Many founders have great ideas. Few have the sole ability to turn those ideas into a product without some help.
Even if you have the technical skills to create your product, having one or more co-founders gives you an edge. They increase your chances for success by using different ideas and perspectives. They also lighten your workload by wearing different hats to start and grow your business.
This article discusses how to find a technical co-founder. We also include insights on increasing your chances of landing a quality technical co-founder.
What is a Technical Co-Founder
A technical co-founder is a person who possesses the technical expertise to start a new business venture. They’re often software engineers, developers, or data scientists. With their skills, they develop and maintain the technical infrastructure of a startup or a new business venture.
They have a deep understanding of the technical requirements of a product or service. Therefore, they’re responsible for overseeing the development of the technology platform or application.
Tech co-founders are often software engineers, developers, or data scientists. They use their experience in building and managing complex software systems. They play a crucial role in a startup’s success by bringing technical expertise to the table and helping to drive product development and innovation.
A Chief Technical Officer (CTO) is an example of a title given to tech co-founders. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is a title commonly given to non-technical who excel in other areas, such as developing overall business strategy and acquiring investors.
Do You Need a Technical Co-Founder? Or Should You Hire a Programming Team?
All startups have different needs. Their founders also have different strengths. Some may have the technical skills to create their vision. But they need people to lighten their programming work. Some might be more comfortable being the leader of their IT team. Whatever the case, here are some things to expect, whether you’ll have a technical co-founder or programmers under you.
When You Have a Technical Co-Founder:
- They share your passion and commitment to making your business venture come alive.
- They take the leadership role in the technical aspect of your business, freeing you to focus on areas where your strengths reside, such as marketing, securing funds, and closing sales.
- They know what to look for once you start scaling and need to hire a tech team.
- Depending on how many co-founders you have, they will require an even equity split.
When You Have a Team of Programmers:
- They have a passion for coding, and their commitment extends to contractual obligations.
- Can be more efficient if you have administration skills and don’t mind managing a team.
- They can be extremely effective but also costly.
What to Look for in a Technical Co-Founder
The most straightforward trait to look for is technical expertise. Look for someone who deeply understands the technology that centers your business idea. They should have experience in the said field and/or the skills to help develop a product at your target level. Below are some other traits to look for in a technical co-founder beyond these critical tech skills.
Strong Problem-solving Skills
The technical co-founder should be able to analyze complex problems and develop innovative solutions. You can ask them how they deal with stress and significant challenges. They should be able to identify potential issues early on and have a strong track record of resolving them.
Leadership Ability
The technical co-founder should be able to lead the technical team. They hold the technical vision of the startup and can communicate it effectively to the team. By doing so, they ensure that the team is working towards the same goals. It is best to ask them how they deal with conflict to grasp their managerial skills.
Entrepreneurial Mindset
The technical co-founder should have an entrepreneurial mindset. Not only should they be to take risks, but know how to fail to succeed. It means they must have a growth mindset on how to handle failures. Your tech co-founder must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and be comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.
Good Communication Skills
The technical co-founder may have to meet with non-technical people such as team members, investors, and customers. Therefore, they need to be able to communicate complex technical concepts to laypeople clearly and concisely.
Business Acumen
The technical co-founder should have a basic understanding of business. They should be able to work closely with the business team to develop a successful product or service.
Where to Look For Your Technical Co-Founder
When looking for a technical co-founder, start on your social circles, and work your way to your connections’ networks. You can then build rapport with the potential people that you find. Here are places to start your search.
Your Professional Network
If you’ve worked at a startup or other companies before, you may already know IT employees or programmers that you have worked with. If not, you can organically cultivate your professional network:
- Work in a technical company for a few years and get to know programmers and engineers.
- Join startup accelerators and incubators to meet other founders and tech workers who would like to work with you.
Your College Network
The college network is best for people still in universities or colleges. You can meet people who study coding and join tech-oriented clubs. Once you’ve met people you can work with, you can ask if they would be interested in working on a project together. But even if you have graduated, the people you know in college may enjoy writing code even if their jobs differ.
Your Social Network
Social network is where you use your social circle’s connections. Knowing that you and your potential people already have someone you both know adds a degree of trust. Here are some channels you can use:
- LinkedIn is a professional website. You can join different groups related to startups, technical professions, and founders. Posting on LinkedIn can give you and a proactive founder a chance to engage and send an invite to connect.
- GitHub is a professional network built specifically for programmers. They use GitHub to make their code public. See if any developers are looking for new projects to work on.
- Reddit is your option if you want to be less business formal. They have built communities where people can ask questions regarding technology and startups.
Tech Conferences and Meetups
Attend networking events, hackathons, and startup conferences in your area. You can introduce yourself to other entrepreneurs, investors, and technical experts. These events are great opportunities to meet potential technical co-founders who share your startup vision. You can also use Meetup to find get-togethers of founders and programmers.
Co-Founder Matching Platforms
Many online platforms connect entrepreneurs with potential co-founders. Some popular sites for meeting potential technical co-founders include CoFoundersLab and AngelList. They allow you to access a talent pool worldwide.
Y Combinator’s Co-founder Matching platform is a free online platform for finding pre-screened potential co-founders.
How to Approach Your Potential Technical Co-Founder
It can be difficult to approach a potential technical co-founder. Even if you have excellent people skills, people still make common mistakes when inviting someone to be their technical co-founder. Below are ways to approach your potential co-founder and increase your success.
Work Together in a Mini-Project
Being co-founders will be a long-term commitment. Get to know what it would be like to work with them by doing a fun side project together. The project can have clear deadlines with designated tasks. Having a small project to work on lets you gauge their interest, compatibility, work ethic, and how they behave under pressure.
Brainstorm Together to Create Your “Sales” Pitch
While creating your elevator pitch for finding co-founders is essential, it also helps to remember to do the “brainstorm” approach.
The “brainstorm” approach is more engaging and encourages participation from your potential co-founder. Even if you already have a solid startup concept, brainstorming ideas together helps it evolve.
How much do You Give a Technical Co-founder?
Make a firm and actual offer. Many founders make the mistake of making ambiguous offers that can make potential co-founders hesitate.
Determining the equity split can be sensitive for others. But always remember that you and your co-founders must get an equal amount depending on your contributions. Full-time founders, founders who provide the most funding, and founders who came up with the idea should get more.
Contact a Startup Attorney
Before you work together in your startup, it’s best to consult a startup attorney first. Your attorney will help you formalize your co-founder relationship. They can prevent future misunderstandings regarding split equities once your technical co-founder is in.
Seedology: Serving As Your Technical Co-Founder
Technical co-founders are vital to your startup. They free you to handle business aspects within your strengths as they handle the technical side. They also share your vision and commitment.
This is also something we can assist with here at Seedology. Through our MVP Equity Program and other programs offered through Seedology, our team of skilled developers and technologists can partner to fill the role of a technical co-founder for your team, helping to meet all the needs and allowing you to retain a greater portion of your equity.
Contact us today for more information or to have a conversation about how Seedology may be able to help your business get off the ground.
