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Error: Co-Founder Not Found!!

By Akhil Suhag on 34 Comments / 6164 views

I am an active reader of the rodinhoods and there are some entries that you just connect with instantly, that is exactly how I felt while reading through “You can’t code- you are much required”.

I agree there is so much a non-tech co-founder can bring to the table- and is there a better example than Steve Jobs himself, but the bigger question is does the coding population recognize that fact? I was reading through an article that talked about a quick poll at a class in Harvard Business School, students who wanted to start ventures were asked to raise hands, about 50 people did. Out of which tech guys were asked to raise hands- 4 raised hands. Now the four were asked how many of you are looking for non-tech co-founders- 1 raised his hand. This somehow gives the impression that non-tech guys are not all that important. So is it the general perception, and if so then that makes me sad. Start-up teams as much as anything else should have the right balance.

I have been trying to look for a tech guy with the same vision and connect. I have come across few, but I did not see the entrepreneur in them. I am currently in a “Leadership Development Program” (some shit where they train you to be the next generation leader) in a Forture 25 in Europe and I hate it. Every bone in my body wants to take the plunge and give it the best I have got.

I am a keen learner and reader, following start-ups has been a hobby since I was 15 and it’s all I have wanted to do since. I am keen on Mobile in India and I think a lot can be done. I have my strengths and am hoping to find who complements them.

Although I do have a couple of interesting ideas in my head that I would like to bring to the table, my handicap has been the tech department. I am hoping to find someone as enthusiastic as me about starting up. Someone, who just believes in the common vision and ready to put things at stake for it, I have met tech guys- but I have not met someone crazy enough to be an Entrepreneur.

Hopefully I will run into someone who shares these traits, and something will spawn a great journey. Someone excited about what we can do, someone who really believes nothing is out of reach. I really believe if skill sets and personalities can complement the rest can be taken care of. I am open to the other side of ideas as well and coming to a common conclusion as to what to pursue.

If anyone would be interested please do get in touch. I can’t code but I can bloody hell do everything else and am hoping to start an exciting journey soon.

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34 Comments

  1. dear dear akhil,

    welcome back!!!! 

    to read a post like in the morning simply blows me away!

    i sincerely hope you find a tech co-founder very soon. you are not the only rodinhooder out there looking for that perfect geek who can team up with you and share your vision. 

    let’s make this awesome post viral. and let’s hope we can find your co-founder 🙂

    pls start meeting like-minded people you can trust and start bouncing your ideas with them. you never know from where you might find someone….

    have an awesome day akhil…. you just made mine! 

  2. Hey Akhil,

    I am not sure why not having a techie co founder is considered as a handicap by many.

    If yours is a tech driven product – your dependence on a techie increases drastically. But if you can hunt down for a non-tech product/ service – maybe life would be easier.

    Don’t stop from taking the plunge. Once you are in mid ocean you’ll figure out a way to swim to the shores.

    All the best

    Cheers 🙂

  3. Hi Asha,

    You are always so kind!

    Thanks you so much for your encouragement!

  4. Hi Hardik,

    I have a couple of mobile/app ideas i am tinckering with. But there is only so far I can go without tech skills. Internet/mobile has its advantages that attract me to it- scale, cost etc.And more than that it is such ideas that I keep coming up with (mostly involving tech).

    Lets see how things work from here! Do let me know incase you have someone in your network though!

  5. Same story here dude! Searching for one from the past 5 months. 

  6. same here, searching for some kick ass coder since 8-9 months 🙁

  7. Akhil (and others)! I tend to agree with Hardik. I understand having a co-founder helps and it’s strongly recommended…but unless you find a co-founder in someone you know well, things will take time…a long time. Even if you find one at the outset, chances are that relationship might not last; and you’ll be back on the street trying to find another co-founder.

    Most so-called “tech” startups do not need a tech. co-founder TO START with. You can come up with ‘n’ reasons as to why you need one/something before you can startup (begin working on it), but nothing’s stopping you to go ahead and do things in your control. I tend to categorize tech./tech. enabled startups into 4 categories broadly:

    #1 Platform products (high tech. complexity + tech. is the product – e.g., Heroku, Cloudera)

    #2 Products (medium-high tech. complexity + tech. is one of the key enablers – e.g., WhatsApp) 

    #3 Services (medium – low complexity) 

    #4 Channels (for lack of better word;  med – low complexity initially, can get complex later on – e.g., marketplaces, pizzahut.com – your core product is not tech, it’s just a channel to sell things) 

    Now here’s the good part, or a different perspective: Unless you’re building anything in category #1 you can START without a tech. co-founder. You can hire someone or you will find so many freelancers who will be willing to help you build a first version. Expensive? Find few college kids and pay them. Get creative! Most startups fall in categories 2, 3, and 4.  The chances of someone non-technical coming up with an idea and being able to execute it in category #1 is near zero. Why? Unless you understand technology that well, you probably won’t come up with an idea like that. If you understand, you are probably technical already. 

    No back to your post!

