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Hey, I’m Tim! ☕

Being a technical cofounder is like being a girl on a dating app.

Everyone wants your attention but you’re dodging red flags left and right.

(Cofounder matching platform where the technical cofounder reaches out first?)

Here’s how I, a non-techie, managed to win over technical talent for my team.

Finding the right match shouldn’t feel like a dating app gone wrong.

Swipe Right

In my junior year of college, I was put on academic probation for falling behind on graduation requirements. I ended up with a degree in real estate (it was the easiest one).

But I somehow managed to persuade ~35 brilliant people to work at my startup, many of them technical.

They’ve gone on to earn Master’s degrees and PhDs in technical fields or work at FAANG companies and highly specialized firms like Blue Origin and Two Sigma.

So how did I convince them to join me?

By not making the 3 mistakes that non-technical cofounders make. JK I made them too at first.

1. Disproportionate equity and compensation

   You cannot offer them a small amount of equity and expect them to commit. The opportunity cost for them is too high. Plus, it shows you have no idea how much development is going to cost or how long it’s going to take.

2. Pitching the idea rather than yourself

   Your idea will evolve over time. Even if you convince someone to build the original version, they might resent you or lose motivation when you inevitably pivot. Your team has to want to work with you in particular.

3. Talking the talk without walking the walk

   Your role as a non-technical cofounder is to derisk it for them. Build a scrappy no-code MVP, create wireframes, talk to potential customers and investors, conduct market research, and analyze your competitors.

So what can you do instead?

For & Against

The best technical folks are tinkerers.

They like to solve interesting problems and build cool things.

The way you convince them is to both stand for something and stand against something else.

I stood for giving my team as much autonomy and ownership as possible and against the issue of real estate agents feeling unsafe at work.

Everyone was largely free to experiment with what they wanted to work on, or at least how. Everyone had the context of what we were building and why.

But I've seen many people get this backwards.

If I had stood for creating a safe environment for real estate agents and against inefficiency in productivity, I would’ve had a noble mission but a team with mediocre morale.

Not to flex too hard, but years later, many of them have told me it was the best job they’ve ever had and nothing else even comes close.

(BTW, if you’re true cofounders, a near-equal equity split is best. None of that 5% crap).

How I Can Help

If you’re unsure how to approach recruiting, let’s chat.

I’ve hired ~50 over the lifetime of my startup and I’ve been involved in hiring decisions at companies from pre-seed to F500.

Your cofounders and early team are disproportionately important — no question about it.

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Thanks y’all,

Tim He

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