Finding a technical co-founder

Thoughts and advice for non-tech people looking to start something from a technical co-founder.

Transcript

1. FINDING A TECHNICAL CO-FOUNDER Michael Kowalchik CTO / cofounder Smarterer
2. WHO IS THIS GUY? • An Engineer, Entrepreneur, hacker, serial cofounder • Lots of years at ‘big co’ in R&D • CTO and Co-founder of a new startup that will change the world: Smarterer
3. WHO IS THIS GUY? • An Engineer, Entrepreneur, hacker, serial cofounder • Lots of years at ‘big co’ in R&D • CTO and Co-founder of a new startup that will change the world: Smarterer
4. WHY DO I CARE?
5. WHAT? • Perspective: as a technical cofounder • Prescriptive: not in the way you might expect • Pitch: how not to • Pointers: tech person search
6. WHAT IS A “TECHNICAL COFOUNDER”?
7. NERDSPLOITATION
9. DEFINITION: TECHNICAL COFOUNDER • Problem Solver • Partner: someone with whom you will build your real idea.
10. RöckStärs Ninjas
11. ARE YOU REALLY LOOKING FOR A TECHNICAL COFOUNDER?
12. IS YOUR BUSINESS A TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS?
13. WHAT THE PITCH SOUNDS LIKE... Blah blah blah social local mobile blah
14. “CAN YOU SIGN THIS NDA...?”
16. You believe your only valuable asset is what you think is a good idea.
17. Do you believe others can execute your idea better than you can? “People will steal my idea...”
18. Actually, startup ideas are not million dollar ideas, and here's an experiment you can try to prove it: just try to sell one. Nothing evolves faster than markets. The fact that there's no market for startup ideas suggests there's no demand. Which means, in the narrow sense of the word, that startup ideas are worthless. Paul Graham - YCombinator
19. Almost all startups succeed with something other than their original idea. “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy”
20. “I JUST NEED SOMEONE TO BUILD IT.”
21. JUST?
22. You believe “If you build it, they will come”. If you think all the value in the business is in building the product, why do I need you? You think building a product is easy.
23. Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration. Thomas Edison
24. Your contribution What you’re asking from me I’ll give you 20% equity!
25. Reality: Building the product is only half the battle.
26. “I’M STUCK, I CAN’T FIND A TECHNICAL COFOUNDER...”
28. "When you're the janitor, reasons matter," Jobs tells newly minted VPs, according to Lashinsky. "Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering," says Jobs, adding, that Rubicon is "crossed when you become a VP." Steve Jobs as recounted to Steve Lashinsky in Fortune Magazine
29. Rules: Connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting pencil off the paper
30. Rules: Connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting pencil off the paper
31. Rules: Connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting pencil off the paper
32. Rules: Connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting pencil off the paper
33. Rules: Connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting pencil off the paper
34. Moral of the story: look for the ways you are blocking yourself. Do not wait because things aren’t how you think they should be.
35. Learn to operate outside your comfort zone.
36. POINTERS: FINDING YOUR TECH PARTNER
38. BE A NON TECHNICAL COFOUNDER
39. BE A HUSTLER
40. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF NON-TECH CO- FOUNDERS ARE AS SCARCE AS TECH CO- FOUNDERS
41. THINGS THAT DO NOT MAKE YOU A COFOUNDER • ideas • MBA • business plan • spreadsheet • weeks / months / years of thinking and dreaming
42. SO WHAT THEN? • Access to money • Reputation and network • Persistence - masochistic streak • Most important: Hustle!
43. MAYBE JOIN A HACKER
44. Watch a movement happen in real time... Other forms of leadership?
45. TWO COFOUNDER ARCHETYPES • The Hacker • Solves problems, builds things • The Hustler • Connects, Makes things happen
46. Make.
47. Make. Sh#@.
48. Make. Sh#@. Happen.
49. HOW? IMAGINE... • What do you do, day to day when you have a TCF? • Why aren’t you doing those things now? • What do you do, day to day, when there are five of you, ten...? • Why aren’t you starting those efforts as well?
50. FAKE AS MUCH PRODUCT AS YOU CAN
51. • Any way you can prove the business • Sell / canvas initial customers • Gather data • Smoke Test PROVE THE BUSINESS
52. •Are you blogging? •Do you have a product landing page? •Are you running adwords experiments? •Are you doing customer development? •Are you concept testing? User Testing / Powerpoint mockups?
53. GIVE TO GET • You want someone to help you? Help others. • Build networks • Use your skills to improve the chances of others in the community
54. CULTIVATE STARTUP TECH FRIENDS / ADVISORS • Boston community: people genuinely want to help • Ask CTO’s especially co-founders for tech advice • connect to their networks • evaluate possible cofounders - uniquely qualified to id them • Legitimize you to other tech people • Buy them a beer :)
55. ECHO ECHO CHAMBER CHAMBER • Sloan entrepreneur events = no hackers • Tech / entrepreneur meetups (lean startup) • Hacking meetups (just lurk, maybe offer to help a tech guy with non-tech skills) • Learn a little bit about how hackers think about entrepreneurship (read hackernews)
56. SHOULD I LEARN TO CODE? • Yes • know at least a little about what you’re talking about • understand the tasks at hand, respect • No • Is this the best use of your time? • There are many other tasks other than building product.
57. Q?