

Ask YC: Idea for a start-up but no programming skills - monad101

I have an idea for a web enterprise.  While I have started the process of dedicating myself to this project, I have no background in coding or computer science. I think it's possible to improve on a popular real-world product while reducing costs by tweaking existing technologies. Sadly, I completely lack the skills to craft the technical side of the business myself.<p>I'm a bay area resident with access to angels if this becomes a serious endeavor. Other than becoming an expert programmer, do any of you have advice for someone with a good idea but no ability to build it himself? I assume as the web becomes more open my situation will become increasingly common.
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bullseye
Being a programmer isn't necessarily a prerequisite for starting a tech
company. Thoroughly understanding the technology you are pitching is though.
If you don't have the technological knowledge base to do this, your chances of
getting funding on your own are probably not very good.

Assuming you have a solid grasp of the technologies you wish to work with, and
just not the implementation skills, you might try to develop a design of the
concept first. This is as important for you as it is to anyone else.

Do you have the funds to hire a contractor to put together a small proof of
concept? Or even complete the product? If you are looking for capital for
marketing purposes, a finished product may go a long way to helping your
cause.

Take everything I said with a grain of salt. I've been in front of investors a
few times, but I am not a VC, so their opinions may differ.

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ScottWhigham
Here's a very important question: what do you bring to the table other than
the idea?

This is important for many reasons. (1) You have to open up and tell some
people about the idea if you expect to hire/attract someone to build it, and
(2) what's to prevent them from taking the idea and building it without you?
NDAs/Non-competes are one route but you might find a very difficult time
getting good coders to sign them. So what makes you think that, if you told
the idea to a technical person, they still need you around?

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tstegart
I'd start hanging out with some coder folks. You can also write up your plan
and pitch it here and look for founders. Also, network around, see who the
people you know know. If you have access to Angels, you can probably get
access to people who are looking to join start-ups.

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iamdave
Please define 'web enterprise'. Not give away your idea but what you mean by
that.

