How to Find a Technical Cofounder When You Don’t Know Where to Start

Finding the right technical cofounder is essential when starting a new tech company. Especially in the pre-implementation or early stage, it’s crucial to have someone capable of building the product you envision. A technical cofounder has the skillset to help build out your product and take it to market.

Even if you‘re a developer, you may find it beneficial and more convenient to find another technical cofounder to join you so you can build out an MVP much faster. But how do you go about finding one?

Benefits of Hiring a Technical Cofounder

First, we’ll talk about the benefits and why you should consider hiring another technical person to help build your first MVP. So, what are the upsides of hiring a technical cofounder? They can provide critical expertise, new point-of-view, and guidance in the early stages of development when a startup is most vulnerable. Their skills can help you quickly develop and test a new product and features, which is critical when first starting.

Additionally, a technical cofounder or CTO can help raise money from investors by demonstrating the feasibility of the startup’s product. A technical cofounder can also help a startup grow, scale and succeed. Ideally, this will be a full-stack developer meaning a developer who can work on a web, desktop, or mobile application from start to finish. Full-stack developers are usually in high demand because they can do everything necessary to get an app up and running. They can write code, design the user interface, and create the database.

Finding a Technical Cofounder

When it comes to finding a technical cofounder for your startup, there are a few key things you can do to make the process easier. First, it’s crucial to have a clear idea of what you need help with. Are you looking for someone to help you build your product, or are you looking for someone who can manage your tech stack? Create a one-pager explaining why you’re looking for a technical founder, how they can help you, what their compensation will be, and when you’ll be starting development. Once you know what you need, you can start reaching out to your network and see if anyone knows someone who would be a good fit. Starting with your network is an excellent idea because you can easily ask for referrals, and that person is somewhat “vetted.”

Now that we live in a society where working remotely and Zoom calls are the norm, you can reach out to other entrepreneurs and techies in online communities such as forums, Facebook groups, Discord servers, and Slack channels. It might be hard to gain some attention at first, so you should engage with as many people as you can and provide your opinions and valuable tips whenever possible. That way, people can see you as an authority or an expert in your field and you’ll find it easier to connect with others.

If video calls are not your cup of tea and you feel more energized to meet people in person, you can try to find startup events in your city. You can use Eventbrite, Meetup.com, or good ol’ Facebook events. While in the startup event, make sure to chat with as many people as possible and build rapport. You can also try to speak at such events as a guest speaker. That way, people would know who you are, and you can start sharing information about your new startup.

Get Involved in Tech Communities

DEV.to

With over 800,000 developers and counting, DEV is a leading community for software developers. DEV is a platform where coders share, interact, stay up-to-date, and advance their careers from blog posts, guides, videos, and podcasts. Their listings page is where you can create a post about looking for a technical cofounder. As mentioned previously, make sure you also engage with other developers on the platform to help you make a name for yourself.

IndieHackers

Another big name in the tech space is IndieHackers. It’s a community for founders and developers to share their stories and connect with other hackers. The website was created in August of 2016 by Courtland Allen and has quickly become a popular resource for hackers worldwide. The site has different content, including interviews with founders, articles about starting a business, case studies, and even meetups. Indiehackers also hosts a weekly podcast. Specifically for you, you’ll have to visit their partners’ page, where you can find your technical cofounder.

Y Combinator

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator program that helps early-stage startups grow and scale. They offer funding, mentorship, and resources to help founders turn their businesses into successful companies. The program was founded in 2005 by Paul Graham, Jessica Livingston, Robert Tappan Morris, and Trevor Blackwell. Since then, it has helped over 3,000+ startups!

One of the unique things about Y Combinator is their focus on cofounder matching. They believe that having the right cofounders is key to a successful startup, so they do everything to help founders find the right partners. It’s easy to sign up for an account: 1) tell them about yourself and your preferences for a cofounder 2) they’ll go through your application and, if it’s accepted, they’ll display you profiles that match your criteria 3) finally, you can send a direct message to a profile inviting them to connect, and if they accept, then it’s a match!

CoFoundersLab

Like Y Combinator, CoFoundersLab is a platform that helps entrepreneurs find cofounders. Their platform also connects you with advisers, mentors, investors, and innovators. A great feature of CoFounderLab is the ability to ask an advisor where you’ll have a chance to ask them questions on a one-to-one basis. It’s free to create an account! If that’s not enough, they also provide curated programs and courses to enable you to get from zero to one in the startup world.

Meteor Forums & Community Slack

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably come across MeteorJS, a robust full-stack framework. With MeteorJS, building and deploying web, mobile, and desktop apps is a breeze, and you can do it all with either JavaScript or TypeScript. What’s really cool is that MeteorJS is a mature and versatile tool that developers love to use. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s definitely worth exploring.

For more than 10 years, MeteorJS has had a thriving community filled with talented developers and entrepreneurs who are eager to collaborate and share their knowledge. By joining the MeteorJS forums and community Slack channel, you’ll gain access to a wealth of expertise and resources that can help you bring your startup to life.

Aside from being able to talk to the core team at Meteor Software, you’ll be able to connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for innovation and learn from their experiences. Best of all, by networking and building relationships in these channels, you may just find the technical co-founder you need to turn your vision into a reality.

You can read more about Meteor and what we do in this article on Website Planet.

Conclusion

Finding a technical cofounder can be a daunting task, but it’s important to remember that many resources are available to you. Joining tech communities is a great way to connect with potential cofounders, and there are many benefits to hiring a technical cofounder. So don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. The tech community is here to support you on your journey!