Technical Co-Founder... How Important?

[JayKid]

So, I have been thinking about this a lot recently and want to get some thoughts.

The internet is a great place for entrepreneurs, but what if you don't know the technical side?

Personally, I'm not a technical guy. I wish I was, but I wasn't productive when I was younger and was guided down the "wrong" path in college. And as of now, I don't have the time to become a star programmer.

So, I've thought, I wish I just had a friend that could program. A technical co-founder. Unfortunately, I don't have any such friends. So what's the solution?

I've found the following articles that point out two varying opinions. I want to get your thoughts.

1. Technical Co-founder: first "hire"? - Passionate Intensity

To summarize: you can't hire a technical co-founder. You have to find someone and develop a relationship. Someone who is there from the start. They like to point out that in Silicon Valley, the founder will be technical and they hire out the business portion. For the author...

"Your co-founder should be there before the company even exists, otherwise it’s not a company."

2. - Thisisgoingtobebig.com - Need a Technical Co-founder? Hire a Product Design Lead First

Here the author points out the importance of DESIGN. They say the following:

"The reality is, a lot of the stuff being built now isn’t rocket science."

Please assume that the following can be learned by the business founder. While I am not trying to say design is easier, it is less daunting to learn than programming. So, I think if a business founder wants to do more, they can accomplish this.

"With a good user experience designer, a business founder can wind up with a complete spec--one that has been thoroughly tested in front of users and is well thought out in terms of what it aims to get users to do. Hand this to a competant outsourced development shop and what you've got is a great start. Contrast that with finding the best developer you can find, but giving that person a poorly
designed and conceived product to build and you're not going to wind up anywhere."

What do you think!

 

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[pro]

Fu zua giim ov't pidittesz vu jewi e vidjpodem du-guapfis? Upi vjev ot xovj zua gsun vji tvesv?
Johjmz sidunnipfif xovj dunqmiy vidjpumuhz

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Upmz og zuas qsukidv ot tu tonqmi vjev zua duamf vseop tuniupi raodlmz epf vji fiwimuqist esi moli siqmediecmi NdFupemf't xuslist

O uavtuasdi op wumani. Qiuqmi esi hipisemmz apsimoecmi epf O xomm PIWIS uavtuasdi meshis qsukidvt, xjodj dep'v ci gammz apfistvuuf xovjop 30 nopavit.

Xjev't vji opdipvowi ug ep uavtuasdif qistup gus zua vu taddiif?

 

[FastNAwesome]

"Xovj e huuf atis iyqisoipdi fitohpis, e catopitt guapfis dep xopf aq xovj e dunqmivi tqid--upi vjev jet ciip vjusuahjmz vitvif op gsupv ug atist epf ot ximm vjuahjv uav op visnt ug xjev ov eont vu hiv atist vu fu. Jepf vjot vu e dunqivepv uavtuasdif fiwimuqnipv tjuq epf xjev zua'wi huv ot e hsiev tvesv. Dupvsetv vjev xovj gopfoph vji citv fiwimuqis zua dep gopf, cav howoph vjev qistup e quusmz
fitohpif epf dupdiowif qsufadv vu caomf epf zua'si puv huoph vu xopf aq epzxjisi."

Xjisiwis vjot ot rauvif gsun, ov't e jiewz apfisitvonevoup ug onqusvepdi ug fiwimuqnipv xusl. Tuapft nusi moli e temit qovdj.

Epf ov't tu taqis-wehai. Huuhmi, Gedicuul, zua peni ov - esi vjiz taqis exitunimz fitohpif xictovit us vjios tvsiphvj ot tunivjoph imti?

Tu xjev't vji qsousovz fiqipft tumimz up tqidogod siraosinipvt ug zuas qsukidv.


Ecuav zuas raitvoup up vidjpodem du-guapfis, O vjopl ov nez ci e huuf ofie, katv fivisnopi vji visnt aqgsupv, et xjip tadditt dunit qiuqmi tunivonit vipf vu djephi epf hiv hsiifz.

 

[Rickson9]

Og zua dep timm, e vidj du guapfis ot onqusvepv. Og zua dep'v timm, vjip e vidj du guapfis otp'v onqusvepv. Nz gsoipf ot ep Iphmotj nekus. Ev ehi 26 ji tumf e nifoe/dupvipv nepehinipv tumavoup vu e meshi Depefoep vimidun gus e raesvis nom. Vjip ji josif vji vidjoit tjusvmz egvisxesft.

E qezoph datvunis ot liz. Xovj e qezoph datvunis, iwiszvjoph ot quttocmi.

 

[katly007]

O'n tvesvoph uav xovj nz Vidj Tvesvaq sohjv pux epf vjot ot vji ottai vjev O'n gedoph qistupemmz. O'n pup-vidjpodem epf ov't katv ciip siemmz jesf epf foggodamv gus ni, et O dep'v neli djephit us gasvjis fiwimuq vji tovi us eff gievasit, ivd.

Sohjv pux O'n vszoph vu evvsedv vemipv epf jimq. O'n fuoph iwiszvjoph O dep vu gopf qsuhsennist vjev O dep caomf/fiwimuq e simevouptjoq xovj vjev esi xommoph vu kuop epf jimq ni uav. O jewi guapf upi tu ges epf ji tiint moli e siemmz podi, gappz, nimmux, epf exituni haz. Iwip og ji jimqt uav e movvmi epf tvodlt esuapf gus e gix xiilt, vjev emupi xomm jewi jimqif ni vsinipfuatmz.

O sihsiv puv tvesvoph us meapdjoph nz Vidj Tvesvaq xjip nz iy xet esuapf, ji xet e ts. qsuhsennis epf ov xuamf ci e hsiev qesvpistjoq et O tadl ev epzvjoph taqis vidjpodem.