FWIW: Keep the "cofounders" to a minimum, my choice is ONE. This is not for greed but for focus and unity in vision. Feel free to offer people all the perks you want, but try to keep the steering-wheel in as few hands as possible.
[Edit: I can understand why a VC might be interested in having multiple cofounders, and aside from the obvious diversity in opinion, VCs might also be interested in having a team that might be easier to break up at the right point; paying out the least interested cofounder early leaves more for them. If you're self-funded hire others.]
very good point. I am surprised by the emphasis people (VCs/YC) put on multiple co-founders. I think it increases the risk of company failing because co-founders didn't get along well at a later stage.
CollabFinder seems good. I just signed up. The message boards seem to be filled too. nice!
But I think someone should come up with a site for entrepreneurs/developers/designers like speed-dating. Maybe based on online chat... like just keep changing the person you are chatting with every 5 min. That's like giving a person 5 minutes to explain himself and understand the other and hit it off. :)
I think the best way might be to post here looking for someone with free time and an interest.
Anyway, I happen to meet that description and have been looking for something new to start. I have a few ideas floating around in my head, shoot me an email if your interested.
I feel you can't force co-founders or look at it from a traditional standpoint. It just happens. No exact formula. Hacker News probably works best so far for this: whether it's a hacker or biz focused co-founder.
I want to discuss ideas with them and agree together on what we want to work on.
I'm looking for a co founder who is willing to share some of risk of founding a startup. They may contribute capital, programming skills, design skills, but it's really the startup mindset that's most important. That's what makes them different from an employee.
I think these sorts of sites are the best you're going to do if you nobody you already know fits the bill and hence you and your potential cofounder are starting out as strangers. The qualities that you're (rightly) looking for are much more easily selected for among people that you already know personally. Meatspace is your best bet, news.yc is a distant second, and partnerup and the like are third.
I guess you are right. Most people I know arent startup types and are satisfied in their job. The startup types I know have their own startup or are working in a startup.
I'm trying to find startup types who are looking to start a startup.
How does one "ask HN" to find a co-founder in a way that is acceptable to this community? Can I really make a post saying something like "My early-stage, pre-funding, revenue-generating startup is looking for a technical co-founder"? I thought that sort of post wasn't allowed here, except by Y Combinator companies?
[Edit: I can understand why a VC might be interested in having multiple cofounders, and aside from the obvious diversity in opinion, VCs might also be interested in having a team that might be easier to break up at the right point; paying out the least interested cofounder early leaves more for them. If you're self-funded hire others.]