To everyone pointing out sites for networking with potential co-founders: I find them disappointing. They're great places to chat with interesting folks, but if you're like me you've been to them for months without actually getting to first base with anyone.<p>First base isn't exchanging bodily fluids. It's hacking together on a project. Why's it so hard to find people to actually hack with for an evening? We all know the hacking is important, and yet I don't see anybody out there networking with hacking in mind. I'm starting to suspect 'networking' is the wrong word for what we're trying to do. Perhaps we need to focus deeply on a few leads rather than a bunch of shallow ones.<p>Have you found a co-founder by networking? Tell me how wrong I am.
Two other events in Silicon Valley that are good for serious conversation among entrepreneurs are Bootstrapper Breakfast <a href="http://www.bootstrapperbreakfast.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.bootstrapperbreakfast.com/</a> and Hackers and Founders <a href="http://www.hackersandfounders.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hackersandfounders.com/</a>
The post is really great! Very practical advice. But this is not really new advice. I've read this before at different places, may be in bits and pieces. But unfortunately I'm not very successful at it.<p>I think not looking within your close friends is probably a good advice. So I tried attending different events, met different people, but the problem is building that trust in few meetings that you have with friends.<p>I completely understand that it's not the right strategy to do it alone, and I'm actively looking for a co-founder, but still not getting luck.<p>I think I'll try to follow this advice again, and will see if I find any luck.<p>Your advice is welcome too...
Reading this, I feel like it may be more relevant to business people starting startups than hackers starting startups.<p>It's hard for a startup that's all business people to get very far. A startup that's all hackers has a decent chance. You need some versatility in your hackers -- and it may well make sense to have a business person onboard at the get-go, but I don't know if having one on average produces better results.<p>I think the confusing thing when you read stuff like this is that it's tempting to assume that this is <i>the</i> way, not <i>a</i> way to find co-founders. Viaweb, for instance, was founded by three Harvard CS PhDs.
I think you already failed if you have to actually go looking for a co-founder. You are getting into a major endeavor, the co-founder should be someone who you've known for a while, not someone you just met playing ultimate frisbee. + at that point, you'll be just another "business guy" with an idea, so chances are you won't find anyone anyways<p>p.s. I'm assuming that this is advice for the non-programmer entrepreneurs, since programmers can just start building, without needing anyone else.
I've never understood the purpose of co-founders. If you are a hacker, create your product. Then figure out were you need help and find it.<p>It's hard to overstate the amount that one additional person can dilute the efficiency of a one-person business.
I think one unraised question is: what do you do once you have a potential cofounder?<p>Do you interview them? How do you figure out if this is going to work? Is it all on instinct?<p>In my case it's been the latter, mostly, but I think it would have been better in retrospect to work on something together - these hack days/weekends/Launch48 etc sound ideal - before bringing him into a business I'd founded. Then I would have had more of an idea how to establish the relationship formally within the business too; doing it casually has its downsides, especially if you're not in the lifelong friends situation.
I built hndir.com to help solve the challenge of finding technical cofounders at universities. everyone in there is verified and has probably signed up from this site.
Sometimes you luck out and your friends don't actually have your skillsets, or vice versa. I've known the guys I'm working with for years before we started on the startup venture - one's a cinematographer, another's a programmer, and I'm an editor.<p>Or maybe it isn't that lucky. I highly suspect I'm /not/ unique in having a diverse social circle. Sternberg is probably overplaying the like-attracts-like effect by quite a bit.
Sigh... The minute I read the word synergistic, I had "Promote synergy! Like a boss!" go through my head. Needless to say, I couldn't finish the article after that.
I found one in looking for a college dorm room mate. I got a bit lucky but in talking a bit about what I love to do, I have met more potential co founders on campus.