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Ask HN: Where can I find technical co-founders?

• Scribblenaut9 12y ago
  You should check out ycombinator's startup class. (It's free) http://startupclass.samaltman.com http://startupclass.samaltman.com According to them, your better off with no cofounder than some random person you meet online. Ideally though, you should have someone you've known for many years.
  • rajensanghvi 12y ago
    As a follow up, here are the highlights of the lessons taught in that class and what to look for: https://medium.com/how-to-start-a-startup/65-quotes-from-sam-altman-on-startup-teams-co-founding-and-hiring-5cfadf4dc69e https://medium.com/how-to-start-a-startup/65-quotes-from-sam...
    • nick_bristol 12y ago
      I am all over that - I have not seen it because I have been working the past week but now I have got a day off I am going to smash through all of the lectures: expecting great things!
• carterschonwald 12y ago
  Interview lots of people and make it clear that they'll actually get paid. Takes work to get to know folks.
• binocarlos 12y ago
  Hi, Not sure I'm looking to start a new project BUT I am technical, in Bristol and would be happy to meet and say hello - email in profile
• stevoo 12y ago
  hi ... i am not from bristol but that means nothing. i am technical founder. please send me an email if you want to discuss more. i am looking to start a new project as my last one was completed
• rachelandrew 12y ago
  Bristol has a pretty good startup scene (I've recently moved here). Have you checked out some of the local networking and support groups? There is some stuff concentrated around Engine Shed http://www.engine-shed.co.uk/ http://www.engine-shed.co.uk/ If you have finances you could always employ someone in a CTO type role rather than take on a co-founder. If I were in your position I think I would define what I actually need of this additional senior person. Consider what skills they should have, what input you want of them. Then start chatting to people - if you find someone who seems ideal then you can can find out what kind of terms they would be willing to come on board under.
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    Thanks! - I will check out engine shed. I plan to sit down and write out a spec sometime this week
• haniqassim 12y ago
  Hi Nick. I am looking for a business partner and I am technology focused. My email is hani.qassim@lukemani.com
• Codhisattva 12y ago
  Flat out hire a technical advisor. Don't bother dangling equity, just pay their rate like you would an attorney - retainer + hourly. Ask them to create a technical roadmap and architecture. With that in hand you can then find a first employee to implement it. In this way, you can leverage the expensive expertise of a very senior level person where it's most needed and then hire a less experienced and less expensive individual to perform the daily work. It's like building a house, hire an architect first, but then a general contractor to make it happen.
  • issa 12y ago
    This is GREAT, rarely followed, advice. A good technical advisor can not only break the job into smaller, manageable pieces but can also help you vet potential candidates.
  • shaded2 12y ago
    I would recommend this as well. but i see no reason why this person cannot be your cofounder. If you are building a software based company it would help to have a technical cofounder with a vested interest. You don't sound like a traditional start-up, so most of the advice form startup school may not apply to you. You probably don't need someone who actually writes code day to day. I would get someone with high level expertise in building and running technical teams who can start from one developer and scale up. That person will lay out your technical infrastructure while you focus on the business side of things. This is definitely not an easy find, and is harder than finding some smart student who wants to play with latest technology x that does not fit well with your business plan. I'm @shaded2 on twitter if you want to chat more
    • vinceguidry 12y ago
      > i see no reason why this person cannot be your cofounder. There's no real reason why anyone you find that can provide you with that service can't be your co-founder, but realistically speaking most of the people you meet won't be terribly interested in becoming a founder. It's a hell of a lot of hard work and it's very risky. If you can convince him to take an equity stake, by all means hammer out an agreement, but you can get from zero to one even if he doesn't, simply by paying him for a clear set of deliverables.
• rays123 12y ago
  DM me at @kpatel79 on twitter and I will be able to point you in right direction.
• acjohnson55 12y ago
  Hire somebody as a senior engineer at market rate, and if you're happy with their leadership, you can convert them to a senior position and/or upgrade them to a cofounder. But you'll want to see if they can architect your tech stack and build and lead a team first before you marry them.
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    I agree - finding the right people is one of the hardest parts of running a team.
