
Ask HN: Is anyone interested in a site to help you find co-founders? - jxm262
Is anyone interested in a site to help you find potential Co-Founders?  I know there’s already a few that exist (cofounderslab, hn threads, etc..), but it seems like all of them have major flaws in some ways.  I’ve been becoming increasingly frustrated looking for a cofounder with a similar work-ethic that can compliment my skill sets.<p>It’s been told the best way is to reach out to classmates and co-workers.  However, that seems severely limiting as I’m sure there’s opportunities outside of my personal network (especially since I graduated a while back).  I may be a bit biased (I’m a software developer), but it seems like there’s _many_  people looking for someone to execute an idea for them, rather than doing an actual partnership.  I’ve decided that even if just a few people could benefit from this, I’ll make a site myself.<p>Does anyone else share this experience?  What do you think could be done better?<p>EDIT:  I&#x27;ve made a quick survey to help gather some thoughts on this - https:&#x2F;&#x2F;justin83.typeform.com&#x2F;to&#x2F;Ks5Dsi
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mathgeek
> It’s been told the best way is to reach out to classmates and co-workers.
> However, that seems severely limiting as I’m sure there’s opportunities
> outside of my personal network (especially since I graduated a while back).

One of the very important features in co-founders is knowledge of work-ethic
and trust in each other. That's why it's often recommended that you co-found
with people already in your circles. There are just so many additional
unknowns when you're dealing with potential co-founders that you have no
history with.

~~~
jxm262
yeah , I completely agree. However, I feel there has to be a way to do this
outside of the standard school/day-job. Reason I'm saying this is because I've
worked in numerous open source projects and have met many friends that I would
love to work with. The world is just too big to limit myself to a small circle
of people. Also, take for example folks who live outside of major tech areas
(an basically all rural locations). Where can they go to find good people to
even begin building these relationships?

I don't have the exact answers on how to build this "trust" system into a
platform (still researching). However I think it's definitely possible.

~~~
OJFord
But you can count those people among your 'personal network'; that sounds like
an ideal choice for undertaking what is essentially a 'large project' with
someone - by having already done a smaller one with them.

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arbuge
I'm not exactly sure what it is about existing cofounder search sites, but I
do feel that they leave much to be desired. Certainly they never worked for
me.

Online dating sites attempt to solve a problem of approximately equal
difficulty in my mind - creating a long-term relationship with somebody who
initially is a total stranger. They leave much to be desired too, but have at
least reached a functional level for many people, such as myself (met my wife
through one of them several years ago).

I suspect it has something to do with the much smaller number of people on
cofounder sites vs. dating sites, which makes reaching critical mass and
iterating to improve the user experience that much harder.

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rorykoehler
I would never use a site to find a co-founder. It seems like a waste of time.
How would you vet someone? There is so much noise in the space and these kind
of sites attract a ton of people who are not prepared/knowledgeable to found a
successful business. I will only ever co-found with people who are part of my
network and I know well enough already. Usually people who I have had some
experience working with already. From time to time I have tried to be more
loose in my approach but it has never led anywhere.

~~~
blubbi2
While I agree from a conceptual standpoint, the same argument could be made
about online dating - and there are people successfully using it anyways. For
some people getting to know a cofounder online might be the only way to find
one (e.g. in more conservative parts of the world, where startups are a very
rare phenomena).

~~~
rorykoehler
Yes sure I can see your point. If a site was developed that solved the issues
I pointed out then of course I would also reconsider. As a qualifier I would
also like to point out that I was a non-technical co-founder in all my
previous ventures and the frustrations led me to focusing on developing my
technical side to the point where I can do it all myself now. I am between
ventures currently but am much more inclined to go solo in the next one at
least until I have basic idea validation and traction so I am probably not the
norm in this regard.

~~~
jxm262
We're not in disagreement.. this is actually why I created the post, out of
personal frustrations.

> If a site was developed that solved the issues I pointed out then of course
> I would also reconsider

This is exactly what I'm going to try and solve. After all the feedback
received, this will definitely be my next project I'm taking on. If you have
any specifics you could add, please please take the survey and sign up for the
beta list. Or send me an email (in my profile) and perhaps we can send a
couple quick back and forths on the major issues that you think need
addressed. Would be nice to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, even if it's
just to validate ideas :)

~~~
rorykoehler
I am very interested in peoples processes. How do you start on an idea, how do
you validate, what tools do you work with, what would you do to get your first
customers, what would you change to get the ones after that etc It is really
helpful to get an insight into how people think and work. If I find a moment
later I will try and elaborate a bit more.

~~~
jxm262
cool , feel free to email me direct, or better yet - fill out the survey so I
can keep track :)

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arikrak
The problem with co-founder sites and meetups is successful startups are
usually formed by people who knew each other beforehand. This makes it
difficult for solo founders who don't have skilled people in their network
interested in such things.

An alternative idea would be to create a 1-3 month program for entrepreneurs
and programmers to learn new skills, etc., but also to network and meet
potential cofounders.

