

Ask HN: Thoughts on non technical co-founders? - benofsky

I've often pondered the idea of what a non-technical co-founder could/would be like (for a web/software startup), someone to do <i>everything else</i>. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so how did/does it work out?<p>Edit: fixed grammar, took out a verb by accident
======
BobN
It's a crap shoot. Just like starting a business is. I was the technical-guy
(CTO)/co-founder with a "business" partner (CEO) many years ago. All went well
for the first few years, but as we grew he was unable to move from the
entrepreneurial role and let the organization grow. His micromanagement doomed
an attempted expansion into a larger market and the company floundered because
of it.

Getting a company off the ground takes very different skills than what is
necessary for growing a management team and developing real business
strategies. It’s kind of a catch-22 - you need the entrepreneur to get
started, but once you get there he or she may not be the right person to get
you to the next level.

