Generally speaking, I don't think it is wise to give so much of your company away especially at an early stage. Most likely the company will need to change dire

Generally speaking, I don't think it is wise to give so much of your company away especially at an early stage. Most likely the company will need to change direction (pivot) multiple times before becoming successful and that can be hard to do if the founders only own half the company. In my experience, if someone is asking for that much ownership then they want to play a large role in decision making which can be a blessing but more often a curse. As another commenter suggested, consulting can be a good way to make money to then bootstrap the company. Another option is to enter competitions which isn't guaranteed money, but I know some companies have been initially funded by competition prizes.