How I Met My Technical Co-Founder On Co-Founder Match

[reflectionsbythewater]

Background​

I’ve been working in software sales for about 10 years. I do not write code, but I’m pretty good with technology (picked up SQL for example).

Over the past 7+ years I’ve had various insights and ideas for software products (as I’m sure people here can understand) but the biggest blocker to testing them has been writing the code and shipping the product.

I’ve tried various ways to partner up with developers (paying them, personal network, LinkedIn, sites like https://cofounderslab.com/, Reddit, etc) and have successfully shipped two software products up until now with varying results:

1. Alkemy (2018) - a product data tool for sales people

• Tried to convince a dev I was working with to work with me, didn't happen.
• Paid a dev shop $15k to build an MVP without much market / user research
• The MVP sort of worked but I had no real interest from users and there were some big challenges with the product that I can expound in the comments if people care

1. Tabled (2020) - a QR code menu app with online menus

• Met a software engineer on Reddit who lived outside the U.S. (I’m in U.S.)
• We spec’ed out and launched a QR code / digital menu app. Read about it here.
• At it’s peak we had a few thousand views per day but never monetized it and many of the top POS platforms (Square, Toast) launched similar features

After those two experiences, I realized that in order to have a real shot had building a successful software business I would need to work with a software developer who was a true 50/50 partner and as bought into whatever we were building as I was. And, ideally, we could work together in person as much as possible.

How I Met My Technical Co-Founder​

I joined YC Co-Founder Matching around 2021 and got a fair amount of interest from developers due to my sales background and had a lot of meetings but nothing really clicked.

Then in August 2023, I saw a profile of a developer who seemed like a great guy and had a really solid background. I invited him to connect, we took it slow and had a few calls to get to know each other, then decided to do a “work trial” and collaborate on a 30 day project. (Honestly, the process was a lot like dating).

I live in LA and he's a few hours north so he came down and we worked all weekend and got an MVP shipped. After a few weeks working together, we realized we worked really well together and knew we wanted to give this a real shot, so decided to start a company.

Today, we have a live MVP that helps sales people create hyperpersonalized copy for their outreach in just a few clicks: https://www.superseller.co/ with some decent usage and are working on the company every day.

We also just locked in 2 paying customers who we are doing a similar service for (creating personalized outreach campaigns) using our technology which is great.

After trying for years to find the right partner, I feel super lucky to paired up with my co-founder and it makes all the meetings that went no where, and the LinkedIn DMs with no response, worth it.

What I Learned​

So, if you’re in the position I was in for the past few years, here’s what I wish I knew sooner:

1. Create Your Own Luck - you get "lucky" by giving your self opportunities to get lucky. Join networks, go to events, be active on social media and Reddit, and put yourself in a position to get lucky and meet a great partner
2. Be Patient - all in, it took me over 7 years to find the right technical partner to work with - this is not something you can rush. Yeah, I probably could've learned to just code in this time at this point, but I'm thrilled to have someone to collaborate with.
3. It's A Numbers Game - I've lost count of the amount of coffees, Zooms, and DMs I've had with potential partners. Just keep meeting people and meeting people and eventually the right partner will reveal themselves.
4. Do Not Force It - when you know, you know. Finding the right partner is an art and a science, a combination of your heart and your mind aligning. You can tell when something is off with a potential partner so do not force it and when you find the right one, you'll know. You'll be SO excited to work with them.
5. Put Yourself Out There - do not be afraid to be rejected. Be the one who suggests the coffee or meet up. Be the one who sends the first DM because you like their profile. Be the one to "go first" and be OK with being rejected. You can't sit on your hands and wait for the right partner to arrive at your doorstep, you need to go out there and find them.

TL;DR: after years of trying to meet a good technical co-founder, I met an amazing partner on YC Co-Founder Match and we started a company together.

 

[hesgoturback]

@reflectionsbythewater Thank you for this, very grounding and inspiring. Congratulations!

 

[reflectionsbythewater]

@hesgoturback Thank you! Still a whole lot of work to do, but it feels great to be working with someone I respect and enjoy working with.

 

[hesgoturback]

@reflectionsbythewater I'm in the middle of picking a cofounder, would you be willing to offer some advice, can I dm you?

 

[reflectionsbythewater]

@hesgoturback yes you can DM me, but might be more helpful if you ask your question here so everyone can see it?

 

[hesgoturback]

@reflectionsbythewater Sure, let me ask something general then. I'm looking at multiple candidates that could definitely build me a prototype and probably an mvp. There are many fewer who I can envision being my cto/cofounder in the long run. I realize that developers don't work on spec. Is there an ethical and respectful way of requesting someone work to validate my concept if I'm not excited about working with them for a decade? Is there something else I can offer them other than cto/cofounder status?

 

[reflectionsbythewater]

@hesgoturback I would say that if you can't envision them being your CTO/Co-Founder then don't work with them.

The other option would be to compensate them for their work, either with cash or some % ownership of your company which probably isn't worth much if it's just starting out.

 

[bible_boy]

@reflectionsbythewater Thank you for this write up, it’s inspired me to just reach out and not be concerned about rejections

Also checked out your site, this is is super useful as I am about to send out cold emails to VCs

 

[reflectionsbythewater]

@bible_boy Love to hear it. Happy to chat if you need help with outreach.

 

[farmhouse1]

@reflectionsbythewater Thanks for sharing! As a technical person myself I can relate. It’s super hard to find a sales partner who I can work well together, but I’d really love to find one.

 

[shyone64]

@farmhouse1 are you signed up on YC ? It seems to be easier for a techie to find a partner than the other way around.

 

[farmhouse1]

@shyone64 It’s easy to find a nontechnical person but hard to find someone easy to work with. A few common (anti)patterns I see:
1. Marketing/sales guy who has a huge product idea that’s not achievable with just a couple of cofounders.
2. Zero idea about scope + introduce scope creep all the time.
3. Product person who can’t sell and cannot prototype.

Ideally, my best case scenario is to find a sales person who knows how to work with product.

 

[shyone64]

@farmhouse1 Thanks @farmhouse1 , I agree that it's hard to find the right person to work with. I'm a hw ee, wanting to do sw, but can't leave the benefits (i.e. health insurance) of a full time job. So we're all somewhat working on things as a side job, which means progress is had at night and weekends.

The one thing that is an immediate turn off for us is people claiming that they're "rock stars" which is such a tired and overused descriptor, I'd rather you believe in the mission and just want to work with us instead of wanting a ton of money up front for your "rock star" status.

 

[branannabanana]

@farmhouse1 Assuming you want to build B2B or enterprise because you want a sales cofounder?

 

[farmhouse1]

@branannabanana Yep!

 

[branannabanana]

@farmhouse1 Why not bring on another technical cofounder and learn sales yourself? That is what YC recommends.

As someone who’s technical and does sales. The chance of a sales cofounder jumping in and selling whatever you built is super lower. You want them there pre-product. Especially if you’re not talking with customers which most tech founders don’t they just have an idea and start crushing code.

 

[betterdays]

@reflectionsbythewater Hey thanks for sharing and congrats on meeting your match, op! I actually just joined the cofounder match myself (as a non-tech) and I’m getting way more match requests than I thought I would. I really didn’t think I’d get any so I’m pleasantly surprised.