I'm always skeptical of these gatherings that pair up potential co-founders, because I see it as trying to match up singles at a bar. The quality of the people tends to be lower, and the relationships very rarely turn into marriage.
And when you're working on a startup, your co-founder is very much your spouse, both personally and legally. The thought of going to a cafe to look for my future spouse feels rather grim.
Sure, and if online dating (representative of your example of meeting singles with a pre-determined description) was unsuccessful, I would agree with you. Also, I'm not sure I see the example as completely congruous. At a bar, you're not really predisposed to a potential partner. In a search for a co-founder, what if you're looking for someone that really complements your skillset really well, or someone that has a clearly defined passion for your space?
I think that a lot of the dialogue about trusting cofounders and having them have been BFFs for life is grand, but not everybody gets that lucky. As far as go forth and hack is concerned, aren't we talking about the same thing, except in one case we're having discussion prior to working together, and the other you eliminate that step and get started.
It's not ideal-sure. But this is the toughest thing 99% of people have ever done. Why not use all available methods for success?
I generally agree, but do you have a better suggestion for how to meet a co-founder if you have a goal and no BFF who is all enthused about doing this with you?
I'm not impressed with online dating sites or the general practice of dating. I think there are inherent problems in spending time with someone for the express purpose of determining if they are long-term mate material. I think it actively encourages deception and game-playing. Both sides will seek to determine if the other is adequate to their needs while simultaneously putting on a facade to try to appear desirable. Many people hide information about themselves that they think might be a deal-killer early on in hopes that it won't be a deal-killer after sufficient attachment has occurred. Yet, America has a 50% divorce rate, so I would say what we are doing isn't working all that well.
I would assume this same paradigm largely applies to co-founder meet-ups. You will both be scoping each other out and both painfully aware of being scoped out and trying to hide anything you think will cause rejection while putting your best foot forward. (Ironically, you may be hiding something about yourself that would make you deemed "perfect" for the job but have no way of knowing that in advance.)
So the question becomes: What would work better? And if you can't answer that, then people will keep doing this (just like they keep dating) because it's basically all they've got.
I think it is a signal to noise filter issue. I was at Startup School this weekend and everyone I met was awesome in some regard. I'm sure lots of cofounders met for the first time and everyone expanded their network. You are right that many of these cofounder matching events become lame, they just need filters like the one at SS.
Somewhere accessible by train and car would be ideal. Downtown PA has, at best, mediocre freeway access and parking.
Somewhere quieter than a bar or pool hall might be more conducive to conversation.
As much as I'm ashamed to admit it, the "trendy" impression I have of Blue Chalk is a personal turn-off. Besides, I'd want my potential co-founder to be frugal enough to avoid such an establishment pre-funding.
Good point. We'll probably change the venue to something very quiet, once we find a better host. I asked Sun. Hacker Dojo is a good idea too, but we'd need to find a host (otherwise it's $100/month to be a member?).
Hacker Dojo is probably ideal. I hate having "real" discussions at Blue Chalk. It's decently quiet around 1pm, but it gets pretty loud around 5pm and later. So unless you guys hold it at a decently quiet venue, i probably won't bother attending.
Resumes are all fine and good, but it still takes time (as per my other comment) and real world experience together. Or at least that's what I've gathered from everything here that I've read about it...
I just created this MeetUp based on my experience with http://FairSoftware.net and the Founder Institute: everyone who has a great idea also needs great co-founders.
But finding co-founders is tough. Doing it in person is a good way to go, hence this MeetUp.
Feel free to pass around to everyone who's interested.
Also, a discussion on how you met your co-founders would be great.
It would be awesome if YC set up a cofounder "matching" service. Not anything they would have to manage, just a way to share what you bring as a cofounder, what you are looking for in a cofounder, and ideas you might have. It seems like a lot of these meetups end up being filled with "Social Media Experts" "Consultants" and "Idea Guys". A filter could ensure that hackers, designers, and other people who can contribute at an early stage could meet up.
I submitted some ideas to HN as a post a month back and met a lot of awesome people. Some way to help make connections (without having to resubmit ideas/info) would be great. Might also be a way to strengthen the applicant pool for YC too.
The problem is that YC doesn't think that is a good way to find a cofounder. Founder disputes are a top way for companies to die and are more likely the less well you know your cofounder. Maybe a cofounder from the internet is better than no one, but the best cofounder is someone you've known for years and trust.
I know YC is all about long term relationships between cofounders. I'm thinking something that would help start that relationship. People could find others with shared goals and similar interests and over time form partnerships. would be a long term project, but could pay off.
Yes. I don't understand how those are jobs or independent roles. When you just have a few people I think you need to be able to write code, design UI's, or be amazing at getting customers and handling the day to day stuff. Ideally a founding team should do those things as a matter of course.
Social Media "Expert": You should be able to spread the word via Twitter, FB, etc.
Consultant: Founders should bring the domain knowledge of the field they are attacking.
Ideas Guy: You face a lot of problems and need to be able to solve them quickly and ultimately implement solutions.
Brilliant. I've always liked Jobnob's "find people to help with your startup for free" events, where the participants can preview the companies and see which ones they would like to work for as well. I think it would also facilitate things if we had some kind of public wiki with which to display companies and/or individual's backgrounds.
I've met my current and previous startup founders at these series of events. However, I've never gone there with the intention of finding a co-founder.
Find a co-founder ... for a startup in 5 years' time. Because someone you just met is not likely to be marriage or co-founder material until you take the time to get to know them. At least judging by what I've read here.
True. I believe in references. If a friend of a friend can vouch for you, then we should get to know each other.
The amazing thing is that in Silicon Valley, it's not 6 degrees of separation, it's more like 2. You and I probably have a friend in common! It helps to establish a co-founder relationship.
I typically plug www.hndir.com when I see this stuff (a directory of hacker news readers sorted by school). This will instantly tell you just about everything you'd find out from a 30-60 minute conversation in person. "What projects did you work on? What type of stuff interests you? Which languages do you prefer?" etc etc.
If you're outside the United States and you e-mail me your school's TLD, I'll manually add it. There are message boards and easy ways of identifying YC alum within. Notifications are a bit lacking at the moment.
there are two sections: login and register. make sure you type your school e-mail into the last box on the page. sorry if this part is confusing, may change this soon.
your registration process sucks. i've seen so many complaints about it, including ones from me. i don't even know if my university email is still active. adding complexity doesn't add legitimacy.
Are there 2-23 interesting entrepenurial people who want to grab a beer @ my modest office in SF financial district/northbeach to shoot the shit and talk ideas next Thursday or Friday afternoon, 4-6 PM? I have a couple cold cases that need drinking.
Drop me a line w/your preferred date and a bit about you and I'll get it together if there is interest - BeerInRandomOffice@gmail.com
you'll want your co-founder to be someone you know from some time before trying to found anything with him/her. you'll be a couple (or a threesome, or...) and a serious, long-lasting relationship can't be built on a blind date.
That's correct, but you're putting yourself in a place with other like-minded people and by meeting them in person in that context it gives you an opportunity to get an initial feel for someone to see if you want to continue the relationship further - maybe lunch to share ideas or working on a small project together - pretty soon you're building a real relationship. These meetings would be a starting point not an end point.
And when you're working on a startup, your co-founder is very much your spouse, both personally and legally. The thought of going to a cafe to look for my future spouse feels rather grim.