~~~
sachingulaya
I met my co-founder and, after a 4hr conversation, decided I wanted him as a
partner. We started working together within 3 weeks and its been smooth
sailing for 1.5 years. We have already reached 7 figure revenue. Sometimes you
meet people and you realize you are just on the same page with how you view
things.

~~~
vcarl
I think more often, the outcome is that while you're on the same page the rest
of the book turns out to be very different. Glad it worked out for you though!

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brudgers
The basic business question I have:

    
    
      How is using a website more efficient for vetting
      potential co-founders, than alternative methods?
    

The issue in finding cofounder's for people who are struggling to do so is
separating signal from noise. One trend on the internet is that lowering the
barrier to broadcasting, increases noise. For a highly selective process like
finding a cofounder, the noise from people throwing stuff at the wall to see
what sticks may make finding candidates worth the effort of vetting harder
rather than easier.

The marriage model for cofounders is probably useful. The dating analogy is
perhaps less so because cofounding is not necessarily a two person
relationship and the principle purposes and processes of business are a lot
less clear cut.

Good luck.

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dudul
I've found it very hard to find a non technical co-founder who actually brings
something to the table other than an idea like "let's do Uber for Pet
sitters!".

~~~
smcavinney1
Hey, I take offense to this comment ;) Just kidding of course being rejected
is a great motivator for some. Having devs reject ideas inspired me to learn
to program, and realize that there are a ton of bad ideas, and only a few
deserve the time it takes to build.

~~~
dudul
Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about co-founders with
unrealistic/ridiculous ideas. I was mostly concerned about co-founders who
_only_ bring the idea to the table.

As a technical person, I'm mostly interested in finding a co-founder who would
have solid domain knowledge, or have experience pitching to VCs, or any other
skill that can actually contribute to the _execution_ of the idea.

Ideas are cheap, everyone has ideas, a good co-founder will help with the
execution and there is plenty to do apart from the technical aspect.

~~~
sharemywin
I agree with this. And from a co-founder side show me someone that has
actually talked to a few potential customers and people are willing to pay for
the service. (B2B or Enterprise type market) Now let's talk about an MVP.

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super-serial
I saw a YC partner once say "we don't mind solo founders, it's just that you
have to be 4 times as good." I've decided to focus on becoming 4 times as
good.

If I build a product that can't be ignored then I'll have options for funding
even as a single founder. Then I could get employees instead of partners and
avoid the whole scary idea of someone corrupting my vision. It would be a huge
time sink to find the perfect cofounder, and for someone like me it would
cause tons of stress. You're supposed to basically marry someone. I'd rather
just keep grinding outside of my 9-5 job and build the product myself.

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DevX101
The difference between online dating sites and co-founder matching sites is
that with dating, there is a well defined process to gauge mutual attraction
over time with minimal investment.

You go on a date for an hour, get to know the other person and if there's a
connection, do it again. Eventually, after a few dates, you might decide to
become exclusive, after a few more, it might be a real relationship. And after
a few years, it might lead to marriage.

Co-founder matching sites always seemed to me like you're skipping the whole
'dating' process and jumping straight to marriage.

I'd be interested in a site that had some way for me to get to know the other
potential founder's work ethic, intelligence, integrity, and sociability
without jumping straight into a legal business relationship right away. I
don't mind if the process takes months to find the right one.

Co-founder matching sites should set a goal of finding the perfect co-founder
3-6 months from now. Now, their job should be to help qualified candidates go
through the 'dating' process in the interim. THAT would be real value and I'd
sign up and pay if I came across something like this.

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sosuke
There seems to be a lot activity on
[http://founderdating.com/](http://founderdating.com/)

I get plenty of email notifications from there after a friend asked for a
referral.

~~~
raarts
Am I the only one noticing the spelling error on the frontpage in 'Connect
with world-class entreprenuers and advisors'?

------
sideproject
We are a small team that maintains a site, called SideProjectors.

[http://www.sideprojectors.com](http://www.sideprojectors.com)

It's a market place where people can sell & buy side projects.

Awhile back, I've added an option for people to "search for co-
founder/collaborator".

While we've seen hundreds of side projects being sold and bought, I think we
haven't seen that many projects where people successfully find co-founders via
our site.

Now we haven't aggressively pushed this feature, so I'm sure there are many
things we can do to support, but from what we have seen, finding a co-founder
is, SO much more than just going through a list of profiles.

I almost think if you want to do this, then you only invite really serious
people and have them speak face to face via hangout or skype - or a feature
that supports such thing.

I guess, since finding co-founder is such a difficult task, I think it needs
to have a more "human" approach to it. Hope that helps!

