Co-founder won't move to the valley if accepted by YC. What do I do?

YC isn't for every startup. Viaweb couldn't have done it in the winter; I couldn't have gotten Rtm and Trevor to move. Yet they were good cofounders to have.<p>It's always a judgement call whether one's cofounders' inability to move is a sign of general lameness, or whether they're so good that they're worth having anyway. But it's that deeper question you need to answer. If your cofounders are lame, you should ditch them regardless; and if they're not, don't worry about YC, because good cofounders are worth more to a startup than we are.

The truth is you can't succeed with that type of a team. Read PG's article "How Not to Die". A great quote is:<p>"The number one thing not to do is other things. If you find yourself saying a sentence that ends with "but we're going to keep working on the startup," you are in big trouble. Bob's going to grad school, but we're going to keep working on the startup. We're moving back to Minnesota, but we're going to keep working on the startup. We're taking on some consulting projects, but we're going to keep working on the startup. You may as well just translate these to "we're giving up on the startup, but we're not willing to admit that to ourselves," because that's what it means most of the time."<p>I've run into similar situations before. This is a serious problem and one you should deal with immediately, because it will only get worse. Have an honest, tough talk with your team. It sounds like you won't convince them to put it all on the line like you have, but at least you'll know and you can make an arrangement so that you're moving forward with the company and not having this looming over your head. If worse comes to worst, tell them you are going to move on because its sounds like you are pretty talented and there are many opportunities for someone like you.<p>Good luck.

You quit your job and put 10 months worth of effort into a product that succeeds or fails based on whether Paul Graham gives you $15,000? <p>I know this is a YC forum and all, but the cargo culting here is creepy, which is too bad because if you weed through it there are obviously some smart people posting.<p>Here's a tip: if you can solo jump start a fundable product, your consulting bill rate will "fund" you, YC style, in less than a month. Then, you can ignore what YC says, keep the talented developer (finding talent in this market is like finding weaponizable plutonium on the shelves at a Des Moines Wal-Mart), chuck the dead wood, and take yourself to market on your own terms.<p>

Sorry to hear that your team is not on the same page.<p>I think the level of commitment from the other two co-founders is much less according to your description, I am not even sure you should give them co-founder status. Remember you're working full time on the project that means you're investing $x (your full time job's salary) every month as opposed to the other guys. From your description the other two guys seems to be playing safe, not risk takers (very much required ingredient for startups)<p>I think you really need to find new team members who are committed, dedicated, and risk takers.<p>As far as finding new team members, I think it would be nice to work with people who you know already to reduce time consumed building a new relationship. Otherwise, you got to work with people for some time to find workable team members.<p>Best of luck

Hello everyone, this is the infamous #2 here. Yes, I am a co-founder of a new Web 2.0 startup and do have the Hacker News RSS feed on my homepage. Airing our dirty laundry in a public forum wasn't my decision, but. . .<p>I feel like I have to defend myself a bit about all of the negative comments. We are clearly in the product development stage and I'm not a developer, so my efforts are focused on enabling #1 to spend 100% of his time on product development. I have 2 years VC experience and 3 years LBO experience (where I am now), so I do all the legal agreements (options, LLC filings, prop rights agreements, Trademark filings, contribution/consulting agreements, etc.) and I'm the one that negotiates and drafts terms for all of our other developers (they tend to come and go due to the lack of cash to pay). I file taxes, pay the bills, and track financials to report to investors on a quarterly basis. I prepare executive summaries to send to prospective investors and submit to conferences. I am the one that plays "bad cop" with the developers when things aren't going well or they are underferforming so #1 can maintain a good working relationship. I help with design, layout, and other ideas related to the site, mainly with UI, new features, and catching bugs/fixes. I interact often with our Alpha users to stay in touch with what they need and what they want. Soon I will start helping with writing tests since I asked #1 what I could do to help more directly with Beta short of learning Ruby. Some of the toughest decisions that we face having so much to do with so few resources to do it with is WHAT to work on, and I try to have open conversations with the team to make sure we're prioritizing everything right and agree as a group, because startups tend to start to ramble along unless we discuss what we absolutely need to get out the door every week. So, I wouldn't say that I don't do anything, but rather I don't do anything to ease the bottleneck, which is currently product development. #1 and I came up with the idea on a phone call a while back and it has become what it is today, so I truly am an original co-founder. It's also important to note that #1 and I started another internet company in college which worked out well considering it was a one semester project. We are also best friends.<p>I just got married 2 weeks ago and have a job that I can't just bounce back into ever again. My entire family is in the Midwest and there are few good PE shops there. Getting a job in PE is really hard. I believe one in 50 Harvard MBAs can get one, and I was fortunate enought to get one at a good firm in the midwest near my family. So quitting my job is not something I take lightly, but I am open to it. #1 was previously an independent consultant that can easily get a job as good or better within months. He is a tremendously talented developer and I'm proud to call him my co-founder. When you say "risk", I'm not sure you can compare one man's risk of quitting with anothers. Different industry, different pay, different location, different circumstances. #1 and I had the discussion of what it would take for me to quit on day 1. I said a significant capital raise (I tossed out $500k-$1mm+) or a really strong user ramp. I spend nearly all my free time (I work a LOT, so there's not much) on this startup. For me to dedictate my only 2 free hours a day to this is a lot, especially considering my recent marriage, but I do it anyway. I would not call this a lack of dedication at all. I've taken 1 C++ class in my life, so convincing me to quit my job to learn to code is a bit far-fetched. We know what we need, we just need the developers to create it, but using me as a developer does not seem like the right decision.<p>I really don't think the issue here is that I suck, I think it's that I'm not a developer. Things took longer than expected to get off the ground as far as product developement and #1 is getting antsy, and understandably so. We've gone through several equity-only developers that, in the end, may have taken up more of #1's time then they were worth. I've tried getting in touch with the Universities CS departments where #1 lives to try to get some local candidates to get a better startup culture/environment going since I'm in a different location than #1, but there aren't many resumes that come across with Ruby experience. <p>If I'm in the way of making this a success, I'm willing to do what it takes to remove me as an obstacle. I guess (no offense) I'm just not convinced that YC and $15,000 is what it takes to make this a success. I think another full-time talented developer that can work with #1 in the same city would do wonders, and I'm willing to cough up the equity. Now that everyone knows the full story, I'd be interested to hear some feedback. Maybe the feedback is still that I suck, but at least you have my side of the story. If everyone thinks YC is critical to where we are going and if PG would admit #1 if I stepped down and re-worked the equity I would be willing to do that. The important part is that I'm a fair, honest, and flexible guy and just want this to be a success. I understand my lack of development is not really helping us right now, but my "non-production" contributions should not be overlooked either.<p>I apologize for airing our dirty laundry here, but I felt I had to respond once it was up.<p>- #2

