
Meeting a stud hacker proved harder than meeting my wife--Per request, added idea to comments - jdileo
I am 36 yr. old entreprenuer who bootstrapped and exited a successful  non-tech company (from 0 to 50 employees and &#62;$9M in revenue).<p>I am moving my family to silicon valley to launch my next start-up in the internet space.I have the idea, experience and ability to substantially fund at outset...what I seek is a world-class technologist. <p>I applied to YC and have been working to meet a hacker to partner with.  No match.PG doesn't like one person start-ups so I think I'm a real long-shot as far as YC goes.<p>I'm still moving to SV in May and will surely have better luck meeting people on the ground than trying to network purely online/phone.YC deadline is tomorrow at 10PST, if there are any studs out there email me at jdileo5348@gmail.com.
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BSeward
I wouldn't worry about that deadline. Take the time to find someone with whom
you can work well, and take more than 32.5 hours to think about it.

(from the YC FAQ: "Teams thrown together for the purpose of starting a startup
usually fall apart under stress. You need some kind of personal connection.")

You'll get more and more interested responses if you say something about your
idea. No one's going to steal it: even if they did, the magic is in the
details.

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jdileo
A website that offers for sale any and all merchandise a consumer sees on TV
that they'd like to purchase. Merchandise may be clothing, shoes, fragrance,
electronics, automobiles, jewelry, etc.

Website will offer an opportunity to purchase exact items, or selected less
expensive imitations, in a very AMAZON.COM way.

Website will offer discounts and a rewards program that is viral.

Additionally, company will provide powerful advertising & branding
opportunities for manufacturers who wish to attain premium website placement
for their products.

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BSeward
What do you see as the features that critically differentiate this from
Delivery Agent? <http://➡.ws/ꉨ>

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jdileo
Delivery Agent works hand in hand with the networks to promote their
objectives. Inventory options are terrible and in no way is the site dedicated
to a first rate consumer experience.

Think about the Barnes & Noble website prior to introduction of Amazon.com.

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dkokelley
You know that there are all sorts of articles that tell you that cofounding a
company with someone is like marrying them - lesson: don't rush in to it. Make
sure you are both on the same page and that you can work with them in
stressful circumstances.

I'm not saying that it can't be done, but that it might be best to wait until
the next cycle to try YC (after you've met a good cofounder that you are sure
will be compatible with you). Good luck though! If you're planning on going
through with it, then please prove me wrong!

Also: Do you have any hacker skills, or just the idea, experience, and assets?
You may find that people here are not receptive to "I've got the business mind
and all I need is a hacker to throw my idea together" approach. You might be
better off going into angel funding (you could even fund YC companies!) if you
have the experience and resources, but not the technical skills.

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jdileo
thank you for the well thought out insight. i agree with how important the
"marriage" of partners is.

also, i mean no disrespect to the hacker community. a tech company is surely
nothing without the stud technologist.

it just seems to me that if i have operational experience and some capital i
would be a good fit for the right hacker that is considering keeping an
unfulfilling job or going to grad. school because they lack the money to take
the leap.

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dkokelley
I agree. You have something that many founders here don't - the experience of
founding and exiting a successful startup, and of course the assets that go
with a successful startup.

It just seems to me that you would do best in an angel/mentor position to a
star hacker team. You obviously know your way around a startup, and you can
find opportunities and network. This way, you are free to do what you do best,
while the hackers are free to do what they do best. Then again, that might end
up being the role you play as the non-hacker founder of a tech startup
anyways.

Regardless, let us all know how it works out for you!

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DanielBMarkham
jdileo.

Good luck in your second time around with the same post
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=526694> . As they say, if at first you
don't succeed, try, try again!

I'd be very careful in calling hackers "studs". While some of us, are,
admittedly, very studly, it sounds more like you're looking for a one-night
stand than a business partner. Not exactly the right foot to get off when
starting something up like this. Nobody wants to join something where the
overlying metaphor is you're just there to get screwed.

I've worked with some truly outstanding hackers. And I've worked with some
great business guys. It's a very rare mix to find the best of both attributes
in one person. If you're just looking for brain wattage, you're probably
looking for somebody with light OCD, maybe a touch of Asperger's. They usually
don't go by "stud"

Step 1 is building an underlying friendship with several hackers. This might
take months or a year or more. Step 2 is getting everybody onboard with your
pitch. Maybe you can do this all in a day or so with a mass email and repeated
postings on HN. If that works for you, I'd definitely like to hear about it. I
doubt it.

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ClassenKasper
Hang out here, hang out there. Not productive. The SV Forth Interest Group
(FIG) meets the fourth Saturday of each month near Moffet Field. Check out
www.forth.org. Some of these guys are a little out there, but they are open,
will get you pointed, and are well connected in SV.

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phd_student
Hang out around Stanford or Berkeley CS departments.

Stanford has 'BASES' created specifically for this.

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jdileo
I think this is a great idea. I will be on the ground in SV May 1st. Have to
catch YC next time around.

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dasil003
If you have the ability to fund substantially, and the experience to build
$9,000,000 in revenues, why would you sell ~5% of your company for $15,000?

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jdileo
I believe the y comb. experience is well worth the equity. In fact, many of
the company's who try out for y comb. don't need their seed money.

Paul Graham(ish) tech. wisdom, networking opportunities, mind-sharing with
past YC founders and VC connections if/when time arises are all huge.

And for me personally all of the above are important X 10 because I'm a tech &
SV outsider just beginning to build my shere of influence in the sector.

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jacktang
Emm..., it depends, my friends are all male programmers, so it is harder to
meet my wife to me. :)

