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Comment by bradly | Hacker News Reader

Definitely finding a co-founder has been the hardest part for me. Not living in the valley currently, you don't have as big of a pool to find people. Also, the type of person that makes a great co-founder(smart, determined, etc.) usually have good things going on already. The people that I talked to that would have been great to work with were all doing great work currently and couldn't commit.

It would be really awesome if YC put on some type of match-making event for single founders to find co-founders in person. Like a speed dating event for startups.

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> It would be really awesome if YC put on some type of match-making event for single founders to find co-founders in person. Like a speed dating event for startups.

I wish PG would write something definitive about this.

The people he talks about have often known one another for years. So if you find someone now that you do not know, and have never worked with, it will take you several years, at best to develop a more "long term" relationship. That's great if you're planning on applying to YC in a few years, but comes across in some ways as "trying to find a warm body" if you're applying now.

Granted, there are some people who get married after a few weeks of dating, and of those, it does work out for some of them, but it's a relatively small percentage.

It would be really awesome if YC put on some type of match-making event for single founders to find co-founders in person. Like a speed dating event for startups.

I feel like that would be somewhat counter-productive for YC.

They're looking for people who are going to be Flexible and Determined to make the startup happen, regardless of what obstacles get thrown in the way. Finding a co-founder is one of the first real obstacles, and will definitely not be the hardest one over the life of the startup. By exemplifying the qualities listed in this essay, a single founder should be able to find at least one solid co-founder.

Well I believe my startup will be successful even without a co-founder, so I don't think wanting to meet a co-founder makes someone less determined. Even though I am confident I can make this happen on my own I would still rather have a co-founder than not for all the reasons that PG describes. If better startups comes from an event that helps founders connect, I think it would be a good thing for everyone.

First step, move to where the startup founders are. The SF Bay Area is the best.

Second, once there, there are tons of events like you describe! E.g., http://founderdating.com/

If you can't move to the SF Bay area then the next best thing to do is star throwing startup events and invite all the startup people you know (and tell them to do the same).

If there's no network you have to build it. Cisco had to exist before Facebook could, so to speak.

It sounds like you're trying to find a cofounder amongst people you don't currently know.

I'm not aware of any examples of successful cofounders who hadn't previously worked together.

What about your current colleagues? Long lost friends from university? Neighbors?

I have been talking to people I know, but maybe I need to broaden my search a bit. I think I have been afraid of choosing the wrong co-founder and maybe I have been to selective. PG talks about how important it is for the co-founders to be able to work well together, so I been careful to make sure the people I ask are going to be solid.

Are there any great companies in your area? The kind that hire really smart recent college grads? Have any friends that work at a place like that? It's a long shot, but those places can be breeding grounds for the 'quit the cube' type of startup founder.

I've had the same issue, all the best people I know are happy where they are. But I've managed to get some of them to agree to help me part time

Launch48 & StartupWeekend are good for that sort of thing.

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