How to Find a Technical Co-Founder in 2023

Co-founders provide you flexibility, hold you accountable, reduce risks for investors, and eventually aid in business expansion. But for many, the challenge comes when trying to find a technical co-founder. A technical co-founder is crucial for every startup to help it propel to new heights of growth and expansion.

Ideal traits in a technical co-founder 

As a startup founder, you undoubtedly have to have a technical co-founder if you lack the technical expertise to at least construct a minimal marketable product on your own. In the absence of one, you'll be in trapping risk in the idea stage. At this stage of your company's development, it's critical to find a firm technical co-founder with the proper skill set. Therefore, a technical co-founder is crucial, which is something you must first realize. Not only will this person be responsible for handling all the technical know-how of your product, but they will also be an essential asset in front of investors.

If you are looking to secure a great technical co-founder for your business, here is how you should go about it:

1. Since startup success takes time and effort, you should look for a co-founder with a long-term perspective and one with the ability to form a vision for the company which resounds with your own. The ideal candidate will be able to see five to 10 years into the future while yet being able to carry out that vision right now.
2. Because your technical co-founder would probably serve as the business's chief technological officer (CTO), particularly during the initial phases of business formation and development, you must search for the exact qualities in a technical co-founder that you'd look for in an individual that can serve as your CTO.
3. Equity Split: As a technical co-founder, this individual will also need to be provided some equity in the company. An equity calculator would be the ideal tool to understand or figure out how much equity you can provide to the new addition. You can find some startup equity calculator tools that can help you come to a fair equity split value.

Now, having some idea of the kind of qualities you should look for in the technical co-founder that you hire, here are some characteristics to look out for:

1. Firm grasp of technical skills pertaining to your business: Technical expertise is obviously the most crucial quality to look for in a possible technical co-founder. This is on account of the fact that they will be in charge of making sure the company's products reach strategic technical goals. The ideal technical co-founder should also be able to address technological problems at every level of development. They will be in charge of coming up with the technical ideas, introducing the required reforms (in the technical wing), and even expanding the team as the company grows. This individual will have the most severe responsibilities on their shoulders which could possibly make or break the company's fortune.
2. Being agile enough to stay up-to-date with technology: Software solutions must be scalable or able to change along with the businesses they serve because they are rarely static. An excellent technical co-founder uses unconventional thinking. They will be able to see the future of the product and how it might change to meet the shifting demands of the industry.
3. Ability to understand the business: Business acumen, to an extent, is a necessary skill in a technical co-founder. They must be knowledgeable about businesses and how they operate. Strong business acumen will also enable them to foresee the difficulties a company will have and decide how a product might handle these problems as it scales. Given that they will be in charge of conquering all technical challenges that the business faces, a competent technical co-founder needs to be able to analyze critically and solve problems creatively. The success of the company will directly depend on the co-ability founders to inspire and guide the tech teams in staying focused. They'll probably also sit on the board of directors, so they'll need to be able to communicate effectively with relevant parties and leaders.

How to find good co-founders? 

Now that you know what you must look for in a technical co-founder, how can you find the right people? The first and most common method used by the majority of startup founders is contacting someone they know whose skill sets match these characteristics. Go back to your acquaintances, friends, colleagues, and family members, and see if anyone matches what you are looking for. If that serves your purpose, you can contact them, and you are golden! However, if this is not the case and you need to find someone new, there are some more ways you can try as well.

1. Social Media: Social media platforms are another great way to find potential co-founders with technical skills for your business. People are using social media today to find jobs, business partners, clients, and much more. This is, thus, a great way to find a suitable partner. Reach out to potential partners and see if they match your needs.
2. Another way is to make use of some dedicated platforms or tools. For instance:
3. Co-founder Matching by the Y school: Any new startup founder would be well aware of the Y School. This is a platform that teaches you how to build a startup from scratch. They also have a dedicated system that helps new founders pair and find the ideal co-founder for their business. The platform has already matched thousands of founders, leading it to become one of the best platforms for finding a co-founder.
4. CoFoundersLab: CoFoundersLab is like matchmaking but for co-founders. It is one of the most expansive global networks of entrepreneurs, making it simple to find the best co-founder.
5. Starthawk: Another popular platform among entrepreneurs, Starthawk has a brilliant search algorithm, which makes it simple to search for the right co-founder.

Using some of these tools and following all the steps above mentioned, you will be able to find a suitable co-founder for your company in no time.