you can't

software engineers are not very socially adept and can't read people who are predatory

it's even worse with 'save the world' type software engineers

* the only thing you can do is make sure you get some stock

even then most predatory business side founders will make adjustments (the way Zuckerberg did) to take most of the stock for themselves

also percentage of people who win taking that kind of Wild Hail MAry pass

every startup is a wild Hail Mary pass

So you will get some really crazy 'starting scenarios'

Talk to anyone who started a successful company. There were always moments where chances of success went to 0.0001%

and apart from the founder/founders/ a few employees who drank the Kool Aid, no one else thought there was any chance left