But for best results, and to avoid the pitfall davidw pointed out, get someone who knows the basics of hacking too so he/she doesn't ask you to build a website that can shoot lasers out of the screen.
A huge assumption.
If you're wrong about that and you get a non-tech co-founder, you're toast.
Personally, I'd hedge my bets with a second tech and worry about the non-tech stuff later.
I have been in the exact same situation twice before and here's what happened both times: I was working 100 hour weeks and my partner was bored. Then he went out and oversold what I could have delivered. A disaster. Twice. (You'd think I'd have learned.)
The problem isn't whether you have the skills for what is needed. It's whether you have the time to do it. I underestimated what it would take and didn't account for all kinds of stuff. It's a very easy trap to fall into, believe me. The stuff that bites you in the butt down the line will be technical; count on it.
I would have traded either non-technical partner for a fellow hacker in a heartbeat. If I had, who knows, you may have been reading this at Eddie News instead while I typed it from my yacht. Don't make the same mistake as me. Get another tech.
"It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account."Just as one great developer can do ten times the work as an average developer with far less problems, the same holds true with marketing, business, etc.
So, it may be more of a challenge than you expect finding someone, and determining their skill level.
I also catch myself minimizing the value of certain business issues and maximizing the value of technical issues. I think that is a natural tendancy, so make sure you keep that in check. Best of luck.
On the positive: they're good at marketing, getting in people's faces, getting the word out, getting people on board, etc. I just can't talk to advertisers so I'd end up with AdWords getting less revenue. I'd be bad at promoting the thing so there'd be fewer users.
On the negative: most of them have no f'in clue what makes any sense in technology. They don't use it enough. Their ideas will be something like, "maybe we should do something like eBay, but with a better rating system". They'll come up with a lot of nonsense that isn't useful - but they don't know that since they just don't use computers and the internet as much as we do. Of course, they're a bit arrogant (it's why they're good in part one) so they think you should be following their lead.
You need to find someone that can do part 1 without being so full of themselves that they think they know how to build a webapp and that you're just code in human form. It's hard because most of those types like to think of themselves as the "idea person" rather than doing the work of promoting, forming partnerships, etc. Their "idea" is crap and been done before. You need someone to do the non-code heavy lifting.
When I was 14, I learned all I needed to build a Battlebot. I wanted to enter the show. I designed and built a frame, and filled it with the electrical components to make it work. It was pretty fun actually. I've spent time passively researching programming but never found the time to take it up to a usable level. I only know a few things and can understand some programming jokes. I've built a couple of websites and I have a decent understanding of how that whole "internet contraption" works. Basically, I consider myself a form of hacker, at least, whatever form can exist that doesn't know how to program for beans.
After accepting all of this, and seeing what type of person it appears I am, I've decided to major in marketing (and possibly double in finance). I've done a few businesses of my own and have a decent understanding of the marketing and development involved in making it succeed.
In the end (about 2-3 years from now), I will be what I would consider a well rounded tech and business focused individual.
Because of my obvious inexperience in programming, I think any startup I create or join will use me in a business development fashion, rather than as a hacker (even if I were to obtain a working knowledge of a language).
My goal is to be that marketing guy who also understands and appreciates what goes into building the product, instead of being the one who is purely an "idea person" with little experience with computers and the internet.
I want to prove to myself and others that it's possible to have both the right and left side of the brain working for you to help create something great.
With the general question, I'll give you my best shot at a general answer. Building something people want to use is the first order problem where virtually every startup fails. Select a co-founder who will help you solve that problem. If you don't, funding, marketing, business plans, and recruiting aren't going to help much.
Also I would not put it as a tech vs. non tech co-founder; rather hire for complimentary skills so that as a team you can cover most of the functions.
No: since you're 'looking', it'll be hard to find someone you trust thoroughly enough to really share the work with. It's easy for non-tech types to dream up lots of hard things to code.
I'm not saying its not possible to grow a company with a non-tech person, there are many examples where this has worked (PayPal could count as one). My point is that two tech-founders can get a product out fast if you work well together.
Although finding a hacker co-founder, is a whole another ball game. You really need to find someone who will take ownership of your idea as their own and move forward. This is soooo hard to find...soo hard...Good Luck!
Do you have the experience in the space you are trying to attack? If not, you best be looking for someone, either technical or not, who does, who can speak to the market, and investors about the market (or angels FROM the market). Also, what's your next milestone? Is it your first paying customer, or is it a demo that will not be launch ready? What will his/her first milestone be? Is there enough work at present to keep a biz person busy in exchange for the equity? There will ALWAYS be enough todo's on the list of the developers... In short, are you sure you're ready for a non-technical founder?
BTW: my cofounder is non-technical (I'm sure he'd love to see me describe him as such). I asked him aboard before I'd written even a hundred lines of code. Why? Because he knows the market well and has professional experience / knowledge that I, or likely any other hacker, couldn't hope to pick up in any reasonable amount of time. If that's what you need - then get looking ... they are worth their weight in gold and very, very hard to find!
When hiring for a startup you can afford someone with A or B. In the worst case scenario you need someone with A and B. In the best case you need someone with A and B (assuming both are skills), and Passionated about what you are doing.
It turns out that the majority of talented people are not "willing" to startup, but you can find one if you look hard enough.
There is a lot of nontechnical stuff to do in a startup but it doesn't make sense to start most of it until you actually have something working.
Hackers who dismiss the importance of being able to pull together and organize this type of work are just as bad as idea guys who think they can just get anybody to do this "really simple thing"..
In that order. Get whoever you need to do that well.