

Apply with Me for YC winter '12 - benjaminlotan

I'm looking for 1 or 2 people to apply with for Y-combinator for this winter round.<p>I'm still kicking around a few ideas, and i'm open to input from others, but primarily I have been thinking of working on some simple/low-cost hardware solutions for both active and passive data collection. There are already companies working on this in the health and security sectors, but i would like to produce input devices and sensors that can talk with each other and with the web to enable a range of flexible and creative applications beyond even what we might imagine (i'm an infrastructure guy, meaning i like to make tools and open up new possibilities). I'd also like to build a well-designed software suite or API which would support these devices.  
We would probably start with some simple mobile apps which would mimic hardware and allow us to prototype quickly, and perform user research. Then build arduino-based hardware prototypes, before securing future funding to go into real production. I can get a lot more specific about this idea and why there is massive potential, when we talk, and i have already built one prototype mobile app.<p>another idea is for a physical mail version of twitter, in which you enter your mailing address and then you "follow" people, which would allow them to send you physical mail. think: newsletters, short stories, photographs, special news content, coupons, etc. more on this if you want to discuss. it could cost money to follow some people if they want to pass on the cost of printing to their followers. Our company could handle the printing and shipping of content to followers.<p>A little about me:<p>I am 25, trained as an interaction designer, visual artist, and cognitive scientist. I taught myself to hack web apps so i could make 'real' stuff myself. I founded Social Print Studio last year, which gave me experience in the start-up game: running a company day to day, designing, hacking, hiring, marketing, writing/presenting, pitching to companies + investors, customer service, etc. I'm ready to start something new, ideally with a good hardworking team. I want to design and build with quality, and I care deeply about the world and creating meaningful, valuable things/experiences.<p>I'm looking to meet hardware/software hackers who are passionate, self-motivated and have real experience making things happen.  Ideally you are analytical, critical yet still imaginative. please get in touch with me here or by email or phone.<p>find me at benjaminlotan.com<p>Cheers!
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dustineichler
I would, but I'm not in the hardware space. Having said that, why look for a
founder at this stage of the game. You always see YC entrants after the fact
"seeking additional cofounder" etc. There was an article flouting around very
recently about this very topic, e.g - Applying as a solo founder, finding a
founder. The author suggests and I tend to agree, focus on product, not
revenue, not finding a founder until a certain set of criteria are met.
Choosing the wrong founder can kill and idea faster than you think, at least
that was the ultimate argument. Calculating the risk of not getting "in" as a
solo founder isn't bad either. I wish I could point you to the article, but
best of luck.

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benjaminlotan
I would certainly hope to find the "right" co-founder, and ideally i wanted to
test the waters with this post and see who i might make connections with --
whether or not we decide to apply together.

But really I do want a co-founder on this project, because i've worked on
enough projects alone, and though i could hold my own for a while, it seems
more productive and fun to be working with a partner.

ps. not just looking for hardware people. anyone interested in the space would
be great to connect with. Mobile developers would be esp. great to partner
with at this stage, because as i mentioned, i really do see a lot of mobile
prototyping to kick things off.

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dirkdeman
The article is: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2942768>.

