

Ask HN: have you ever worked on a startup with remote co-founders? - taigeair

I&#x27;m interested in building a mobile app startup but all my contacts are scattered geographically  and I keep getting referred to potential tech co-founders in different cities. Does anyone have experience building something with remote co-founders? Is there any way for this to work?
======
eldavido
I tried it, company didn't ultimately work out but remote cofounders is fine
as long as there's a high degree of trust and mutual commitment.

Remote vs. non-remote each have advantages. Remote gets fewer distractions (I
find working in offices/near others very challenging when try to do focused
work vs. home office), access to bigger pool of people, 2x "people coverage"
for B2B sales/fundraising/partnership discussions, and more emphasis on
results vs. ass-in-chair syndrome. Whereas local will have better and more
frequent communication, less potential for misunderstanding, easier to bring
the whole team to meetings, etc.

Bottom line: it can work, but you have to have the right people. I actually
enjoyed it a lot.

------
RickS
I haven't directly cofounded a company remotely, but I've contracted at early
stage startups (<5 members) multiple times from afar. They were always in DC
or SF, I'm in NY. I'll no longer agree to do so, however. In fact, I no long
freelance offsite at all, because I don't believe it's possible to get results
of the same caliber.

The best ideas are born of spontaneity, and the hardest work of camaraderie.
Despite the best intentions on all sides, remote hires don't feel either.

I remember staying up all night drinking and eating pizza hunched over a
conference table, or slouching back after a brainstorming session that
literally covered 3 walls of a room in marker, basking in an afterglow that
can only be described as "post coital".

Remote hires don't feel that. I've felt it - I know what it's like, I know why
it's good, and I know what it takes to cultivate it - but try as I might, it
can't be replicated over a google hangout.

There's no agility. You can't see the light in the other guy's eyes, where you
both pause for a moment and let the breakthrough sink in before passionately
attacking it.

Startups are able to pull such great work from so few people because they're
intense. They're hugely intimate. It can't be faked online.

I know there are ample exceptions to this. Whatsapp comes to mind. But, in the
same way, there were those couples in high school who managed to make it work
despite 4 years of distance, to the surprise of everyone around them. It's
anomalous to the same degree. A lucky few pull it off, but most fail and slink
away to try again.

If given the choice between a 9/10 employee across the country, or a 6/10
employee that's in the same suite with me, I'll take the 6 every time.
Proximity matters.

~~~
taigeair
But those people have prior working relationships right? It's not like they
met through an introduction online and then started working on building a
product.

~~~
RickS
Actually, no, that's exactly what happens a lot of the time. One of my longest
and most enjoyable work experiences resulted from a craigslist post. Good fit
can be built, but also found. It's why "fire fast" is a thing. Chemistry, when
apparent, is visible early on, I've found. If anything, it's as likely to
flourish in the honeymoon period and die as it is to start small and build
over time.

------
ASquare
Currently working on a startup with a remote co-founder. We meet maybe 7-10
days in a year.

Steps to increase odds of success:

a) Honest/open conversation & agreement on expectations upfront. No topic can
be taboo from the first moment onwards. If you can't even get this far just
forget it. This applies whether the person is your lifelong friend or not. A
business relationship if not a friendship.

b) Written agreement on those expectations - including everything from vesting
upto what can lead to either one of you getting fired

c) Clear definition of roles/responsibilities, including who has the final say
on specific tasks

d) Someone needs to be CEO and have 51% of the company so that when it comes
to difficult decisions/disagreements on major strategic decisions, the CEO has
the final say and that's that.

e) Have weekly calls (audio/video doesnt matter) to check in and catch up.
More calls as needed.

f) Manage tasks/responsibilities using a tool like Trello so that at all times
there is complete transparency on who is doing what and by when.

Bottom line communication & transparency is key - and you cannot have enough
of both.

Hope that helps

------
timhargis
Started with a developer who was local and we all worked together for a period
of time. He then decided to move and although we've continued to work together
remotely, I'd venture to say it's been about 40% as effective as when we were
all together. It's not that it doesn't work, it's just alot harder than being
in person in the early stages, IMO.

~~~
taigeair
Doesn't seem like it's worth it to pursue working on a startup with someone
I've not worked with in another city.

------
phantom_oracle
I want to try it, I just haven't met the 'right' guy yet.

Too many guys wanting to build shitty things out there (uber for food, airbnb
for trailer-parks, etc.) ...

~~~
macguyver
Agreed. Too many founders these days are thinking way too small, doing trivial
things instead of solving real problems. A startup should change the world.
Piggybacking off some other startup's concept is a waste of human potential.

Where are you located?

~~~
phantom_oracle
Africa :-) (expensive internet, significant levels of corruption, rampant
crime, poor infrastructure).

We sure do have a lot of problems ;)

