4 ms·

Find a co-founder with this new MeetUp

25 points by alain94040 17y ago

steveeq1 17y ago
I have something somewhat similar for people in LA: http://www.meetup.com/hacker-codejam/ http://www.meetup.com/hacker-codejam/ It's more of a mixer/pair programming thing to test other people to see if they're compatible with you.
alain94040 17y ago
I just created this MeetUp based on my experience with http://FairSoftware.net http://FairSoftware.net and the Founder Institute: everyone who has a great idea also needs great co-founders. But finding co-founders is tough. Doing it in person is a good way to go, hence this MeetUp. Feel free to pass around to everyone who's interested. Also, a discussion on how you met your co-founders would be great.
davidw 17y ago
Find a co-founder ... for a startup in 5 years' time. Because someone you just met is not likely to be marriage or co-founder material until you take the time to get to know them. At least judging by what I've read here.
- alain94040 17y ago
  True. I believe in references. If a friend of a friend can vouch for you, then we should get to know each other. The amazing thing is that in Silicon Valley, it's not 6 degrees of separation, it's more like 2. You and I probably have a friend in common! It helps to establish a co-founder relationship.
replicatorblog 17y ago
It would be awesome if YC set up a cofounder "matching" service. Not anything they would have to manage, just a way to share what you bring as a cofounder, what you are looking for in a cofounder, and ideas you might have. It seems like a lot of these meetups end up being filled with "Social Media Experts" "Consultants" and "Idea Guys". A filter could ensure that hackers, designers, and other people who can contribute at an early stage could meet up. I submitted some ideas to HN as a post a month back and met a lot of awesome people. Some way to help make connections (without having to resubmit ideas/info) would be great. Might also be a way to strengthen the applicant pool for YC too.
- maukdaddy 17y ago
  Are you implying that none of the aforementioned people can contribute to a startup?
  - replicatorblog 17y ago
    Yes. I don't understand how those are jobs or independent roles. When you just have a few people I think you need to be able to write code, design UI's, or be amazing at getting customers and handling the day to day stuff. Ideally a founding team should do those things as a matter of course. Social Media "Expert": You should be able to spread the word via Twitter, FB, etc. Consultant: Founders should bring the domain knowledge of the field they are attacking. Ideas Guy: You face a lot of problems and need to be able to solve them quickly and ultimately implement solutions.
- alain94040 17y ago
  I agree. Startup meetings tend to be polluted by "service providers": consultants trying to sell you stuff. To me, it's the responsibility of the organizer to filter these out.
- blasdel 17y ago
  What do you think StartupSchool is for?
- rms 17y ago
  The problem is that YC doesn't think that is a good way to find a cofounder. Founder disputes are a top way for companies to die and are more likely the less well you know your cofounder. Maybe a cofounder from the internet is better than no one, but the best cofounder is someone you've known for years and trust.
  - replicatorblog 17y ago
    I know YC is all about long term relationships between cofounders. I'm thinking something that would help start that relationship. People could find others with shared goals and similar interests and over time form partnerships. would be a long term project, but could pay off.
rrikhy 17y ago
Brilliant. I've always liked Jobnob's "find people to help with your startup for free" events, where the participants can preview the companies and see which ones they would like to work for as well. I think it would also facilitate things if we had some kind of public wiki with which to display companies and/or individual's backgrounds.
jmtame 17y ago
I typically plug www.hndir.com when I see this stuff (a directory of hacker news readers sorted by school). This will instantly tell you just about everything you'd find out from a 30-60 minute conversation in person. "What projects did you work on? What type of stuff interests you? Which languages do you prefer?" etc etc. If you're outside the United States and you e-mail me your school's TLD, I'll manually add it. There are message boards and easy ways of identifying YC alum within. Notifications are a bit lacking at the moment.
- alain94040 17y ago
  Sounds like a good idea, but your registration process is messed up. At least I'm not smart enough to figure it out :-) I'm getting an "email required" when I click on "create account".
  - jmtame 17y ago
    there are two sections: login and register. make sure you type your school e-mail into the last box on the page. sorry if this part is confusing, may change this soon.
    - zackattack 17y ago
      your registration process sucks. i've seen so many complaints about it, including ones from me. i don't even know if my university email is still active. adding complexity doesn't add legitimacy.
jlm382 17y ago
I'm always skeptical of these gatherings that pair up potential co-founders, because I see it as trying to match up singles at a bar. The quality of the people tends to be lower, and the relationships very rarely turn into marriage. And when you're working on a startup, your co-founder is very much your spouse, both personally and legally. The thought of going to a cafe to look for my future spouse feels rather grim.
- alain94040 17y ago
  Bars don't ask for resumes when you come in. Trust the organizers of the MeetUp to try to come up with a [slightly] better process...
  - davidw 17y ago
    Resumes are all fine and good, but it still takes time (as per my other comment) and real world experience together. Or at least that's what I've gathered from everything here that I've read about it...
    - nishantmodak 17y ago
      Resumes cannot 'capture' the 'actual' work experience. they need to do a dummy project after the matching to see for themselves how well they gel together!
  - mmt 17y ago
    But not a better venue, sadly. Snarkiness aside, constructive criticism: Somewhere accessible by train and car would be ideal. Downtown PA has, at best, mediocre freeway access and parking. Somewhere quieter than a bar or pool hall might be more conducive to conversation. As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, the "trendy" impression I have of Blue Chalk is a personal turn-off. Besides, I'd want my potential co-founder to be frugal enough to avoid such an establishment pre-funding. Perhaps something like the Hacker Dojo?
    - alain94040 17y ago
jlees 17y ago
Interesting idea, Silicon Valley is probably the only place where the ratio of business guys to coders might be slightly better than 90:10. Are you going to do the TechMeetup style 2-sentence intro round the room? Organising hack-together sessions may also be worthwhile...
grayhacker 17y ago
Excellent idea - now if someone could just do it in Austin...
- gcheong 17y ago
  You could do it in Austin.
dannyr 17y ago
I like Hackathon events better because you get an opportunity to work with other devs. Google Campout and Startup Weekend are good hackathon events. On a related note, who's going to DataCampSF next weekend?
tpinto 17y ago
did these people read the latest essay from PG? (http://www.paulgraham.com/really.html http://www.paulgraham.com/really.html) you'll want your co-founder to be someone you know from some time before trying to found anything with him/her. you'll be a couple (or a threesome, or...) and a serious, long-lasting relationship can't be built on a blind date.
- gcheong 17y ago
  That's correct, but you're putting yourself in a place with other like-minded people and by meeting them in person in that context it gives you an opportunity to get an initial feel for someone to see if you want to continue the relationship further - maybe lunch to share ideas or working on a small project together - pretty soon you're building a real relationship. These meetings would be a starting point not an end point.
EinhornIsFinkle 17y ago
Are there 2-23 interesting entrepenurial people who want to grab a beer @ my modest office in SF financial district/northbeach to shoot the shit and talk ideas next Thursday or Friday afternoon, 4-6 PM? I have a couple cold cases that need drinking. Drop me a line w/your preferred date and a bit about you and I'll get it together if there is interest - BeerInRandomOffice@gmail.com
catch23 17y ago
Here's a better venue: http://superhappydevhouse.org/SuperHappyDevHouse35 http://superhappydevhouse.org/SuperHappyDevHouse35 I've met my current and previous startup founders at these series of events. However, I've never gone there with the intention of finding a co-founder.

