Ryan Micheletti from the Founder Institute compares finding a co-founder to finding a life partner: you need cultural fit, chemistry, and complementary skills. He says don't keep your idea secret. Talk about it with friends, family, and at pitch events to find the right people. Early co-founders need to accept equity, not salary.
Hi everyone, my name is Ryan Micheletti and I'm Director of Global Operations for the Founder Institute. And today I want to just give you a couple quick tips on building your initial co-founding team. So finding a co-founder is a lot like finding a partner in life. The stars really need to align to find the right person. They have to be a culture fit, they have to get along very well with you, they have to have the skill set that you need to complement your team, and they also have to be willing to work very hard and for free on or for early-stage equity in your company. And so what early-stage founders tend to do is keep their idea to themselves, and they don't want people to steal it. But I encourage you to actually do the exact opposite. I think you should go out and talk about your idea to your friends, your family, go to a couple pitch events, tell the world about what it is you're trying to do and who it is you're looking for, because the only way you're gonna attract those resources is if you're very open and tell people what you need. If you're looking to build a company this summer, then please join us for the upcoming Silicon Valley Summer 2019 program, where we're going to help you get traction and funding through our pre-seed startup accelerator.
