How do I find a technical cofounder? | Hacker News Reader

How do I find a technical cofounder?

2 pointsagammill4 comments

Is there any interest in a superstar programmer to co-found a company (BuriedLink.com) focused with pictures and providing users a way to modify those pictures? I’m fairly certain what I want to do can be patented. I’m working on the submission now. The final product will not compete with Flickr, but could capture the interest of social networks.

I’m somewhat technical, creating websites and writing small applications; but I need a hardcore coder who can build the backend and set up the architecture. My strength is in graphic design, front ends and marketing.

I’ve started a company before, Railgun Golf, but it was a sole proprietorship that sold a patented product. This would be a 50/50 partnership.

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To the OP, since you say you're great at front end, I would find 3-5k and hire a recommended East European hacker to build a minimum viable product. Put in a lot of sweat equity on your end to make sure the product is well polished.

Then use your claimed marketing chops to see if you can get any user traction or press coverage. Are people receptive to your product??

If they are, you'll either start making money enough to pay a superstar programmer, or you now have a real case to present to credible angels who may invest $50-200k to give you some cash to hire the superstar programmer.

Well, if you have something like $80-$10,000 per year, there are lots of places to find a super-star programmer. Try posting a job to StackOverflow, Craigslist, Hacker News, and other places.

If you are offering a low starting salary, no starting salary, or "a large equity position," then it will be impossible for you to find a superstar programmer, unless you are a superstar programmer yourself. Even your friends won't work for you for equity, if they are indeed superstar programmers.

Unless you are bringing money to the table, or unless you sold a start-up people have heard of (which should also mean you have money), then you are basically worthless to a technical person at the beginning of a start-up. No one, on this forum particularly, believes a business guy is worth 50% of a boot-strapped start-up.

FYI, I have a business degree, and I have held marketing jobs. But when I started a company, I started coding, because that was the only thing worth doing most of the time.

I was afraid of that. I could probably do it myself, but it will take a long, long time.

Afraid of what?

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