25 points by alain94040 17y ago

I have something somewhat similar for people in LA: http://www.meetup.com/hacker-codejam/ http://www.meetup.com/hacker-codejam/ It's more of a mixer/pair programming thing to test other people to see if they're compatible with you.

alain94040 17y ago

I just created this MeetUp based on my experience with http://FairSoftware.net http://FairSoftware.net and the Founder Institute: everyone who has a great idea also needs great co-founders. But finding co-founders is tough. Doing it in person is a good way to go, hence this MeetUp. Feel free to pass around to everyone who's interested. Also, a discussion on how you met your co-founders would be great.

davidw 17y ago

Find a co-founder ... for a startup in 5 years' time. Because someone you just met is not likely to be marriage or co-founder material until you take the time to get to know them. At least judging by what I've read here.

alain94040 17y ago
True. I believe in references. If a friend of a friend can vouch for you, then we should get to know each other. The amazing thing is that in Silicon Valley, it's not 6 degrees of separation, it's more like 2. You and I probably have a friend in common! It helps to establish a co-founder relationship.

replicatorblog 17y ago

It would be awesome if YC set up a cofounder "matching" service. Not anything they would have to manage, just a way to share what you bring as a cofounder, what you are looking for in a cofounder, and ideas you might have. It seems like a lot of these meetups end up being filled with "Social Media Experts" "Consultants" and "Idea Guys". A filter could ensure that hackers, designers, and other people who can contribute at an early stage could meet up. I submitted some ideas to HN as a post a month back and met a lot of awesome people. Some way to help make connections (without having to resubmit ideas/info) would be great. Might also be a way to strengthen the applicant pool for YC too.

maukdaddy 17y ago
Are you implying that none of the aforementioned people can contribute to a startup?
- replicatorblog 17y ago
  Yes. I don't understand how those are jobs or independent roles. When you just have a few people I think you need to be able to write code, design UI's, or be amazing at getting customers and handling the day to day stuff. Ideally a founding team should do those things as a matter of course. Social Media "Expert": You should be able to spread the word via Twitter, FB, etc. Consultant: Founders should bring the domain knowledge of the field they are attacking. Ideas Guy: You face a lot of problems and need to be able to solve them quickly and ultimately implement solutions.
alain94040 17y ago
I agree. Startup meetings tend to be polluted by "service providers": consultants trying to sell you stuff. To me, it's the responsibility of the organizer to filter these out.
blasdel 17y ago
What do you think StartupSchool is for?
rms 17y ago
The problem is that YC doesn't think that is a good way to find a cofounder. Founder disputes are a top way for companies to die and are more likely the less well you know your cofounder. Maybe a cofounder from the internet is better than no one, but the best cofounder is someone you've known for years and trust.
- replicatorblog 17y ago
  I know YC is all about long term relationships between cofounders. I'm thinking something that would help start that relationship. People could find others with shared goals and similar interests and over time form partnerships. would be a long term project, but could pay off.