• soneca 12y ago
  That is a tough question, as startup advice out there is "look between your friends". This is the same as saying "sorry if you didn't go to a top CS college to have smart developers friends. There is nothing you can do". Sam Altman in his last startup class went as far as to say that non-tech people have no business founding a tech business, quoting "software people should found software companies, media eople should found media company". I found that a little bit sad to hear. Anyway, my advice. Start with "freelance-as-a-test-to-CTO contract". But the secret is to find a developer who is not a freelancer. Freelancers already made their mind, they don't want to be a CTO, they will treat your contract as any other job, probably not even prioritize yours. You must find a non-freelancer developer with an interest to start a start-up. Maybe a guy with a dayjob who needs the paycheck and can't afford to quit it, or some other who already failed in one or two of his own ideas. Or a young smart developer who is still lookong for his idea of a startup. Finding the right profile, you must deal with the agreement the right way. You must convince the developer that your idea has the potencial to be big. You must value his time and pay a reasonable fee. I think the right one won't charge the top market he would if he was a freelancer. He must gain other thngs than money with the job. Learning mostly. Learning about a code, as he will build a software from scratch, probably learnng new tech. Also learning how a business is built. If it fails he must be better prepared to startup his own thing, for example. That is the hard thing to get with freelancers. They will accept your proposal only for the money. You will never know if they are really interested in being part of your business for real. This is become a 100% certainty if you are outsourcing to a software factory or remote freelance, so don't even consider about it. I would start with an hourly fee, i think it is better for a test than a fulltime hire. Sometimes might be even irresponsible to hire a developer to such an only-idea startup. Too risky. Hire the guy to make the MVP with an hourly fee. This way you will know if the guy is good, if you work well together, if you cmmunicate well. He will also know if it is something he wants to dive in. So this would be the freelancer as a test to CTO. Now, actualy answering the qustion to where find it. I don't believe in startup events or regular networking for this. You hire the more outspken and available developer, not the right one. A good tip that worked for me is to keep an eye for this guys that show up at HN front page with a technical post or a Show HN. Rule out the very experient and famous developers who are regulars to HN front page. Search for the new, unknown guy who did something bright (HN upvotes are a great filter from tech guys for this). At the Show HN rule out the full formed startups, look, again, for the new, unknown guy who built something great as a side project. If you have experience in the field, a good idea and money to fund (and a willingness to go to SV), i think you are in good position to attract the top talent that appear here. Also, look for someone in "Who is hiring" Hn thread (definitely not at "Needs a freelancer?" thread).
• robinwarren 12y ago
  Hi Nick, SWFounders meetup in Bristol is a good place to start http://www.meetup.com/sw-founders/ http://www.meetup.com/sw-founders/. It seems to attract a couple senior devs looking for an opportunity when I've been there. Secondly, feel free to drop me an email (freebananas at gmail). I run http://www.meetup.com/Bristol-and-area-CTO-meetup/ http://www.meetup.com/Bristol-and-area-CTO-meetup/. If you can give me some more details I occasionally find out if someone is looking for something.
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    Thanks Robin, I'll sign up and pop in.
• fsk 12y ago
  If you already have a semi-established business, you are looking for an employee and not a co-founder. "Looking for a technical co-founder" implies you are starting a brand new business, not looking to bring someone in to an established business.
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    My intention when I posted was to leave my existing business to run itself and to apply to YC W15 to found a new business. Having reflected on the advice and the fact I don't have a technical co-founder I know and trust implicitly I am going to go down the route of hiring a competent technical advisor to PM this for me with sub-contracted work.
• DenisM 12y ago
  Prepare a compelling explanation for what your proposed market is, and what you bring to the table (connections, sales experience, management experience, capital, etc) Go to a place where technical folk and startups hang out, such as a coworking space or regular meetups. Talk to people, see if you can help anyone with an introduction or an insight. Be sure to mention what kind of person you're looking for. Network with the people who know everyone (e.g. Manager of the coworking space, local startup bloggers, service providers). Be sure to mention be sure to mention whom you are looking for. If you do something for them, they will remember you better. Eventually one of those people will meet someone you need, and they will remember to intoruce you.
• yosheeck 12y ago
  Nick, I have a small IT business in Southampton with a branch in Poland (for cost efficiency). I've got good references, 10+ year of experience and more. Mail me if you want to talk - y@ke.mu
• yosheeck 12y ago
  Nick, I have a small IT business in Southampton with a branch in Poland (for cost efficiency). I've got good references, 10+ year of experience and more. Mail me if you want to talk - y@ke.mu
• systemtrigger 12y ago
  > I don't need work done for free - I am happy to employ someone ... Then you want a contractor not a cofounder. One trades time for cash, the other for equity. To hire a contractor, google "hire a coder" then describe your requirements and cash reward on the sites that appear in the search results. If you really want a technical founder, become one: http://blog.samaltman.com/non-technical-founder-learn-to-hack http://blog.samaltman.com/non-technical-founder-learn-to-hac...
• kordless 12y ago
  What is the t/o stand for after the 2M?
  • alasdair_ 12y ago
    Turnover presumably. In the UK it means the same as revenue in the US.
• jaoued 12y ago
  My advice. 1. Try to get your MVP out asap with a young tech graduate/internship/ from Bristol University CS department. It will give you time & opportunity to find what you are looking for. Forget meeting technical co-founders like you would date people online. You have more chance of winning in the casino that meeting your tech partner online. Best you start solo than chasing first your tech co-founder. 2. Use your network as I am sure you must be linked to some great folks/friends. You have to think as your co-founder (tech or not) as your most important relationship before hire, customers and also definitely investors. All the best.
