Ask HN: How to find a tech-savy business co-founder?
5 comments
The criteria I would look for:
• A track record in guiding early stage products or services. The early days are as risky and ambiguous as it can get. Someone solidly aware of that going in is valuable.
• Multi-disciplinary. Highly probable that the first few employees will need to wear multiple hats and be able to shift between roles comfortably and as needed. It may not be coding, but ideally it is something tangible and measurable - e.g. the ability to PM a project or being comfortable enough to lead design/UX. Conversely, someone only willing to handle a single discipline - sales, fundraising, marketing, PR, etc. - will have limitations that become obvious right away.
• Domain expertise. May not necessarily have to be down to the exact problem domain but some level of familiarity helps in hitting the ground running.
• Comfortable as a distributed team. Since you brought up the location issue, it would probably help to have someone experienced in working virtually. Communication becomes even more crucial if you won't be interacting outside of a screen on a regular basis.
Where I would look:
• My network and extended network.
• The thankless, yet tried and true method of "pounding the pavement" and networking in person. Having "Terminator Vision" here using the above criteria is invaluable (there will be a LOT of noise to filter out).
• I'd consider looking around for past startups in a similar space that may not have worked out. Perhaps individuals from those teams still have that "itch."
• A track record in guiding early stage products or services. The early days are as risky and ambiguous as it can get. Someone solidly aware of that going in is valuable.
• Multi-disciplinary. Highly probable that the first few employees will need to wear multiple hats and be able to shift between roles comfortably and as needed. It may not be coding, but ideally it is something tangible and measurable - e.g. the ability to PM a project or being comfortable enough to lead design/UX. Conversely, someone only willing to handle a single discipline - sales, fundraising, marketing, PR, etc. - will have limitations that become obvious right away.
• Domain expertise. May not necessarily have to be down to the exact problem domain but some level of familiarity helps in hitting the ground running.
• Comfortable as a distributed team. Since you brought up the location issue, it would probably help to have someone experienced in working virtually. Communication becomes even more crucial if you won't be interacting outside of a screen on a regular basis.
Where I would look:
• My network and extended network.
• The thankless, yet tried and true method of "pounding the pavement" and networking in person. Having "Terminator Vision" here using the above criteria is invaluable (there will be a LOT of noise to filter out).
• I'd consider looking around for past startups in a similar space that may not have worked out. Perhaps individuals from those teams still have that "itch."
This is not directly addressing your question, but I went the bootstrapped SaaS solo founder route and have no regrets. Code reviews would've been nice, admittedly, and some of my initial attempts at the non-tech stuff were weak. But ultimately the non-tech stuff proved fairly easy to pick up and I really appreciate the extra skills I ended up with. As for sharing the experience, consider joining one of the many online bootstrapper communities, or attending MicroConf.
So my advice would be to look for a co-founder, sure, but don't discount the option of going it alone. Remember that good co-founder > solo >> bad co-founder!
So my advice would be to look for a co-founder, sure, but don't discount the option of going it alone. Remember that good co-founder > solo >> bad co-founder!
I'm an interested product manager and UI/UX designer. I left my last full-time gig in SF to work on my own SaaS too. My details are in my profile if you're interested.
I would encourage you to look at product managers currently employed in your area by big co's. From those cohorts there might be some who are disenchanted with the cube life and looking for a change. Especially if the big co might have people who possess domain expertise in the area you're building in.
I'd also encourage you to seek out startup meetups or any programming that's done by people in the entrepreneurial ecosystem as it often attracts people who are thinking about getting in to the startup game but aren't quite there yet.
Networking is a huge part of being a successful startup. You could treat this as your first foray in to an activity that's absolutely critical for success.
Good luck out there, but take your time and be extremely selective. A truly amazing cofounder is 1) hard to find 2) a pre-requisite for success.
I'd also encourage you to seek out startup meetups or any programming that's done by people in the entrepreneurial ecosystem as it often attracts people who are thinking about getting in to the startup game but aren't quite there yet.
Networking is a huge part of being a successful startup. You could treat this as your first foray in to an activity that's absolutely critical for success.
Good luck out there, but take your time and be extremely selective. A truly amazing cofounder is 1) hard to find 2) a pre-requisite for success.
I would add onto this to say you should try to find someone who has been with at least one product since it launched. Launching vs. inheriting a product is a huge difference.
I'm not too concerned about immediate help with the technical aspects (though some code review would be lovely), but I'm aware that there will be non-technical work which I am willing to do, but am inexperienced in. Also, it would be good - in general - to have a co-founder to share the experience with.
I'm currently located in south eastern USA and would prefer not to relocate - but I'm happy to travel for networking purposes.