaries after graduation, or they wanted to do their own startups and not ride on mine. i believe i have successfully sold my vision to a few of them, and a few of them have informed me that when i described my ideas, it has changed the way they look at the industry i'm tackling (advertising). some has expressed interest, but without external funding and significant traction, they usually fizzle off after a short period. so anyway, right now i'm at a stage where since i can't find a tech cofounder, i've decided to BECOME one myself. that's right - i'm returning to school for a computer science degree. i start school in january next year, and hopefully over the next 3-4 years i will build my skills up to a level where i'm either a successful founder, or i'm one of those engineers you mentioned in your article who are deluged with attractive offers. good luck to you and your startup though, as a fellow entrepreneur i sincerely wish you the best. it's a hard road to tread.

Major_Grooves 13y ago
That's cool that you're going back to school to learn CS. Can I ask how old you are? It's something I've thought about, but I'm 33, and at some point you have to accept your skill set and focus on your strengths. If I was 23, I would probably try to learn programming. That sort of talk usually prompts a bunch of people to say - hey - you can teach yourself to be quite decent in just 6 months! Possibly true - but that requires a lot of spare time that I don't have. Also, there's no way I would have been able to build Satago with 6months of experience. In fact I briefly tried and started blogging about it: http://newbiehacker.wordpress.com/ http://newbiehacker.wordpress.com/
- jjsz 13y ago
  I want to put a Drake quote here from "Too Much", but I think that's too much so I'll just paraphrase it: there's still time to check things off your bucketlist.
- gotrecruit 13y ago
  i'm 27 this year, and i too consider myself very old to return to school. unfortunately, i'm also a foreigner (to US) and the only viable way i can continue pursuing a startup in the US, where i want to be, is to return as a student. so i guess there are a few different reasons i choose to return to school, including getting a visa as well as pursuing technical knowledge. if i was allowed to return on a different visa, i would not choose to go back to sch for CS and would instead learn these stuff on my own. unfortunately, i was denied such a visa and thus... here we are.
highace 13y ago
Have you tried any one of the plethora of code-school type websites that'll teach you what you need to know over the web for a fraction of the time and cost? A degree will get you what you need to progress into employment, not necessarily what you need to become a technical founder.
- mooreds 13y ago
  I agree. I am not sure exactly what the poster was trying to tackle, but a CS degree can be overkill for a developer.

solve 13y ago

Dear Europe, Stop trying to turn middle-manger types into tech startup CEOs.

Major_Grooves 13y ago
What does that even mean??
- solve 13y ago
  It wasn't directed towards you in particular, I promise. It's just that since I moved to Europe, I've noticed an incredible difference in how many middle-manager types get funding from the accelerators here vs the US. In fact, here they strongly encourage former middle-managers to become founders. In US accelerators, often the whole founding team in engineers. In response to your article, maybe you might consider showing more of a love and understanding for technology? Perhaps even acknowledging that traditional business knowledge may be a hindrance to a startup, instead of a clear benefit? [1] [1] http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/01/the-management-team-while-building-product.html http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/01/the-management-team-while-bu...
  - jval 13y ago
    Don't insult people and then deny that you've insulted them and attempt to back it up with a blog post that isn't an authority for what you just said. OP worked at Rocket Internet for 2 years. Say what you like about them, there is nothing 'traditional' or 'middle-manager' about a role like that. OP also has a PhD in genetics and an MBA, a not-too-dissimilar set of qualifications to US founders. You don't have to be a software engineer to have useful startup skills...
    - solve 13y ago
      I am insulting Europe's tech business culture, yes, if that's what it takes for us to begin to discuss this topic. Coming from me, that's saying a lot, because I usually never find culture similarities that span the whole of Europe. Please don't take this as a personal insult towards anyone. The obsession with PHDs and higher level education.. great, another Euro-obsession. Look, I'm not saying that he can't be a great startup founder. I'm just offering a different perspective for how to present one's self to potential tech cofounders. Emphasizing "business skills" and higher level education is definitely not the best way.

quaffapint 13y ago

Of course, coming from the other side of the coin - trying to find a proper business guy that you match well with is just as challenging. Unless you work well and it just feels right, well, it will just be a marriage that won't last.