rrikhy 17y ago

Brilliant. I've always liked Jobnob's "find people to help with your startup for free" events, where the participants can preview the companies and see which ones they would like to work for as well. I think it would also facilitate things if we had some kind of public wiki with which to display companies and/or individual's backgrounds.

jmtame 17y ago

I typically plug www.hndir.com when I see this stuff (a directory of hacker news readers sorted by school). This will instantly tell you just about everything you'd find out from a 30-60 minute conversation in person. "What projects did you work on? What type of stuff interests you? Which languages do you prefer?" etc etc. If you're outside the United States and you e-mail me your school's TLD, I'll manually add it. There are message boards and easy ways of identifying YC alum within. Notifications are a bit lacking at the moment.

alain94040 17y ago
Sounds like a good idea, but your registration process is messed up. At least I'm not smart enough to figure it out :-) I'm getting an "email required" when I click on "create account".
- jmtame 17y ago
  there are two sections: login and register. make sure you type your school e-mail into the last box on the page. sorry if this part is confusing, may change this soon.
  - zackattack 17y ago
    your registration process sucks. i've seen so many complaints about it, including ones from me. i don't even know if my university email is still active. adding complexity doesn't add legitimacy.

jlm382 17y ago

I'm always skeptical of these gatherings that pair up potential co-founders, because I see it as trying to match up singles at a bar. The quality of the people tends to be lower, and the relationships very rarely turn into marriage. And when you're working on a startup, your co-founder is very much your spouse, both personally and legally. The thought of going to a cafe to look for my future spouse feels rather grim.

alain94040 17y ago
Bars don't ask for resumes when you come in. Trust the organizers of the MeetUp to try to come up with a [slightly] better process...
- davidw 17y ago
  Resumes are all fine and good, but it still takes time (as per my other comment) and real world experience together. Or at least that's what I've gathered from everything here that I've read about it...
  - nishantmodak 17y ago
    Resumes cannot 'capture' the 'actual' work experience. they need to do a dummy project after the matching to see for themselves how well they gel together!
- mmt 17y ago
  But not a better venue, sadly. Snarkiness aside, constructive criticism: Somewhere accessible by train and car would be ideal. Downtown PA has, at best, mediocre freeway access and parking. Somewhere quieter than a bar or pool hall might be more conducive to conversation. As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, the "trendy" impression I have of Blue Chalk is a personal turn-off. Besides, I'd want my potential co-founder to be frugal enough to avoid such an establishment pre-funding. Perhaps something like the Hacker Dojo?
  - alain94040 17y ago

jlees 17y ago

Interesting idea, Silicon Valley is probably the only place where the ratio of business guys to coders might be slightly better than 90:10. Are you going to do the TechMeetup style 2-sentence intro round the room? Organising hack-together sessions may also be worthwhile...

grayhacker 17y ago

Excellent idea - now if someone could just do it in Austin...

gcheong 17y ago
You could do it in Austin.

dannyr 17y ago

I like Hackathon events better because you get an opportunity to work with other devs. Google Campout and Startup Weekend are good hackathon events. On a related note, who's going to DataCampSF next weekend?

tpinto 17y ago

did these people read the latest essay from PG? (http://www.paulgraham.com/really.html http://www.paulgraham.com/really.html) you'll want your co-founder to be someone you know from some time before trying to found anything with him/her. you'll be a couple (or a threesome, or...) and a serious, long-lasting relationship can't be built on a blind date.

gcheong 17y ago
That's correct, but you're putting yourself in a place with other like-minded people and by meeting them in person in that context it gives you an opportunity to get an initial feel for someone to see if you want to continue the relationship further - maybe lunch to share ideas or working on a small project together - pretty soon you're building a real relationship. These meetings would be a starting point not an end point.

EinhornIsFinkle 17y ago

Are there 2-23 interesting entrepenurial people who want to grab a beer @ my modest office in SF financial district/northbeach to shoot the shit and talk ideas next Thursday or Friday afternoon, 4-6 PM? I have a couple cold cases that need drinking. Drop me a line w/your preferred date and a bit about you and I'll get it together if there is interest - BeerInRandomOffice@gmail.com

catch23 17y ago

Here's a better venue: http://superhappydevhouse.org/SuperHappyDevHouse35 http://superhappydevhouse.org/SuperHappyDevHouse35 I've met my current and previous startup founders at these series of events. However, I've never gone there with the intention of finding a co-founder.