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Agreed. But 1. Have to give it a go. 2. I think with continued positive feedback and traction. It makes an interesting proposal.

Why not hire someone as a freelancer before accepting her as a co-founder?

Have thought about that - but where can I find good freelancers?

There are some here on Hacker News. The average quality level here is probably better than on a site like eLance.com, for example.