How to Find a Technical Cofounder

Seibel recommends listing friends who enjoy talking with you and write code as a regular part of their work. Rank the top five and make each person a concrete offer, including the equity and salary you can provide. Asking someone to work on a side project is different from inviting them to join as a cofounder.

If no friends are a fit, Seibel suggests applying the same process to coworkers you like and get along with. Make a ranked list and present real offers rather than relying on vague interest.

If your existing circles do not work out, consider joining a technology company to meet software engineers. Seibel favors startups with 50 or fewer people, where coworkers are more likely to interact closely, over large companies where nontechnical employees may be separated from engineering. Building those relationships may take a year or two, which he says can be reasonable for a long-term company.

Seibel names learning to code as another option and points to online resources such as Codecademy and Lambda School. He also says college is a strong place to meet potential cofounders, encouraging students to befriend people learning to code.

Seibel recalls meeting Justin Kan in college, where Kan was learning to code and working at a startup. Kan was friends with software engineer Emmett Shear, and the two recruited Seibel when they started Justin.tv. He presents those college friendships as a source of future cofounders.