Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#101

Post by ezekg » Wed, Feb 22, 2023, 5:26 PM UTC

fakedang wrote: post #100

ezekg wrote: post #64

I've thought about this too. I tried YC's co-founder matching, looking for a co-founder for my current company. But it's all new founders (i.e. no experience running or even building a company). It's kind of like Indie Hackers -- it's full of wantrepreneurs (nothing wrong with that!), with very little entrepreneurs. There's gotta be a better way.

Every entrepreneur was a wantrepreneur once.

Nothing wrong with that. YC's co-founder matching program just seems to be skewed one way, so it wasn't for me.

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#102

Post by solarmist » Wed, Feb 22, 2023, 9:07 PM UTC

lagniappe wrote: post #32

999900000999 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, I've met plenty of idea guys in real life. I can't imagine the internet somehow being worse. It's always ' I want Multi billion dollar company X combined with multi billion dollar company Z. Build this for me in exchange for 2.5% equity vested over 5 years.' Then if you do waste a weekend on a POC you'll hear it doesn't match their vision. You don't even get a thank you from these jerks. TBH I've given up…

Make the POC your business, call yourself a market-fit engineer and "yes, right away" all the way to early retirement.

I think this is what many technical serial-founders do essentially.

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#103

Post by todd3834 » Wed, Feb 22, 2023, 9:16 PM UTC

shrimpx wrote: post #39

todd3834 wrote: post #34

The idea of co-founder matching feels like a dating app for rushing into marriage. It is definitely possible it can work out but it seems like a long shot. If I were going to start a startup today, I'd want to do as much as I could to validate the idea and use that data to persuade some people whom I've had great working relationships with. Whether that's in school or the workplace etc… If you are unable to do that,…

There's no reason to emphasize "rushing". Lots of people who meet on dating apps end up married. A high percentage don't work out. After they go on a few dates, they move on. Similar dynamic with cofounder matching.

Yeah, but I don't think people finding co-founders on a co-founder matching website generally plan on a _dating_ period. My opinion… yours is valid too but feels like a marriage app more than a dating app to me.

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#104

Post by dogtorwoof » Wed, Feb 22, 2023, 9:50 PM UTC

codazoda wrote: post #21

Is there a place to match with microfounder types? I’d love to build a business but I don’t want to build a billion dollar business. I also have no plans to quit my day job anytime soon. I don’t really know what the best idea is and need someone who can brainstorm the right idea and then keep me grounded on it. I can build MVPs and launch. I lean toward absurdly simple, launched too early prototypes. I’m a web develo…

I'm a doctor finishing up residency soon. I'm thinking of going into full-time coding rather than practice. I may do a few shifts here and there for money/stay afloat, but otherwise looking to transition. Would be interested in chatting with you/and anyone else also going through something similar, maybe learning together, sharing the journey!

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#105

Post by mettamage » Sat, Feb 25, 2023, 2:32 AM UTC

BadassFractal wrote: post #85

mettamage wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience with Tinder does not match what you describe as "lemons". I'm an average looking guy at best. To be fair, I did hack the process a bit. I definitely do not have an average strategy ;-) With that said, I did notice that Tinder in the US is just utter garbage, even with my strategy. The best places so far have all been in Europe (only tested the US a bit and some European countries).

Request for startup: Tinder in the US that isn't utter garbage. Maybe you can find a cofounder on this platform :)

Aren’t there other dating apps that help?

Re: Ask HN: YC co-founder matching is bad

#106

Post by Z37K » Wed, Mar 01, 2023, 1:15 PM UTC

Like many social or networking platforms especially in startups, you get back what you make of it.

There is a such a spectrum of ideas and approaches that you're unlikely to get a better product out of confining people to any category or stage. Personally I think its a great platform if you put your VC hat on (you're contributing effort rather than capital). If you don't find a the right idea or person to work with then you'll likely learn a lot from seeing what everyone else is doing and how they are thinking (positive or otherwise).

All the big VCs do periodic posts but it takes a bit more work to find the truly novel ideas and projects. With YC co-founder matching, you start with a varied pool of people who have set out to be founders - its up to you what you do with that.