

Why You Should Always Be Looking For A Cofounder - brittanywalker
http://founderdating.com/3-reasonsto-get-started-much-sooner-than-you-think/

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dzink
This is no different than saying "you should be looking for a wife on a dating
site". You should be looking for people you would trust with more than a side
project and the best way to do that is to do many different projects with many
different people over time and getting to know them on a deeper level. You
will either get invited by them to do something bigger, or have a range of
options when you are ready to do your next big thing.

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hkmurakami
I've never understood the sentiment of "I need to find a cofounder"
(especially the seemingly ubiquitous seeking of the technical variant).

If someone doesn't already have a long list of people (friends, former
colleagues, friends of friends) whom they could possibly reach out to, what
does that say about that person when seen from the potential partner?

~~~
beat
Having a long list of skilled friends and colleagues is categorically not the
same as having potential co-founder material. I dated a whole heck of a lot of
girls before I married one. If you're not some wet-behind-the-ears kid fresh
out of college and you've built a real network, your network consists of
experienced grownups who likely have families, standards of living, and career
paths. It's _not easy_ to get those people to give up their current velocity
and expose their lives to the risks and challenges of a startup.

Of all the friends and colleagues I've developed over two decades in the
industry, I have _two_ that I've seriously considered for co-founders, and I
can't pry either of them loose. One is working with me on the company as my IP
lawyer, just not as a co-founder. The other I'm hoping to get as an early hire
when the company is farther along. There are lots of other friends with great
skills that I won't consider for co-founder because I don't think they'd be a
good fit, for reasons that are personal for each one.

This isn't a reflection on me or on the idea. It's a reflection on the reality
that real grownups with real commitments can't always just drop everything and
start anew. And these friends are valuable to me _because_ they're experienced
and I have worked with them before, and they're happy and honored to help out
as advisors and sounding boards.

I can tell you from hard experience that there's a good reason the industry is
down on solo founders. It's incredibly hard. But looking for co-founders isn't
necessarily a good option. If you can't find one right away, looking is time-
consuming and difficult with no guarantee of success, not if you have
standards. Which is a better use of my time - developing product, or looking
around for someone to help me? And by the time I'm far enough along that it
becomes much easier to bring someone in, are they co-founders, or hires?

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belze_72
Cofounder can also do more harm than good. Looking for a cofounder without
knowing what you really need is ill-advised. Most of the stories I heard was
about cofounder who knew each other before starting up.

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kordless
The reasons stated do not rationalize why I should be looking for a cofounder,
so the title here on HN is misleading. There is an underlying assumption in
the article you just should be looking for a cofounder and these are the three
reasons why you should start now. Click here to get started.

Also, Founderdating does not provide a transparent way in which they vet the
people that apply. I don't like that approach one bit. It's pooling resources
in the hands of a few.

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CapitalistCartr
If I met a person who struck me as great co-founder material, I would, of
course, embrace that. But I don't particularly want a co-founder; I prefer to
solo. I don't care what the world of VCs think. My start-up is for me, not for
anyone else, and if the Universe hands me a co-founder, great, but they aren't
necessary.

Starting in April, good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise.

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recursive
I'd first have to be a founder of something, or at least want to be.

