Ask HN: looking to partner with a technical co founder | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: looking to partner with a technical co founder

1 pointrush-tea4 comments

Currently I am a one-man show, however I have my prototype MVP working including all APIs for further development and for me to move forward (either get funding, more technology development, or accepted in incubator program like Y Combinator and others), they all require 2nd co founder. I would need someone who is an expert in web programming and excellent in php, mysql, ajax, ruby, etc, therefore when things need to be change, it can be done right away.

I am currently located in Southern California, and would prefer my partner at least in California (Silicon Valley or southern California would be better).

As for me, I am what you say a non technical co founder. However I am a do-er and I get my things done. I refused not to be able to achieve my goal. My personal motto is better to have a 0.00001% chance than not trying at all. I have a vision on how I see this, and I would like to move forward with someone who shares the same passion and vision with me.

I would like to find out more about you, so please email me at rush.tea AT gmail DOT com about your passion in startup, what it would take you to be successful, your skillset (of course. :) ), and questions on what you need to know about me. It takes two to tango and I hope we can take it to the next level together.

I'm not looking to join a new team, but if I were, I would absolutely need to know what the business is. And since you say you have a prototype, I would need a link to it.

I'm guessing you plan on revealing that stuff when people email you. Except, I wouldn't bother to email you in the first place if I didn't see your prototype. You need to post the link to appeal to my idle curiosity. Then, if I think your product is awesome, I might email you. (The hypothetical me who's looking for a startup, I mean.)

Remember, very few web programmers are actively looking for a startup to co-found. You're competing with a lot of other non-technical founders for the same talent pool. The fact that you have a prototype gives you an advantage, and you should use it.

Best of luck!

Thank you for your advise. I would like to add few comments. If I post the link of my prototype, wouldn't that beat the purpose of going stealth? I am not ready to reveal it to the whole wide world as it's still not a clean prototype. Unless the project has a team that is committed to it, at this point, it's best to go stealth.

It's a matter of chicken and egg, I guess. I am looking for someone who is interested, but on the other hand, how do I make you interested...

However I am open to let people know more about the business. It's a rewards idea where customers is getting rewarded for being a loyal customer. I have created a whole new concept around it and as of today, i have not yet seen a startup that has similar approach. I have seen some that are similar, but not the same.

I could, if I would, launch it all on my own, but at the end, to be able to establish a better start for this project, I would need a technical co founder for funding, incubator program, brain storming, and ad hoc improvement.

"If I post the link of my prototype, wouldn't that beat the purpose of going stealth? I am not ready to reveal it to the whole wide world as it's still not a clean prototype. Unless the project has a team that is committed to it, at this point, it's best to go stealth."

I don't think that would be a problem. Realistically, for 99% of startups at your stage, the risk of damaging the business through overexposure is negligible. Underexposure should be a bigger worry. Getting people to pay attention to your product is hard. It won't happen accidentally, so I see no real risk in posting links in select places such as this thread.

It's certainly your prerogative to stay in stealth mode and continue looking for a cofouder without linking to your prototype. And if you go that route, I sincerely wish you the best of luck. But I think you're unnecessarily creating extra barriers for yourself.

Like I said before, there are a ton of people looking for technical cofounders. And there aren't many developers who 1) would be interested in founding a company, and 2) choose not to found a company of their own. So the competition is fierce. You have an advantage in that you can already show a prototype. This lets potential cofounders know you're for real, and that you can get things done. Wasting that competitive advantage seems a shame.

And practically speaking, what do you have to lose? What's the worst realistic outcome of posting a link in a recruitment thread like this?

I've only been on HN for a couple months and I've seen similar emails many times. You won't get much response with what you have written.

You need to add more information. Most hackers would want to know for example : your age rank/interests (are we going to fit?) past experiences (can be unrelated...might be a business you built or experience in sales) what industry is your MVP?

Hope that helps

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