    #1. I see so many founders use Steve Jobs as an example as how a non-technical co-founder can add value, but the fact is he did a lot of things to prove he is capable of building a business. He might not be a coder or engineer, but he was a tinkerer and even before he started Apple, he used to build stuff for fun or get it built. He found ways to get things done. See the difference? (P.S. I don’t know him so this is my perception based on his biography and movies based on him)

    #2. If I were you, I wouldn’t make much of the Harvard poll. Every B school will have “aspiring” entrepreneurs  but very few  (<1%) will go out and do something. So shred that poll results, and its conclusions. If tech. guys think that it’s not required to have a non-tech co-founder, they may be right or they may be wrong…but who cares?

    #3. “Start-up teams as much as anything else should have the right balance.” Should have balance? Ideally Yes. Will have balance? Probably no. Startups are never balanced — there’s something or the other that’s wrong. We just need to find ways to make things work despite all such imbalances.

    #4. “I have come across few, but I did not see the entrepreneur in them.” Well, look at it from their perspective. Do they see the entrepreneur in you? Have you even started working on it? Have you showed some concrete evidence that you’re really serious about it? May be built some mockups/wireframes, or a first version, or talked to potential users/customers etc. You get my drift? Like I said things take time. Once you start doing things, things fall into place. Your chances of finding a co-founder will increase as and when you start doing things.

    #5. “Every bone in my body wants to take the plunge and give it the best I have got.” If you really feel strongly about something, just DO it!

    Best wishes!

  8. Hi Akhil,

    Tech. is one component of any startup that for sure is extremely important but not the only requirement. The driving force is you who brings all the components together and creates a product/service that the world has been waiting for. Take inspiration from the number of real estate developers in India who have never formally learnt architecture. Look at the corner mobile phone store run by a trader who cannot even understand the depths of mobile technology but sell and service millions of mobile products.

    Since ideas are commodities until they are implemented and proven to work, I would suggest you go ahead and take a plunge by maybe outsourcing the tech part to begin with. This will at least get you started with your journey and as the idea crystallizes into a product others will join for sure. 

    You still need to validate your idea and achieve product/market fit. Build a prototype by working with some known IT company whom you can trust with delivering. Come up with a small budget from personal savings or borrow from friends/family and build a prototype. Use various forums like this to get some tech. advice while you work with someone. In the meantime you can continue looking for your tech. co-founder. 

    Outsource when you dont have the expertise. Don’t let it stall your journey.

    Just my 2 paise on the topic…

    All the best!

  9. Hi Sanket,

    You are absolutely correct. I have actually gone forward with outsourcing before- with really disastrous results. I would not say outsourcing was to blame, I think I would also share part of it. But what I came to understand was that the flexibility is almost non-existent. So is the level of commitment to the product. I think it is a good way to get maybe an MVP in the market, but for a full-fledged thing I would any day look for an in house thing.

  10. Hi,

    To be true as I said in a previous reply, the only big learning from my previous failure was to have some tech assistance with you. If failures are to be used as learning tools- that is my one big take away.

    But that then becomes the best case scenario. I am not saying I would not start if I don’t have someone- its just that I would like to have someone. If I dont I am already thinking of other ways to get this done somehow.

    Lets see how things move. Thanks for your comments 🙂

    Akhil.

  11. I hear ya. It’s really great you’re trying and thinking of ways to make it happen, and that was my whole point. 🙂 Best wishes!

  12. I so relate to this! Just the fact that finding anyone with the same kind of band width and ideas is just an impossibility. Have been in the same predicament for a long, long while.. I feel you! 🙁

  13. Rodinhood is the Kickstarter of India to search for co-founders, I am sure you will get you techie co-founder here otherwise I have to introduce “co-founder matching service” in our dating app Vee 🙂   

  14. Fingers crossed 😉

  15. Hey Akhil,

    Most of us ( and  even the techies ) belong to the same class. i.e Have a skill and desperately need the other.   I have met a no of tech people , who say only if they had the soft skills and marketing traits in their personality they would go about disrupting so much everywhere.  sadly for them , personality changes are not easy to come , whereas we as non-techies can still get our heads around  coding etc ( atleast the basics) . So I would say you are lucky.  🙂 

    I was and am still in a similar phase , where I thought if some  bit of  web programming   is becoming an impediment ,why not self teach it .  There are so many great resources online to teach you the basics of everything ( in coding and programming, mobile app devlopment) . eg codeacademy.com and khanacademy.org, Udemy , edx, coursera .  Am learning some bit of CSS every day . 

    after the basics , you will be able to get much better results if you decide to outsource. 

    A couple of caveats before the self learning journey 
    1) While the thought of self learning all the stuff is thrilling , the actual task requires some bit of method in approach . You will often lack motivation to give 30 mins to something which does not give  you immediate results ( eg learning to Code in C++) .  I suggest you to read Motivation Hacker book  to make the learning more smooth .  ( buy the kindle reader edition as its very cheap) 

    2) The idea of self learning is not to become master of the skill ( as that can take months or even years  ) , but to get familiarized with all the technology involved to the level where you can discuss technology confidently  . So even if you do find a  tech co founder , you are in much better position to discuss the product .

