How to find a technical co-founder
Every good idea is as good as the team that implements it. But how do you find a good team?
In my discussions with many founders, a problem emerged.
The search for a technical co-founder. I’ve heard a lot of good ideas, ideas with huge potential, but sometimes these ideas just couldn’t be implemented because the technical expertise was missing. So this problem is not an isolated case, but almost standard.
So: How do you find a techie and what needs to be considered?
One of the biggest problems is not finding someone who has the technical skills, but rather convincing them to work on your idea. Techies are often not only convinced by ideas that have potential, they like something to see.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone, but many techies don’t like to listen to your idea and then have to imagine how it would look like.
So it is important to have a concrete starting point. Your counterpart should understand the technical requirements of your idea without much effort, so they can get an idea of how your vision can be technically implemented.
Even if you have little idea about programming or design, you can at least try to make something that you can show.
There are some no-code applications for websites, designs, and apps, some of which can be used free of charge. You can use them as much as you can in order to be able to show at least something.
But once you’ve found a potential techie, the journey is far from over. Just as important as the skill and commitment is the question of whether you can work well together.
After all, you are now working together on an abstract idea and that requires a high level of communication from both sides.
Even if you would like to get started right away, you should wait before bringing people on board that you have just met. The initial discussions and collaboration may go well, but problems can arise, especially in conflict situations.
Resolving conflicts with people you know well can be done. But how do you resolve an argument with someone you’ve only known for a few weeks? These are all difficult problems to be considered early on. Because these situations will come and they have to be mastered.
A startup is not just about business. Rather, it is about building something together out of nothing, going through crises and success together, dealing with setbacks, and still always looking ahead.
You don’t create something like this with everyone, only with people who pursue the same goals and have the mindset of a doer.
Unfortunately, this cannot be determined in 1 or 2 days or even weeks. It means that you have to warm up to the potential co-founder first. It is recommended to do small side projects so that you can easily see whether the collaboration works and you understand each other and are on the same wavelength.
Don’t pick the first co-founder you meet right away. Sometimes you have to get in touch with different potential co-founders for months until you find a good co-founder. But this waiting in the initial phase will pay off in the years to come.
Let’s talk about what the profile should look like?
A big misconception here is that your co-founder has to be an expert in all areas that are required. In today’s diversified world, ambition, commitment and the ability to work your way into new, complex issues are most important.
The reason for this is that the skills required are changing faster than ever before. As a result, adaptation and the ability to learn and discover new things is the most important resource sought by a co-founder and employees in general.
Now to the next question: Where can I find a co-founder?
The first and easiest step (which I also took) involves looking in the area of friends and acquaintances. Maybe an old high school friend is enjoying programming. Perhaps someone you know knows someone who is looking for just such a situation that you can offer. I recommend taking this route first.
If it becomes apparent that there are no potential co-founders in this group, you have to break out of the comfort zone and stretch your feelers further. It’s usually not that easy. Where can you find techies? How do you convince techies you don’t know and how can you find out whether you can really work well with this person?
As for so many things, there is no panacea for this either, but the right approach can significantly improve your position.
Let’s get to the places where you can find co-founders. There are three main places of contact here.
University: This naturally raises the question of whether you still have contact with the university or, at best, still go to the university.
Basically, there are very good co-founders at the university. Most people in this phase of life are still ready to learn a lot and ambitions are high.
These people have not yet embarked on a solid path in life and are open to new things and have ambitions to create something themselves and not just run with the others.
If you have the opportunity to take part in startup-related seminars at the university or simply to be active in other formats, that helps a lot. In these situations, not only can you test beforehand whether you can work with these people, you can also connect with them on a friendly basis before you talk to them about your business. This relaxed and friendly approach can work wonders.
The workplace: When you work, the job offers more opportunities than you think at first glance. An important factor here is that you can already assess whether you can work with this person while looking for a co-founder. After all, you already work together at work.
Nevertheless, there are also difficulties here, because it is certainly not helpful if your colleagues and also your boss notice that work is no longer the most important thing for you and that you actually want to get away from here.
So I advise to be careful when looking for a co-founder at work. But you can still find many potential co-founders and possibly leads with whom you can get in touch. The recipe is to talk to techies and just ask around. Talk to as many people as possible and find out who knows whom and ask for contacts.
Remember: you are never the only person who pursues an idea and wants to do something new. Many want that but most keep a low profile.
Online forums: Even if the search in the workplace doesn’t help, online forums offer a good place to go on a co-founder search.
Classic portals such as LinkedIn but also any other forum where interested people hang around come into question. Suitable people can be found at more places than you think. You shouldn’t be shy and constantly enter into discussions and also open discussions yourself that have to do with your business idea.
Here you not only learn to express your idea more concisely and clearly, you also learn how others react to the idea and can look out for co-founders among interested people.
The most important tip is: Always stay tuned. You have to keep your eyes open! Sometimes you meet the right people in the places where you least expect it.
Basically, it can be said that there is no recipe that always works. One tip I can give, however, is that you should stretch out your feelers. Be loud and talk to as many people as possible. It doesn’t have to be your new partner right away, but someone who knows someone who is is also worth a lot.
Finding the perfect co-founder can take a lot of time. Nevertheless, you should choose your co-founder carefully and invest enough time to find out whether you can work together for the long term and achieve something big.
I would like to let you know that the search for a co-founder can take a long time and can sometimes be exhausting. Still, you shouldn’t choose someone directly just because they’re there. A co-founder is like an investment in the future and nobody invests in a product just because it is the first to be proposed.
Your co-founder should go through good and bad times with you. And you go through good and bad times with your co-founder.
When building a startup, you will speak to your co-founder more often than your best friend. Don’t forget that when you’re looking for a co-founder.