~~~
jxm262
I've actually thought this exact thing before. A site with a curated list of
potential entrepreneur partners. It would be tremendously difficult to do well
though. But thanks for the comment, this gives me something to reflect on.

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davemel37
I think a model like assembly is a decent model...open up contributions to
your project and offer shares to anyone who contributes in a meaningful
way...i dont see why this cant be used to find a cofounder by actually working
with them over time on the project.

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nehap
The current cofounder 'finding' sites are really bad. The problem is - there
are mostly 2 types of people who join. 1)Those who genuinely have an idea are
working hard to get it off the ground but not interested in partnering with
someone else. 2)Those looking for better opportunities i.e employment.
3)People don't bother replying to emails which is rude considering there are
other very serious people there who are looking for answers and maybe advice.

Honestly, I don't know what is going to work. I'm not sure the dating model is
the best cause it doesn't seem to be working well.

You need to think of something completely new and different (easier said than
done of course!)

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sharemywin
I kind of like assembly.com because you can find a group of people to
contribute. I just wish there was a way to try and recruit to the project.
Like interest, skills section. I have a domain name: bountysplit.com that
could be used for recruiting. even just in the jobs market. it's on
assembly.com with couple of my ideas. I'm a developer so I don't have the get
something built problem. I have the getting traction problem.

~~~
jxm262
Yeah I hear you. I also like Assembly but feel they're missing some key
features (although I haven't formalized them in my mind yet). You've sort of
hit one of my major peeves with alot of these sites - they don't seem to have
any good way to find/recruit projects based on domain interest. If you haven't
already, it would help me a great deal if you filled out the survey. I'm
trying to get as much info as possible before I start making something :)

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alain94040
I'm willing to help. I have a long and "interesting" experience with trying to
build such sites :-) I'll drop you an email, an off-line discussion is
probably more appropriate.

~~~
jxm262
Cool! I'm definitely open to hearing about these "interesting" eperiences :)
Been getting alot of responses and feedback lately, so yeah feel free to drop
me a line if you haven't already (contact is in my profile)

------
mooreds
Have you checked out
[https://www.cofounderslab.com/](https://www.cofounderslab.com/) ?

When I was looking around, this seemed like the best option.

~~~
atmosx
Nearly everybody there is a "business-something" searching for a "programmer",
which in my narrow-minded view translates as:

"I have an idea which I think it's original and I want someone to work 40
hours per week to implement it. Then we can split the profit."

Sorry but ideas are cheap, implementation costs.

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codegeek
I am very interested in finding a co-founder for an existing project (already
has paying clients). I tried using the various websites like cofounderslab etc
but it is tough. The reason is that finding a co-founder is like finding a
date that could turn into a serious relationship (think
girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife). So this takes time and effort and cannot
be solved by a listing website.

Here are some of the problems/challenges I have faced:

\- Not everyone wants to become a co-founder. A lot of people just want to
build things for you and get out. Think freelancers etc. Really smart people
but not interested in becoming co-founders.

\- A friend wants to be your co-founder. Ok great. You like them and they are
really good friends. But you know for sure that they don't have anything of
value to offer to you. So you tell them "I would love to but what do you bring
to the table" ? They cannot answer that and you are back to square one.

\- A really smart friend whom you know could build great things together loves
his/her job. He is the Employee type. No matter how much you try to convince
them of the great entrepreneurial life, they won't budge.

In my opinion, to find a co-founder who is not a friend or someone you know
already, below are the steps:

1\. Initial contact with someone who has interest in becoming a co-founder.
This can be solved with those listing type websites perhaps.

2\. AFTER that initial contact, what do we do This is where the listing
websites fail and cannot add any more value. This step/problem needs to be
solved. My suggestion is that we will need to work together on "small" or
"baby" projects first that may or may not be related to any actual
business/product. Heck, lets build a blog together. Lets see how we interact
with each other personally and professionally. I will like to spend a lot of
time with you knowing your both personally and of course professionally. You
may be the best programmer or marketer but can you handle pressure ? Can you
actually commit to anything ? Are you a quitter ? Are you an honest person ?
Can I trust you ? What is your vision ? What is your end Goal ? What do you
want out of life ? All these questions need to be answered in my opinion and
really vetted.

3\. Once step 2 is reasonable secure, then lets actually become co-founders.
Sign legal agreements, do vesting discussions, get lawyers involved etc ?

Just my 2 cents. I filled out your survey btw as well.

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bmaeser
have a look at [https://www.startus.cc/](https://www.startus.cc/)

