- The video discusses how to find a technical co-founder for a startup.
- The first step is to consider friends who know how to code and make them real offers to join as co-founders.
- If no friends are suitable, the next step is to consider co-workers and make offers to those who are compatible.
- If neither friends nor co-workers are suitable, the next option is to build a network with software engineers by working at a technology startup.
- Working at a small technology startup allows for better networking opportunities with engineers compared to working at big companies like Google or Facebook.
- Building a network may take time, but it is worth it for a long-term startup venture.
- Another option is to learn how to code oneself, as there are many online resources available for learning.
- College is a great place to find future co-founders, so it is advisable to make friends with people who are learning how to code in school.

Michael Seibel on how to find a technical cofounder.

Michael is CEO and a Partner at YC. He was the co-founder and CEO of Justin.tv and Socialcam. 

https://twitter.com/mwseibel

Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: https://www.ycombinator.com/apply/

Looking for a co-founder? Try YC's new co-founder matching platform: https://www.ycombinator.com/cofounder-matching

1 question that we get a lot at YC is how to find a technical co-founder.

This is how I would think through this problem.

How many of your friends do you really enjoy talking to and who know how to write code.

And even better, write code every day is a primary part of their job.

I advise that you actually make a list of all of these people, rank the top 5, and then make those people real offers.

A lot of what happens is that people have friends they might want to start companies with but they feel uncomfortable asking.

They think, oh, well, my friend works at Google or he makes this big salary or she's up for a promotion.

I don't think they're ever going to want to do it.

If you don't ask you'll never know and Your friend might be at a job waiting to leave But no one's asking them or let's be more clear Their friend isn't asking them to come and let's start something.

The part of asking someone to start a company though is to make them an offer.

Like how much salary can you pay them, if anything?

How much equity are you willing to give them?

So you don't want to have an informal conversation.

You actually want to make them a real offer Hey Samantha I'd like you to be my co-founder.

I'd like to give you 40% of the company We've only raised a small amount of money so I can't afford to pay you much But as soon as we raise more I'm happy to pay you this salary.

Not like, hey can you help me with my project on the weekends, or hey would you be interested, or hey would you just code this on the side for me.

Everyone's asking engineers to do that type of work and it's often the not very good way to recruit a technical co-founder.

Okay, after we work through friends, let's say that no 1 on the list that says yes or you can't build a list.

You don't have friends in order to write code.

The next group of people to think about is co-workers.

Go through the same exact process with the people that you work with at work.

People you like, people you get along with.

Figure out who they are, make a list, rank it, make real offers.

Now, let's say no 1 at work and no 1 your friends.

The next thing you have to think about is how do I build a network with software engineers in it?

The often best way to do this is to go get another job, to go work at a technology company where software engineers work.

Now a lot of times people go down this route, they think, oh, I need to work at a big company like Google or Facebook.

Unfortunately, if you're not technical, a lot of the time when you work at these big companies, you are kept far away from engineering.

And so it's a lot harder to become friends with engineers.

So counterintuitively, or maybe intuitively, depending on how you think about it, the best way to build an engineering network and become friends with more engineers is to work at a technology startup.

You know, to work at a small company that's 50 people or less where everyone's sitting together, talking together, having lunch together, and interacting with each other and doing work together.

By making friends with those coworkers, by making friends with their friends, you'll start building your network and you can start figuring out who you might consider working with.

You know, it might take a year or 2 working at that company before you have the network and you find the people you want to work with.

But remember, doing a startup can be a whole life's work.

So if it takes a couple years to get started, in the scheme of things, if this is something you're doing for 10 plus years, that's probably worth it.

1 more thing that you can consider is learning how to code.

There are a lot more resources online right now that can help you learn how to code.

Everything from Code Academy to Lambda School and a whole bunch of other products.

So you can always go that direction if you're inclined.

If you're a college student, 1 thing you should understand is that 1 of the best places to find future co-founders is in college.

By all means, if you ever think that you might want to create a startup 1 day and you don't know how to code, 1 thing I would advise you to do is make friends with people who are learning how to code in school.

