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Ask HN: Prospective technical cofounder. How do I find a biz guy with an idea?

4 points by cweagans ↗ HN
I've been a developer for ~13 years. I work on really big websites (names that you definitely know) for my day job. My job is great, but at the end of the day, nothing I do is ever going to be world-changing.<p>I'm looking for somebody with a great idea that they're really excited about. I want them to sell me on their idea, and then I'll spend the time developing it in return for a share of the company.<p>This seems like it should be a really simple task, but I'm having a hard time finding somebody like this.<p>Am I looking for the wrong thing? Or am I just looking in the wrong places?<p>PS. If you're reading this and you're seeking a technical cofounder, let's talk: my nick @gmail.com.

9 comments

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iamsalman
He referred to "his nick" @gmail.com. "his nick" = cweagans
iamsalman
Looking for a business co-founder is comparatively easier than looking for a technical co-founder. There are tons of people out there who have ideas but don't have the technical background or readily available technical resources to do a prototype and market validation.

Just one piece of unsolicited advice -- Go with a business co-founder who has some unique expertise in the domain/verticle you would want to pursue. If he/she had to do "market research" to determine the potential of your future product, that is usually not a good place to start. The business guy should (emphasis) know by experience, the product/market fit.

Goodluck with your quest!

mercer
Also, it might be good make sure that your business co-founder has proven himself by having 'produced' something other than just words and ideas, and preferably something that proves that they can understand, or at least respect, the complexities of technology.

I've been burned a bunch of times by working with smooth talking guys who seemed to be good at 'business' but were completely useless in practice. Because they were all talk.

collyw
> There are tons of people out there who have ideas

There are tons of people out there with poor ideas ("its like facebook for ....")

logn
A biz co-founder contributing an idea will get you maybe 1-2 weeks of work from them. I think you need a hustler, someone who can bootstrap you to profitability. That's what I'd look for at least.
cweagans
Sure, I get that. However, I don't seem to have any viable ideas for a profitable business (or if I do, they don't come to mind when I'm in the mood to build something). :/
gremlinsinc
Cofounderslab and angelist are great resources. I met my cofounders on angelist, they tracked me down, and I was a little hesitant because they were from Asia, but they had the front end mostly coded and had some big investors interested in the platform and now we're in BoomStartup the 12th ranked accelerator in the world, and you have no idea how awesome it is to be in an accelerator.
bitonomics
One thing to think about is find a person you are willing to work with just as much as finding a great idea. In some ways its like dating and taking the time to get to know a person.

Going out to events and looking into your existing network is a great starting point. But if you are going to be working closely with someone for 3-10 years on a project there is a lot to consider.

Mark Suster has a great post about "hiring" your co-founder worth a read: http://goo.gl/Fkejjp