Major_Grooves 13y ago
True - trying to find a good match is difficult, but if we're honest, the tech guys are in much higher demand than your "biz guy" (excuse the generalisations - of course tech guy can be biz guy).
scrabble 13y ago
I know of exactly one person that I've worked with and would take as a business-side co-founder in a heartbeat. And he won't leave his current job. I can definitely agree with your comment.

Shish2k 13y ago

Easy to do by accident while drunk in Vegas?

Major_Grooves 13y ago
I hadn't actually thought about trying to get a developer drunk.... Underhand tactic, but it could work. Unfortunately I'd probably end up married to Britney Spears!

rch 13y ago

As compared with being a prospective tech co-founder, which is more like hanging out in a Vietnamese pool hall in a short dress. There's money to be made, but you know the chances of being mistreated are pretty high.

petenixey 13y ago
Well played Rch. Well played.
AznHisoka 13y ago
I think there is a difference though between a tech guy who wants to implement an idea a business guy has, and a tech guy who HAS an idea already and wants a business guy to help sell it. The latter is hard to find too, so it's not like tech guys have it any easier.
ludicast 13y ago
Unleas you're an undercover ladyboy. Then you can "flip the script" and dish out some pain. Wait, what are we taking about?

touristtam 13y ago

"You need to have someone in the team that can fix a crashed server at 3am, or burn the midnight oil to hit a new feature deadline." Looks like this guy needs to write down the list of qualities his co-founder will need to have and which one he is prepared to discuss; I mean if he is in his late 20s, early 30s, it is likely he would choose someone around his age and that's probably around the time someone is starting to be concerned about settling down.

websitescenes 13y ago

I have been looking for years. I have been applying to Ycombinator by myself. I live in El Paso Texas, which apparently, is the equivalent of the moon when it comes to finding like minded tech driven partners. This is a really frustrating topic for me. I hope to move to San Francisco soon so I can be around other developers.

makerops 13y ago

It is surprising you are having a tough time finding a tech co-founder; of all the bullshit MBA types, you have traction, a site that seems fairly developed, and a decent idea. In theory, I for one, after a cold intro, would be interested in what you have to say, as opposed to my typical "I am too busy to build your idea for you" default. Honestly, I think your biggest problem is Java, it's just not going to hit a large enough cross section of 20/30 year olds, that want to take a risk, that are into tech.

Major_Grooves 13y ago
well tbh I don't have any trouble getting people initially interested. As you say, I do have some filters that should separate me from the "MBA chaff" It's getting the few people that I have felt I could work with to actually decide I am the one for them. hold on... "of all the bullshit MBA types" - that means you are calling me one of the bullshit MBA types! :( Perhaps you meant "compared to the usual bullshit MBA types"? ;) The Java point is interesting, and something I have discussed lots with various people - including people who have contacted me today after posting this blogpost. Half the people think I should stick to Java - it's a fine tool for the job, half the people think I will need to switch language. No doubt being in Java reduces my pool of potential co-founders.
- al1x 13y ago
  There is no reason whatsoever to switch from Java. Ignore this noise.
  - makerops 13y ago
    Of course there is, if he can't find someone to work on it for equity, but can convince someone to write it in PHP for equity.
    - al1x 13y ago
      Everyone knows Java. It's the first programming language taught to every freshman Computer Science undergrad, everywhere in the world. Even most die hard Rubyists know how to write Java. They may hate it, but they know it. Who in the world teaches PHP?

ludicast 13y ago

Your simile is right, but I think the problem is always in part these things: 1) Programming isn't impossible to learn. An outsourced MVP might be a sign that the non-tech founder is not fully committed (my grandpa owned a small factory, but stressed the importance of knowing how to work all the equipment even if he stayed in the office). 2) Technical people (of which I am one) frequently underestimate technical challenges. I'm a good developer but at times have have massively missed deadlines, released buggy/untested shite, and mis-predicted technologies (e.g. I once thought Flex would take over the world). So if we have worked for years in a field and made these mistakes, we have a hard time trusting a non-technical person the even guess at the challenges/tradeoffs up ahead. And to tell when it's time to right the ship or pivot from an idea they are attached to. So to flip it, you need to market yourself more than your project. I think the best non-technical cofounder is somebody who is a some-time developer. As a manager at Vanderlay Industries once said: "If you think I'm looking for a guy to sit at a desk pushing around papers, forget about it. I got enough headaches trying to manufacture the stuff."