  16. I am actually going through the same problem. I am still looking for a technical co-founder who shares similar vision. It is not a showstopper but I believe person should do what they are good at & not everything. Unfortunately as I am not able to find one yet but as I do have some tech background too – I went ahead and started developing things on my own (or may be I am too desperate to do it it). 

  17. Hi Akhil,

    I am building  https://launch.trunoid.com and looking for non-tech co-founder to drive the marketing and other stuff.

    Lets get connected  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashokpundit

  18. while entrepreneurs are known to be ones who thrive on solving problems, but this one problem every aspiring entrepreneur cribs about. “Where do i get a tech co-founder”. 

    Simple thing – if you cannot, find yourself a business guy (who are presumably in abundance) and become your own tech co-founder. If technology is one thing you cannot do without, then solve that problem first. What baffles is most techies want to manage businesses but business guys do not want to code. 

  19. Come on now..is there so much of a shortage for techie entrepreneurs? Didn’t know my skill sets are valued so much… 😛

    Okay..kidding aside..

    Hi Akhil,

    I am no dedicated coder for you but I have got 7 years of experience in IT field and I can help a great deal when it comes to building softwares. Being an entrepreneur was my childhood dream and I am living my dream. Currently I am working on my 2nd start up..after this venture starts giving some returns and is on the right track…I will be on to my 3rd start up which involves building mobile apps..lets talk a bit..what say?

  20. I think now you have so many responses who want to help so no more “co-founder matching service” 🙂

  21. Hi Nikhil,

    Thats very commendable to go ahead and do it on your own..because there are many hurdles even after you’ve got the right person for the right job. My first attempt at a start up taught me this lesson..we were 3 guys and each one master of his own field..a coder, marketing guy and a middle man who understands things of both worlds..I was the middle man and was caught in the crossfire everytime. I left eventually because I had that luxury..I was not dependent on any of them and could do anything I wanted on my own. Where as they were dependent on each other like a car on petrol…they are still together like an Indian marriage..compromising.

  22. Definitely would like to know more about it bro. Linkedin would be too slow though 😉 

    facebook: /akhilsuhag and the same on skype

  23. Hi Pratik. I would love to connect and talk. I have something related to mobile that has been keeping me up these days 😉 and would like to know your journey so far.

    I am on facebook: /akhilsuhag and skype (same name) do let me know.

    Cheers!

  24. Hi,

    I am an IT pro from last 10 years and done lot of web programming, designing and maintaining the applications. 

    Currently working on my first startup as VP, Eng. 

    Before my joining, my founder had (a non-techie) has outsourced. Results were partly good, partly bad. After I have joined, what I realized:

    1. Outsourcing is not a good idea if you are not sitting with the serivce provider team and working with them. Difference between business owner and tech team in understanding the business and passion for the product takes its toll on the quality of product.

    2. If outsourcing is must, sit with team and work on product.

    3. Don’t hire freshers in beginning. They can only code. They can not architect or design solution for even 6 months of future working. This makes it very difficult to maintain the product. Leads to refacotring instead of adding new features.

    4. IMO, if nothing works out and if you believe in your app/product, hire one/two sr. developers at market cost, make a team and get your work done. They will devlope a better app/product, can continue longer if you can sell them the potential of product/app, lead a team and eventually become tech. co-founder or CTO.

    Suraj

  25. May all the best of things happen to you,Akhil

  26. Dear Akash Sachdev,thanks for sharing codeacademy.com .I found it very useful

  27. I agree with your judgement.

    Also, to be able to ‘get along’ with tech folks is another challenge.

    This is the TOUGHEST one..

  28. hey akhil,

    i messed the bottom of your post – this one was for last week 🙂

  29. Thank you so much Asha for your constant support. Inspires me to write more frequently.

  30. Hi Nikhil,

    I am in the same boat, non tech with a lot of ideas and no interested tech co-founder. Echoing your approach, I actually did try to learn a lot. I enrolled and finished a basic course on Edx, then learnt Java, html..gave up on a lot of them as it was too slow.

    I did hire a freelancer with some personal cash, and got a prototype app (iVaccinate). Knowing coding a bit helped me create a scope for him and also give him the algo (I made it in excel in 2-3 days)

    But its not the same. The freelancer will take 5x the time he committed, then you are forced to give up on a lot of features just to get the basic one out. Now I have the app on app store and the feedback to improve from around 10 users, but cannot get more work done unless I put in more money.

    Frustrating to get it stalled for months when you can get a working prototype in excel in days. 

  31. Guys ! I can help you out in this.

    I run my own SAAS services company (http://www.anant.co.in) and also am an investor in a couple of start ups based out of Goa.

    If your idea is good , then I can help in foll areas:-

    get it developed by one of the start ups ,

    invest money in your idea ,

    and help market it also !

    Buzz me on aneesh2811 at gmail.com

  32. Akhil can you please elaborate the trunoid cant find much detail on website.

  33. Hi,

    Interesting post !

    I have tech skills and am entrepreneurial.

    You can checkout earlier stuff – kodeplay.com , choiceman.in

    I can be reached here – 9820011185

    Tc Cheers

    Karan

  34. Shall connect shortly.

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