They might turn out to be your future co-founder 125, 10 years from now.

I was friends with Justin Kahn in college.

He was learning how to code and working in a startup, and he was friends with another guy named Emmett Shearer, who was a great software engineer.

And when they decided to do a company called Justin TV, I was friends with them, they recruited me, and bam, I had 2 amazing co-founders directly from school.

College is a massively, massively used opportunity to find co-founders And you shouldn't forget that.


Speaker 0: 1 question that we get a lot at YC is how to find a technical co-founder. This is how I would think through this problem. First, I would start with your friends. How many of your friends do you really enjoy talking to and who know how to write code. And even better, write code every day is a primary part of their job.

I advise that you actually make a list of all of these people, rank the top 5, and then make those people real offers. A lot of what happens is that people have friends they might want to start companies with but they feel uncomfortable asking. They think, oh, well, my friend works at Google or he makes this big salary or she's up for a promotion. I don't think they're ever going to want to do it. If you don't ask you'll never know and Your friend might be at a job waiting to leave But no one's asking them or let's be more clear Their friend isn't asking them to come and let's start something.

The part of asking someone to start a company though is to make them an offer. Like how much salary can you pay them, if anything? How much equity are you willing to give them? So you don't want to have an informal conversation. You actually want to make them a real offer Hey Samantha I'd like you to be my co-founder.

I'd like to give you 40% of the company We've only raised a small amount of money so I can't afford to pay you much But as soon as we raise more I'm happy to pay you this salary. That's what it takes, a real offer. Not like, hey can you help me with my project on the weekends, or hey would you be interested, or hey would you just code this on the side for me. Everyone's asking engineers to do that type of work and it's often the not very good way to recruit a technical co-founder. Okay, after we work through friends, let's say that no 1 on the list that says yes or you can't build a list.

You don't have friends in order to write code. The next group of people to think about is co-workers. Go through the same exact process with the people that you work with at work. People you like, people you get along with. Figure out who they are, make a list, rank it, make real offers.

Now, let's say no 1 at work and no 1 your friends. The next thing you have to think about is how do I build a network with software engineers in it? The often best way to do this is to go get another job, to go work at a technology company where software engineers work. Now a lot of times people go down this route, they think, oh, I need to work at a big company like Google or Facebook. Unfortunately, if you're not technical, a lot of the time when you work at these big companies, you are kept far away from engineering.

And so it's a lot harder to become friends with engineers. So counterintuitively, or maybe intuitively, depending on how you think about it, the best way to build an engineering network and become friends with more engineers is to work at a technology startup. You know, to work at a small company that's 50 people or less where everyone's sitting together, talking together, having lunch together, and interacting with each other and doing work together. By making friends with those coworkers, by making friends with their friends, you'll start building your network and you can start figuring out who you might consider working with. Now sometimes that does take longer.

You know, it might take a year or 2 working at that company before you have the network and you find the people you want to work with. But remember, doing a startup can be a whole life's work. So if it takes a couple years to get started, in the scheme of things, if this is something you're doing for 10 plus years, that's probably worth it. 1 more thing that you can consider is learning how to code. There are a lot more resources online right now that can help you learn how to code.

Everything from Code Academy to Lambda School and a whole bunch of other products. So you can always go that direction if you're inclined. 1 last note before I close. If you're a college student, 1 thing you should understand is that 1 of the best places to find future co-founders is in college. By all means, if you ever think that you might want to create a startup 1 day and you don't know how to code, 1 thing I would advise you to do is make friends with people who are learning how to code in school.

They might turn out to be your future co-founder 125, 10 years from now. I was extremely lucky. I was friends with Justin Kahn in college. He was learning how to code and working in a startup, and he was friends with another guy named Emmett Shearer, who was a great software engineer. And when they decided to do a company called Justin TV, I was friends with them, they recruited me, and bam, I had 2 amazing co-founders directly from school.

College is a massively, massively used opportunity to find co-founders And you shouldn't forget that. Thank you

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How to Find a Technical Cofounder - Michael Seibel