4 ms·

Ask HN: Where is the best place to find a co-founder

I have looked at the usual suspects like CoFounders Lab, but nothing really seems intuitive or a good match. Any suggestions to find a CoFounder with web development skills?

valarauca1 12y ago
Honestly, networking. You'll need to vet a lot of people, which means you'll have to talk to at least 10x as many before you find a good match that your comfortable with. I've also used services like CoFounders Lab, and several others which have been suggested. They're all pretty mediocre at best.
- georgeallen003 12y ago
  Thanks for the reply. I have been doing that, but networking with people such as programmers is challenging, they don't seem to get out much. I even tried going to meetups and coordinated events, they are just an elusive bunch. Again, thanks for the reply, i'll keep try to meet people.
  - taprun 12y ago
    Go to meetup.com - Type in the name of your city and search for groups involved in "programming". I live in a technology backwater, and I'm attending two tech events this week.
    - Gys 12y ago
      Works well for me too. And networking is the main reason I work 2 days a week at a co-worker space. I might even visit a another one once in a while to get a feeling for that place (and people !).
brudgers 12y ago
Why not pick up some web development skills yourself? This will allow the project to advance and make you more attractive to programmers because it shows a willingness to do whatever it takes to make the idea a reality. This could be important because programmers often encounter people who value the idea over its execution.
- georgeallen003 12y ago
  Great advice!I have been learning,albeit slow. I have half a prototype with my limited skills. I couldn't agree more about the idea vs. execution disparity.
martharotter 12y ago
Networking & meetups are great, as mentioned. I am also seeing a lot of people on good tech mailing lists start to reach out as well for co-founders. Groups like NY Tech Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/ny-tech/ http://www.meetup.com/ny-tech/), SF New Tech (http://www.meetup.com/sfnewtech/ http://www.meetup.com/sfnewtech/), various regional founders groups on facebook are all places I've seen people connecting to talk about working together on startups. I don't know how useful it is, but I've also heard mention of Founder Dating (and there are regional meetups for those as well): http://founderdating.com/ http://founderdating.com/ Good luck!
- georgeallen003 12y ago
  Another great suggestion, I am thoroughly impressed with the feedback. I had not heard of founderdating before, I will check it out too.
alain94040 12y ago
The best co-founder is someone you worked with before. Have you really contacted all your [good] ex co-workers to find out where they went? Even the ones who couldn't possibly be interested in startups? People change. If that doesn't work, network. Once you find someone who seems good and interested in your space, get them on board on a temporary basic. Pay them, do whatever it takes to get them to work with you for a 1-3 months. Only then sign papers that give away significant stock and make them officially a co-founder.
clu3 12y ago
Hi i am a long time web dev and otoh looking for a biz/product partner. Interested? Maybe HN is the place to find a cofounder. I tried on cofounders lab but to much spam there
- georgeallen003 12y ago
  I am open to exploring a venture with you. Not sure how people connect through HN, but my profile is listed and has several ways to get in touch. Just mention this post.
sedeki 12y ago
If you're interested in a remote cofounder, then I might be up for the challenge :-)
- georgeallen003 12y ago
  Interesting offer, are you a Web progrmmer? If so, I am open to discussing with you.
  - sedeki 12y ago
    Yes, I'm a Python/Django developer. Do you have Skype?
    - georgeallen003 12y ago
      Yes I do. My user name is stkupprnc.
georgeallen003 12y ago
HN community...these are all great suggestions and the feedback has been really positive. Thank you!

I have looked at the usual suspects like CoFounders Lab, but nothing really seems intuitive or a good match. Any suggestions to find a CoFounder with web development skills?

valarauca1 12y ago

Honestly, networking. You'll need to vet a lot of people, which means you'll have to talk to at least 10x as many before you find a good match that your comfortable with. I've also used services like CoFounders Lab, and several others which have been suggested. They're all pretty mediocre at best.

georgeallen003 12y ago
Thanks for the reply. I have been doing that, but networking with people such as programmers is challenging, they don't seem to get out much. I even tried going to meetups and coordinated events, they are just an elusive bunch. Again, thanks for the reply, i'll keep try to meet people.
- taprun 12y ago
  Go to meetup.com - Type in the name of your city and search for groups involved in "programming". I live in a technology backwater, and I'm attending two tech events this week.
  - Gys 12y ago
    Works well for me too. And networking is the main reason I work 2 days a week at a co-worker space. I might even visit a another one once in a while to get a feeling for that place (and people !).

brudgers 12y ago

Why not pick up some web development skills yourself? This will allow the project to advance and make you more attractive to programmers because it shows a willingness to do whatever it takes to make the idea a reality. This could be important because programmers often encounter people who value the idea over its execution.

georgeallen003 12y ago
Great advice!I have been learning,albeit slow. I have half a prototype with my limited skills. I couldn't agree more about the idea vs. execution disparity.

martharotter 12y ago

Networking & meetups are great, as mentioned. I am also seeing a lot of people on good tech mailing lists start to reach out as well for co-founders. Groups like NY Tech Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/ny-tech/ http://www.meetup.com/ny-tech/), SF New Tech (http://www.meetup.com/sfnewtech/ http://www.meetup.com/sfnewtech/), various regional founders groups on facebook are all places I've seen people connecting to talk about working together on startups. I don't know how useful it is, but I've also heard mention of Founder Dating (and there are regional meetups for those as well): http://founderdating.com/ http://founderdating.com/ Good luck!

georgeallen003 12y ago
Another great suggestion, I am thoroughly impressed with the feedback. I had not heard of founderdating before, I will check it out too.

alain94040 12y ago

The best co-founder is someone you worked with before. Have you really contacted all your [good] ex co-workers to find out where they went? Even the ones who couldn't possibly be interested in startups? People change. If that doesn't work, network. Once you find someone who seems good and interested in your space, get them on board on a temporary basic. Pay them, do whatever it takes to get them to work with you for a 1-3 months. Only then sign papers that give away significant stock and make them officially a co-founder.

clu3 12y ago

Hi i am a long time web dev and otoh looking for a biz/product partner. Interested? Maybe HN is the place to find a cofounder. I tried on cofounders lab but to much spam there

georgeallen003 12y ago
I am open to exploring a venture with you. Not sure how people connect through HN, but my profile is listed and has several ways to get in touch. Just mention this post.

sedeki 12y ago

If you're interested in a remote cofounder, then I might be up for the challenge :-)

georgeallen003 12y ago
Interesting offer, are you a Web progrmmer? If so, I am open to discussing with you.
- sedeki 12y ago
  Yes, I'm a Python/Django developer. Do you have Skype?
  - georgeallen003 12y ago
    Yes I do. My user name is stkupprnc.

georgeallen003 12y ago

HN community...these are all great suggestions and the feedback has been really positive. Thank you!