Input on turning a side-project into a job
In my spare time I have created a new cloud platform. The idea is to make cloud computing more approachable, to the point where everyone can use it.
From the user side the system is essentially a cloud OS with a web interface, where performing massive operations such as simulations and big-data analysis is just as easy as using a regular desktop application. The system manages the resources automatically, without the user needing to know about what happens in the background.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg4Loeuu0pM
This is how the platform looked a few months ago, since then I have been working on a package manager and a new system to handle ES6 imports / exports to replace our current linking system.
Last summer I told a friend about the system, there was an instant connection, and we decided to start a company together. He was the perfect counterpart to my engineering background, while I developed the platform, he was the human side of the company.
With no money and no connections, funding the newborn enterprise was not a simple ordeal, what we did was working regular tech jobs during the day, and creating our platform during the night. We managed to get into a local startup program, leading to a deal where we got more money than we had ever seen in the form of AWS credits.
Fast-forward 6 months, and here we are. What we realized is that what we really are passionate about is the technology. So in this moment of self-discovery we figured out what we really want in life is to be full-time developers on this platform.
And this is where we need advice, our optimal situation would be for a larger company to buy us out and then hire us as developers, but we also want to open-source the platform.
What we are looking for is for someone who has been in similar shoes to share experience or advice regarding the situation. We are deeply grateful for any input on the topic.