Building a startup is a tough and long endeavor. Most folks have found a lot of value in having a co-founder(s) to share ideas, pains and keep each other motivated. Paul Graham has a good essay about co-founding, and Y-Combinator’s emphasis on having a co-founder.
Finding cofounder is a hard task. Sometimes you are a technical guy looking for a business person or a business person looking for a technical guy. What is important is a good fit of complementing skills and a decent overlap of ideology!
In my personal endeavors I have found cofounders mostly through a personal network (friends, social network and co-workers) and a bit of e-mail list based recruiting. In case of WiseVoter, I had a mix of people helping me and in case of WalkMe I became a co-founder with a colleague.
In an effort to crystallize a set of tips to help you find co-founders, I would definitely list:
- People you have worked with: Most of the times people you have worked fit the best bill in being your cofounders as the work experiences with them are most revealing than the social context.
- Personal Network: You should definitely tap your personal network and find if any of the folks in the network would be good candidates for co-founding. Cofounders are not only about skills but also motivation and perseverance.
- Entrepreneurial Organizations / Events: In many instances folks have found it immensely useful to connect with the right people through volunteering at Entrepreneurial organizations (like various startup groups, TIE etx.) and attending entrepreneurial events (Startup days etc.).
- Advertising on Craigslist: I haven’t tried this but a most people I know have had a surprising success rate from advertising on craigslist!
What else would you add? Comment away!!
