Ask HN: Best way to find a technical cofounder? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Best way to find a technical cofounder?

4 pointsrwjackson59 comments

This may have been discussed before but wanted to throw it out there anyway as I have a web-based venture I am trying to get started.

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My advice isn't really advice, more of an observation based on my limited world experience. But here it is.

If you are looking for a cofounder, stop looking for a cofounder. Look at like this: if you were looking for a wife or a girlfriend, you would not be asking women whether or not they'd be interested in marrying you on the first date.

All friendships have to start somewhere and have a base of interaction. So why not network and make friends who are programmers? Find people to bounce ideas off of, discuss tech news, ask for opinions, etc. Offer your skills, abilities and network to them, work with them on side projects if possible.

If your not interested in investing your time into something like that, then really what you're looking for is someone to hire to do coding work for you. In that case, find someone to hire.

I'd suggest looking into what would be required to get started technically yourself, and in the ensuing learning process you'd not only educate yourself so that conversations with your future co-founder would have some decent merit, but you might find someone along the way ;)

This site can be a good place for such a thing... however, unless you're willing to give a high-level overview of what you're doing (at a minimum), you probably shouldn't expect very many people to make serious inquiries.

Why not work on projects together for fun or profit?

I have a few projects where I could use a decent javascript/jQuery guy or gal in the SF Bay area.

I have a background in web development and would be open to talking to you about your idea. What is the best way to reach you?

Startup Weekend and Cofounder Speed Dating. Also hanging around coworking places (and being friendly but not annoying)

Are there any success stories from these events?

My intuitive suspicion is that trying to found a company with someone you've just met is likely to be doomed.

Some companies created at SW have gone on to be real companies, but SW is really better for getting the feel for working with other people and then working with them on other projects. I can think of five funded (not that that's a metric for success) companies that grew out of Seattle Startup Weekend relationships. While I'm not seeking a co-founder at the moment, everyone on my co-founder shortlist is someone I met at Startup Weekend 3 years ago or I met directly through someone I met at SW.

Here is a good post on the same topic, http://www.jetcooper.com/blog/how-to-find-a-technical-co-fou...

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