Take it form a non-technical co-founder. Nate, your co-founder doesn't have to move. You can. It is even better this way. I am working on my startup and my co-founder is a good thousands miles away from me. He handles all technical aspects and I do the other stuff. I read and learn a lot of stuff, so we can communicate technically, but the truth is if I was close to him all I would do is waste his time. So move and do your technical thing, Let me stay where he is and do his thing. Communicate a lot though. And do not start to IM with people like us unless you want to take a break from coding. I only talk with my cofounder at the end of his day, that way I know I am not in his way anymore.

<i>I want so badly to be in the YC environment, working with smart people all around. It's been 10 months now of me hacking away alone in my condo ... getting very antsy. If I got accepted, I'd pack up right away and plan on a permanent move out west (It's always been a dream of mine to live out there).</i><p>YC is not the only path to success, nor should you think that you absolutely need these two other people (especially if they won't go with you).<p>If you really feel that way, you should just take the plunge and head out there, even if YC rejects you.

Heh-- I had a similar conversation with my team with similar results. Sucks, eh?<p>I'm 35, I've built and sold two web businesses, and I think the YC program is a freakin' steal for the 2-10% that they want.<p>If anyone wants to chat about partnering up on a YC app, drop me a line. My background is design, UX, light coding (rails, etc), SEO, SMM, etc. I'd happily chat about any ideas (I've got a few of my own), as long as the proposed revenue model isn't "targetted advertising". :-) I bet we could have a prototype ready for review-time.

Before you, your cofounder and your team came together to work on the startup, did you "communicate" to your cofounder and/or team that you might/will consider moving to a different city if the need arises? Did you guys talk through any such possibility if the startup looks promising in the future? If not, then do you think its justifiable to only hold them accountable for not agreeing to move with you?<p>Teams are made up of people, not ideas alone. They may have families and other responsibilities which might be more important to them. So if you think that they do not share your vision, then try and talk to each one of them individually and understand what's holding them back. And if its really not going to work out, then be polite and express them clearly that you care about the future of this startup a great deal, and you will have to find a team member who shares your vision. But be humble, and stay humble. Nobody likes a cranky selfish boss. Good luck!

Girlfriends and wives are always the hidden factor that will hold you back if you don't consider this carefully.<p>So I say, go straight to the root of the problem. See if you can make a plan that allows them to destroy neither their personal lives nor the company.

Based on this info you need to cut ties with these people. Equity is for risk takers. If you are taking all of the risks, then you should get all of the equity. <p>Now, if you have already shared the equity, then you are in a big bind.

You really need to drop this guy (#2)--I predict failure, near-failure, or serious regrets and much less than what could have been if you don't.

You really want to find yourself another technical cofounder that is fully committed to the project.

Fortune favors the bold my friend. Be Bold.