
Sidepact: Start a company with a full-time job (applications close Wednesday) - sgallese
https://www.sidepact.com/#2019
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streetcat1
So how did you solved the IP ownership issues?

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sgallese
Hello there! I assume you're referring to IP ownership issues between
participants of the program, but please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Finding potential co-founders is hard, hopefully Sidepact makes that process
easier. If you find somebody to team up with, having open conversations early
in the relationship and establishing ownership stakes for each team member is
key. We know each team has a different makeup and unique formation.

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streetcat1
Thanks for the answer. I meant IP between the employer of the engineer (her
full time job) and the side project. Most companies have very rigid IP
ownership, which basically forbid R&D engineers from doing any meaningful side
projects.

Is the engineer expected to ask its full time employer for permission to
engage in this side project?

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sgallese
Good question, and I’ll preface my answer with the fact that I’m not a lawyer
and this subject is nuanced with much more eloquent threads on Hacker News on
this topic. One of the speakers at Sidepact 2018 was a lawyer who also gave
great answers to this question and its many sibling questions.

My summary: working on something that is not related to your current company’s
product while on your own time on your own equipment is ideal. And yes, if you
work at a Mega-Corp or very extensive R&D shop, this is tricky since your
company may have lots of products.

In my personal case, I worked at a small startup that had a focused product. I
started my project at Sidepact in a completely unrelated area and informed my
manager months before I left to give them time to hire, onboard, and prepare
for my departure. They even let me work part-time for a month so I wouldn’t go
straight to no paycheck :) Not everybody is as fortunate to work at a company
like this though, so each person has a different approach.