• thegenius 12y ago
  TLDR; Show you are willing to put in effort and labor aside from generating ideas/spending/raising capital Hi Nick - I can speak for myself. I am a primarily technical, sole founder of a 3+ years profitable company who had to develop the business know-how along the way. With the ability to see both sides, what I've found is the business-side components are equally as important as the technical components; that is, neither can live without the other. But here's the rub: The technical side is a thousand times more laborious to become proficient at, and there's not even a comparison. If you're able to take that with more than a grain of salt, it implies while your contributions are equally as important as a technical co-founders to the overall business' success - the technical co-founder is not likely to see it that way because they won't be looking at things in terms of value (which is what matters most from the business man's point of view) but in terms of value + effort. The way you can make developers feel good about working with you is to emphasize something aside from money (risk) to contribute which shows you will be putting in a substantial amount of effort which then has tangible, measurable results. For example, if you are a good writer and willing to write lots of content for SEO. You say you are a sales and marketing focused person, so really stress what it is you will be doing work-wise that will compel the technical co-founder to want to work with you. Will you be cold-calling 100 people with a 5 percent conversion rate every day? Will you be spending 4 hours a day using X, Y, and Z tool to come up with keyword permutations for AdWords campaigns? Will you be reaching out to a minimum of 3 potential affiliate / rev-share partners a day to maximize those types of relationships? Show what makes you good at what you do and the effort you will be putting forth to achieve your results.
  • zzzzz_ 12y ago
    He said he's bringing this to the table: "I don't need work done for free - I am happy to employ someone to de-risk their time investment and I already have 2 investors who will fund us. However, I will self fund for as long as possible."
    • thegenius 12y ago
      I saw that. What is your point?
  • 12y ago
• decentrality 12y ago
  If you are looking for a co-founder and not a contractor for-hire, then it is important to source one from within your closest contacts. Ideally, choose a good friend. Not only does the co-founder need to share your vision, they need to tolerate/accept/embrace you personally, and you them. You will go through tough times together. If you prefer to call the shots and carry the burden of founding, then don't get a co-founder: just retain and pay a contractor, as many others have said here. It's good advice. The illusion of a co-founder is debilitating for startups. Every founder must be putting in devoted work. It's a gunny-sack race they're in, not a baton-race, not a solo-marathon/sprint. So find someone close to you who appreciates you personally, otherwise, hire an expert.
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    You are right - I founded my current business with two friends and now only one of them is left! So I know about the grind and the importance of strong relationships. My instinct is that if I don't have that relationship with a technical co-founder before we start then I would be in a better position to hire in and mitigate the risk of getting in bed with someone prematurely.
• pastaking 12y ago
  Hey nick_bristol, read your bio, I love the market you're in (security in oil & gas and maritime markets), would you be open to working with someone from Canada?
  • nick_bristol 12y ago
    Thanks mate, I need to work with someone face to face on this one. Canada is a little cold for me!
• gamebit07 12y ago
  Let me know, I can be of help. username at gmail.
• obiefernandez 12y ago
  Reach out to me. I'm a contract CTO/Co-founder and I can probably help you obiefernandez@gmail.com
• lise_s 12y ago
  Hi Nick, I would recommend taking your time to select your co-founder. I believe it is not only about finding someone that loves your idea, and that has matching technical skills. Sharing equity with someone, even if you can provide the security of an income, is like entering a marriage. Any confusion, lack of communication, conflicts (and there will be no matter what) will impact your team (this comes from a start-up team member that witnessed poor decision-making due to a lack of cooperation between founders). Make sure you both have a similar vision of entrepreneurship and take your time to work with the person so you can both experiment difficulties together and see if you trust your co-founder. You can find contractors to get you started (with an open-source framework like web2py so that your CTO will easily be able to pick up the work). I have applied this to my project, selected potential tech co-founders because I enjoyed working with them on various occasions (work, school, start-up week-ends ...) and asked for small, paid tasks that a mentor verified for me. It is supposed to be the hardest part in entrepreneurship so I wish you the best going forward on this search for your co-founder. I know Europe has less Tech/Start-up events to attend (I live in France) but if you can I would recommend networking, meeting as many programmers as you can. There are a lot of events registered on Meetup.com in London. http://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/17/london/tech/ http://www.meetup.com/cities/gb/17/london/tech/ Good luck !
• orky56 12y ago
  I recently started Cofound Hound, a mailing list service for finding co-founders based purely on mutual matches. You sign up & get a list of people that might be a good fit. They get a similar list weekly (with you & others on it). If there's shared interest, we intro you two. That's it. Meet them, work on something with them, whatever. With FounderDating and CofoundersLab, your profile goes stale or you get spammed. No more. http://www.cofoundhound.com http://www.cofoundhound.com