integraton 13y ago

The website referenced in the post, FounderDating, is unusable, unfortunately. They got in trouble recently for using dark patterns to spam the linkedin contacts of potential users' references, and when called out on it the CEO tried to debate the use of the word "spam" when referring to their behavior: http://ilikestuffblog.com/2013/04/26/do-you-want-to-spam-your-linkedin-contacts-and-be-humiliated-try-founderdating/ http://ilikestuffblog.com/2013/04/26/do-you-want-to-spam-you... That you have to get approved and give references is also the biggest "f* you" to potential users. Why would any sensible person waste their references' time and goodwill with this nonsense? Hopefully someone will make a worthwhile "founder dating" service that just lets users find others who want to work on something and gives them a way to make contact. Don't make users jump through hoops, and don't abuse users.

Major_Grooves 13y ago
yeah - did you read the blog post (mine) I linked to?: http://wannabevc.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/founderdating-nice-concept-dodgy-viral-mechanism/ http://wannabevc.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/founderdating-nice... Not good.

al1x 13y ago

Do you really need a co-founder? I think co-founders are over-rated. > You need to have someone in the team that can fix a crashed server at 3am, or burn the midnight oil to hit a new feature deadline. Almost every contractor I've worked with on elance has been willing to work whatever hours were required. For $5 an hour. Why give up precious equity for something you could hire out for a few dollars an hour? > To date I have been using a contractor to build Satago, and whilst he is very good (one of the best developers I’ve worked with to be honest, but sadly based very far away from me in Russia) the fear is that without the large chunk of equity that a co-founder would be working towards, he could just down tools, and then Satago would grind to a halt. If I were you I would find a few other good developers to work with. Elance has them in abundance and they'll be more than happy to work for you at $5-$10/hr. (I prefer fixed-budget projects, personally.) Here's how I get projects done: I take a few INDEPENDENT features from the product roadmap, set clear expectations with the developers, hand off the code, iterate, finalize, then pay my main developer to integrate their code into the main code-base. In my case I'm the lead developer so I do the code integration, in your case maybe it would be your contractor from Russia. If the developers I've hired write good code and deliver as promised I keep them. If they don't I move on to someone else. In one year I've gone through 6 developers and kept 2 of them. 2 competent, hard working, reliable developers. When I said "set clear expectations", some expectations I've found useful to establish with a contractor are: clearly define the project specifications (you need to be able to tell them exactly what needs to be done), clearly define the project deadlines (first iteration due in 2 weeks), clearly define the budget ($300 for features X, Y, and Z), and clearly define the communication requirements (respond to emails within 24 hours, provide constant work status updates). It's also a good idea to let them know that you're looking for developers with whom you can establish a long-term relationship and that this small project they're about to work on is a test. If they meet your expectations you will keep working with them, if they don't you won't be repeating business. I also make sure to tell them that the code needs to be thoroughly documented. It helps the other developers who have to work with their code and it could help you get an idea of what's going on under the hood. In summary, I think technical co-founders are over-rated. I see no reason to give up equity for something that can be easily contracted out. Ok, finding good contractors isn't "easy". It takes a lot of time -- it's taken me 9 months to find 2 solid ones. But the ones I've found can reliably get the job done, on time, within budget, guaranteed. I own 100% of my company.

gremlinsinc 13y ago

personally as a Dev and entrepreneur with about 50 ideas for startups I would like a confounding team to simply bounce ideas off and share the load... my top idea is a CRM for rental property that - collect rent, schedule maintenance, list rentals, handled roommate splits, background checks, financials, and more... but would be nice to have another back end coder to help(laravel), and a designer for front end, a business developer.. monetization would be 6-7$ per month per unit. Building something great can be hard when you are a one person shop.