Warning signs in a non-technical cofounder (can you spot them?)

Assume you achieve total world domination and they make a movie about you. Visualize the narrative arc. Would you think "This guy deserves to be the hero or co-hero of this movie?" If not, you don't want them to be a cofounder.<p>There are fairly few movies where someone bestows money, a name or an idea on the interesting characters and ends up being really important to the plot.<p>You want Aragorn, not Elrond, as your cofounder. (Naturally I think of geeks as hobbits.)<p>P.S. Your co-founder should say the same about you. If you're a tool rather than a partner, fleeeeeeeee.

&#62; Multiple startups in the works? No experience in your startup's domain/market? Poor interactions with other [non-technical] people? "Build it and they will come" mentality?<p>These happen to be wonderful warning signs for a technical co-founder, too.

I think that this article was supposed to illustrate a multitude of problems that you could encounter, obviously if ALL of these happened with one person you'd run like the plague.<p>I think the biggest indicator, that isn't necessarily on the list, is if they have learned to code AT ALL. They don't need to be a master coder, even if the know some basic JavaScript and C, and they learned it for the startup, at least it shows they're willing to put in the effort, and are attempting to meet you on some level. I don't see how someone can start a company and be completely in the dark about how it's built.

Another warning sign I've found: They start doing other things, like checking their phone, while you're answering their question.<p>Even if you disregard that it's a disrespectful and rude thing to do during a conversation, this person is trying to sign you up for a major role in their future and already he can't focus on the task at hand.<p>The best founders I've had the pleasure of meeting are usually the most respectful and attentive people. Not only do they completely focus on what you're saying but they make you feel like there's no one more important right now than you.

I once had dealings with a chap who wanted me as a co-founder but I had worked out that he only had two modes of operating with people: "best friend" or "ongoing litigation".<p>Fortunately I said no.

One thing I've been wondering a lot about is anti-warning signs - things that turn technical cofounders off that aren't necessarily bad things.<p>The first thing that comes to mind is arrogance. It certainly puts me off, but it seems like you need a good dose of arrogance to think you can solve a daunting problem.

Wow, I literally had this exact same conversation last week. (Minus the domain name / equity portion.)<p>Warning sign 0: they're asking you to be a technical co-founder <i>before</i> you know anything about the product.

I generally run from non-software people wanting to be in the software business but not even want to learn or try to understand how software is built.<p>You might not do construction yourself but the more you know the better it will turn out being the non-technical general contractor.<p>I like the one rule a-lot: Ignore them if they have no expertise in the area they're wanting to startup in. Its fine if they don't program.<p>If you do get involved with a non-tech cofounder, don't take equity or deferred income. Startups are a little like dating in the beginning, there's no need to get married before you ever work together. Someone should pay for your time instead of expecting it for free.<p>If being paid for your time is working well it's easy to figure out ownership after. If the non-tech cofounder is not willing to put his money where his mouth is, it might be full of something else.<p>Even as a developer, when I've gotten help on an idea from a friend or colleague I always pay them and say do as much as you can for me, this is my money out of my own pocket. Since us developers are a egalitarian helpful bunch often they want to just help as friends but I make sure to pay because it's just respecting their time and saying hey, if this goes somewhere, we can always figure that out. I've never lost a friendship/colleage relationship this way.

Another one is not being good at marketing.<p>Marketing can be a huge grind. Being able to build buzz about your product, or get mentioned in the press, or find customers is very time-consuming and requires a lot of creativity.

<i>(having just wireframes eliminates ~0 risk)</i><p>Wireframes might not eliminate risk, but "has wireframes" is a great metric to add to the list for selecting a bizdev guy. The leap from "idea" to "screens/wireframes that outline how the fantasy product should function" is surprisingly difficult for a lot of non tech cofounders.<p>The willingness and ability to even create the wireframes with sensible description of how the product works separates the top 10%.<p>If someone comes to you with just an idea tell them to build the wireframes, you'll be surprised how few people come back.

Are there any signs for non-technical co-founders that we should take as 'positives' - like this guy knows what he's talking about ??<p>I guess the one that springs to mind for me is someone who has previously launched some startups and had some success ...

I'm a game Producer and I get stopped twice a week by people who have the next Angry Birds, and just want me to program it. I call these people "glad handers". They're glad to shake my hand and take 40% for an idea.

They want you to go full-time on it but they won't.

I can't agree more about prior experiences of working at a tech startup. He was not a co-founder, but I happened to work for a single non-technical founder at his startup. He spoke all the right language - about building engineer-focused, hacker culture, but he really didn't understand and couldn't lead awesome engineers effectively.

As a nontechnical cofounder myself, I agree on all points. I've seen these kids at every tech meetup. Unfortunately, early on I've seen a few of these "qualities" in technical cofounders too.<p>This post reiterates a few keys points we all know. Don't hire or work with assholes (an entire book on it), and focus.

I'm curious. Doing a startup is kind of an intense all-in undertaking. Why on earth would you even consider doing this with some non-technical stranger you met at a meetup? Isn't that like going to a swing dancing class and proposing to the first woman that catches your eye?

"Just need someone to build it now" mentality "... and build it for me now"<p>Boy, how well I can relate to this!! Web development is not a magic bullet. Why is it hard to understand that fact..

always be aware that each of you have complimenting skill sets...its pointless having two cofounders who can do the same thing..<p>Also, be aware of your target market and understand the necessary government rules and regulations so that they don't derail your startup.

Is it actually true that there are founders of companies who haven't bought a domain name? I find that piece of this to be quite silly.<p>GoDaddy buys superbowl ads - buying a domain is very mainstream.<p>I have seen the "multiple startups in the works" thing though- that is definitely not a good sign.

This HN meme is getting a little tired.