“I need a technical co-founder”
Decoding the complex process of finding a technical co-founder
We’ve talked to hundreds of founders. Many of them from a nontechnical background.
Something we hear often: “I’m looking for a technical co-founder”. There’s this assumption that having a technical co-founder will solve all tech related problems and lead the business into the promised land. That’s not true.
Of course having an experienced technical co-founder who believes in the vision and works long hours would be great. But that’s not the only path forward.
The Role of a Technical Co-Founder
Much of the answer to this question depends on team size and structure. If it’s a small team, a technical co-founder will often be the person both developing the strategy and writing the code. As team size grows, the technical co-founder often moves into a more strategic position, while a team of developers or contractors builds the actual product.
It’s important to not just find an excellent developer. A technical co-founder should understand the business implications of the technical decisions he or she makes. In short, they need to be able to align technical and business objectives.
Do I Need a Technical Co-Founder?
No, you don’t need a technical co-founder. Plenty of successful companies started and grew without one—Uber, Amazon, and Netflix, to name a few. They either worked with freelancers, agencies, or hired out an internal team without bringing on an equity partner.
Technology will not be the most complex or difficult part of your business. The software behind Uber, Amazon, and Netflix—even though they took years to develop—can be repeated.
So many people are obsessed with getting an app in the app store from the get go. But here’s the deal—you don’t have to build software or an app to validate your business model and get paying customers. There are off the shelf softwares you can hack together to manage your business. It won’t be scalable or sexy, but it doesn’t have to be. Yet.
Focus on maximizing value for your customers and testing your assumptions. What you learn will be invaluable when you do eventually get around to building something custom.
Pains of Finding a Technical Co-Founder
This is a frustration we hear a lot. In all honesty, your startup likely isn’t as good as you think it is. At least, not yet. Yeah, sure, you’ve got a great vision and you know you’re solving an important problem. You’re not alone.
Here is what any worthwhile technical co-founder is looking for:
Real Numbers
Don’t just rely on vision. Have data to back up what you’re working on. Once you have traction with users and/or paying customers, you become much more attractive to a technical co-founder. Without clear indicators of success, even a huge amount of equity isn’t worth much (or anything) in their eyes. You’ve got to prove the opportunity outweighs the risk.
Relationship
Being a co-founder is a big commitment. Most people want to get to know the team they’ll be working with. You’ve got to put in the work to “date” them before expecting a more serious commitment.
Confidence in You
At the end of the day, your technical co-founder has to believe you are capable of successfully building a company. Either you’ll have a track record to lean on, or you’ll have to demonstrate grit, business savvy, and leadership as you build the relationship.
Without these elements, you’re going to have a tough time finding a solid co-founder.
What Are My Other Options?
Full Time CTO
Instead of a technical co-founder, you could bring on a CTO who is paid a competitive salary (or decent salary + much lower equity). Like a technical co-founder, this person is responsible for driving the technical strategy of the business.
Fractional CTO
This option is great if you need a high level of expertise, but not much in terms of day to day coding. This is a high focus on strategy, not as much on actually building the product. Often times, this is paired with hiring a group of contractors.
Contractors
This is often the most affordable, but yields the least value without proper guidance. This option requires you (the nontechnical founder) to drive the technical strategy. This might be an option if you have technical advisors to help, but this is often a case of “you get what you pay for”, and not in a good way.
Expert Agency
Don’t just work with any agency. Work with an agency that has a track record or working with startups like yours. An expert agency.
As you are surely aware, there are complexities in your business that are difficult to grasp. You need an agency who understands how to build the right technology for you.
This is not the cheapest option, but it often is flexible enough to help you scale up as your engineering needs increase. Be careful here though: an agency can try to sell you on building more than you need. Shoot to build the what’s needed to get your product in the hands of customers. (Read: what is viable for your MVP?)
Hopefully this provided some clarity around the mysterious world of technical co-founders. If you’re interested in talking more about what’s needed to get your prototype or MVP in the hands of customers, let us know.
