There are many articles and blogs claiming to have THE list of things to do to find the perfect technical cofounder - as if it's that easy to find a cofounder in general. From my purview at FounderDating, however, one of the most important and least-discussed (in the press, at least) questions is from technical entrepreneurs. For the last year the longest- running trending topic on FD:Discuss (the Q/A section of the site) is: how do technical cofounders evaluate non-technical cofounders?
Jessica outlines 4 key criteria:
- Good at figuring stuff out
- Good at getting stuff done
- Highly determined
- Good at communication
Ultimately, the kicker is in Jessica's suggestion as to what to do to recognise those characteristics in a potential cofounder:
Start a side-project. These quotients are exponentially easier to calculate when you're working on something real together. It doesn't matter if it's the idea you actually end up working on, you'll see far more revealed doing this than you will over 10 coffees or hypothetical white board sessions. Yes, that also means you can't find the right partner in just a few weeks. So be constantly putting yourself out there.
A few months seems about right. Remember: finding a cofounder is like finding a wife. You don't go out looking for a cofounder, you go out to meet new people and work on neat projects with them, and if you meet one that you feel like starting a company with, great.
If you read this far, you should follow me on twitter here.
