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Ask HN: Are you interested in becoming a technical cofounder?

20 points by robbystout ↗ HN
Hello!

I'm creating a social network that allows users to purchase affiliate products directly from within the network. I need a technical cofounder to help me get it off the ground. I’m currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado, but am open to moving wherever we’ll have the best chance of succeeding (NYC, Seattle, Austin, Boulder, etc.).

So far, I’ve designed the app, and done some light user testing with different Flinto prototypes. I’m in the process of putting together a full prototype and getting more users involved in testing. I’ve also done some work to game the app to make it more engaging.

I’m looking for a technical cofounder to choose a stack and do the MVP development work so we can get to the first round of funding. I’ve been to some startup events and meetups, but I haven’t found anyone that doesn’t have ideas of their own they’re trying to create.

I need help.

- Is anyone interested in being a technical cofounder?

- Does anyone know anyone that is interested in being a technical cofounder?

- Do you all have any advice on where to find a technical cofounder?

A little about me:

I’m a Cal Poly grad with a degree in Economics, Finance, and Statistics.. I worked at Apple for about 7 years in both Finance and Project Management. Most recently I worked for a fast growing YC startup and was able to hone my user experience skills, gain a working knowledge of startups, and learned a ton about design. More personally, I’m an avid skier, hiker, backpacker, and definitely geek out on Star Trek and Star Wars to a semi-obscene degree.

29 comments

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NinjaSudo
Best of luck to ya Robby, where do you suspecy users most likely engage on this network? That might help find a co-founder.
robbystout
Thank you! I suspect early on our key markets are going to be fitness, fashion, and skiing, but mostly because I have the most connections in that world, and those things are already popular.
edoceo
Suspect? That means you don't have customers or know where to find them. Prove that first. Otherwise you're just another business guy offering nothing in exchange for 100k+ worth of technical skill.
sixQuarks
Oh, get over yourself please. HN has this huge disdain for "business guys" but there are tons of "hackers" that aren't worth their salt either.

This guy has already been through YC, and been at Apple for 7 years (where you need to be a hard worker to last). His idea may or may not be good, but I can bet he's gonna work his ass off.

edoceo
I'd say the same to tech side who obviously didn't do Customer Development and wanted a B-side role.

Working your ass off is not sufficient to ensure success.

robbystout
By "suspect" I meant those are the customers that I can see the need already. I understand the sentiment of needing validation to commit significant time to an idea, but I'm also a big believer in rapid prototyping and getting something in a limited number of users hands to work the kinks out before going for large traction. It's the classic chicken and egg problem. Can't have users without a product, can't build a great product without users.
CryoLogic
What's your plan for acquiring users? I've built several small social networks, and the biggest issue is always getting new users - and keeping them active.

The technical part is more or less a front-end, a back-end and some databases.

robbystout
Want to build a big one? My plan to acquire and keep users is to create a fun, engaging, and rewarding experience. Let me give you an example. Let's say you're a huge fan of skateboarding. So you follow Tony Hawk on our network. Tony post a rad pic of him doing some insane trick. Being a huge fan, you like many other people may be thinking, "I wonder what board he's riding?" With our network Tony can tag the board he's riding, right down to the bearings and trucks, and you and the rest of his followers can then purchase them. Also, consider SnapChat as a great example, the idea isn't world changing, but it is really fun, and people respond well to fun.

If you're interested please shoot me an email telling me about yourself, the projects you've worked on, and any examples of your work that you feel comfortable sharing. robby@sibipix.com

japhyr
Is Tony Hawk on your network, or is that just an example?
robbystout
@ksherlock @japhyr Tony Hawk was just an example. Think of any person with influence or who wants influence in this scenario. Why would they want to? It's a fun and engaging network for both them and their fans. People with influence are always looking for new ways of connecting with fans, admirers, followers. If either of you are interested in love to connect to see if we would work well together. Please reach out to me privately. robby@sibipix.com

Also @japhyr, I'm really jealous you live in Alaska, I would love to go heli skiing there!

sixQuarks
You seem driven and perhaps I'm wrong, but having had experience with building communities, I can tell you that it's very, very difficult to rely on your users to build/create value in a consistent way.

I find it hard to believe that users will be tagging products correctly and consistently. I think you will find your time being eaten up trying to moderate the system and keeping users inline.

There is also the Participation Inequality rule (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality/) where 90% of users are lurkers, 9% are contributors, but only 1% make up the bulk of contributions.

robbystout
Hey! Thanks for the interesting article. It makes a lot of sense that 90% of people are "lurkers." I would love to see some user interviews with these people to try and figure out what, if anything they are getting out of lurking and not contributing. I agree that consistency in tagging will be a challenge, but one that I think is solvable and scaleable. Please let me know if you'd be interested in helping create this. You sound like you've had some awesome experiences and I'm definitely interested in hearing more about them. Please reach out to me privately so we can talk. robby@sibipix.com
ksherlock
That's an interesting idea, but why does Tony Hawk want to spend the time tagging all the parts in his skateboard? Does he get a commission?
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alexskype583
Maybe Tony Hawk's fans can do all the work in exchange for some credits which can be used for other things.

Through gamification, tagging and user participation can be done.

eecks
> The technical part is more or less a front-end, a back-end and some databases.

With an attitude like that you're doomed to fail.

CryoLogic
Probably more doomed to succeed. Scope creep is one of the biggest things that kills startups. KISS and get the MVP out. If users like it, move forwards - otherwise pivot.
AznHisoka
I don't exactly understand what you are building. Are you suggesting something like RetailMeNot?
robbystout
To the best of my knowledge RetailMeNot is a coupon site. This isn't coupons at all. Let me give you an example. Let's say you're a huge fan of skateboarding. So you follow Tony Hawk on our network. Tony post a rad pic of him doing some insane trick. Being a huge fan, you like many other people may be thinking, "I wonder what board he's riding?" With our network Tony can tag the board he's riding, right down to the bearings and trucks, and you and the rest of his followers can then purchase them.

If you're interested please shoot me an email telling me about yourself, the projects you've worked on, and any examples of your work that you feel comfortable sharing. robby@sibipix.com

AznHisoka
So you aggregate all fb, Twitter etc updates of tony hawk and put them in your app?
panjaro
Does location matter?
robbystout
Good question. I'm looking for someone US based, and preferably in a startup hub. As with a lot of startups being nailed down to a location is a bit of a negative because you often have to move based on where your investors are, or if it's decided that an accelerator is a good route to go. Where are you located?
panjaro
Sydney
robbystout
Please reach out to me privately, and we can see if this would be a good fit. robby@sibipix.com

Thanks!

alexskype583
I am interested. We can have the application built. I have sent you an email. If you have not received it, you can reach me through Skype as well.
subrat_rout
If I were you I would do following: 1. If you have worked in a big Co for 7 years then I assume you have some money saved up.(Or some discretionary savings for entrepreneurial activities?)

2. I would allocate around 20k from my saving and hire somebody(a developer or two) from toptal or codementor and then build the MVP. I am sure you will find some great developers on those sites who won't mind building the MPV if you pay them per hour. You can even negotiate a lump sum for the entire MVP project.

3. Then start aggressively acquiring users.

4. Next convince the working developers to come onboard as a full time and become technical-cofounder.

I am sure there are few caveats to this approach

This is my personal suggestions though. Take it with a grain of salt.

sixQuarks
Yeah, this is probably your best bet.
robbystout
Hey! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely consider that route, it's been something I've been looking at in a variety of forms.

If you happen to know anyone specific that you'd recommend, I'm all ears!