How can non-programming founders find a lead developer for a startup?

Question

Programming

Friends, Good afternoon!
For a whole month now, we cannot find a lead developer in our startup, although we planned to find him in less than two weeks... We
searched in different ways, both through ads on HH and Brainstorage, and through acquaintances and friends, even went to various themed events.
For a month, more than 80 developers from all these candidates responded to our ads, we met with ten who suited us the most, after the interviews it turned out that many were ready to work and that the project itself was interesting to them, unfortunately most did not even meet the basic requirements (The presence of successfully implemented projects, ambitions and responsibility), although they were published in announcements
First of all, we are looking for a talented developer who can become our partner in the future. With payment and working conditions everything is in order. (There is stable funding that allows you to pay a good salary) An option is also provided.
Perhaps we have a fundamentally wrong approach?
Maybe someone has already encountered a similar problem, how did you find a way out of this situation, can you advise additional search sources, or people who can help in hiring?
I wrote at night, if something is not clear, then I will be happy to answer questions.
Thanks in advance to all the comrades who replied!

Answer 1

> unfortunately the majority did not meet even the basic requirements (the presence of successfully implemented projects, ambitions and responsibility), although they were published in ads
Excuse me, but what ruler did you measure ambitions with? and responsibility?
How can you measure responsibility without working with a person? I do not understand.
And what is a working project?
Teams make normal projects. And if the project is made by one person and it is already making a profit, then this is not your client. And if it does not bring profit, then this is not a working project?

Answer 2

"The presence of successfully implemented projects" is a very interesting criterion. But after all, it may well be that a person has worked hard for a long time, but there are no projects implemented. Or there is but can not show them. Or maybe they were - but they no longer exist, they died of old age. And you have the feeling that you are looking for a startup, and even one who has already successfully implemented something, but you will most likely not be needed for this.
In the world of modern software, programs can become obsolete even before they enter the market, offices go bankrupt and abandon almost completed projects, projects turn out to be useless upon exit and also die. And then there is the corporate sector - where there seems to be a successfully implemented project, but two people use it, and it’s impossible to see it from the outside. So it turns out that with this requirement you can cut off a bunch of suitable candidates.

Answer 3

It will be difficult to find an employee according to your criteria. Perhaps it is worth lowering the search criteria and accepting not one, but two or three simple programmers (hard workers).
To take on a team, to make a partner, this is a big mistake and delusion. I had my own web studio, 8 programmers. It wasn't easy, it was damn exciting. As soon as I accepted 2x into my business, everything collapsed.
Take an employee - to work. Partners are managers, investors, leaders. Not workers at all.
1. Search, search, search. Don't stop looking.
2. Hire those who fit and don't show off.
3. In the process of project development, find a specialist.
4. The best option would be to choose the best one in the process and make him the leader.
5. Forget about the utopian partnership with the slaves. :)

Answer 4

I don’t know about others, but I’m interested in seeing a plan in a startup.
Now, if I know when sales are planned, what they will be, what role in this everything is brought to me. And at the same time, I know that my work is in demand - I will be happy to work in such a startup.
"We will sell pizza!" - I am very glad, why did you decide that they would buy pizza from you? Solution - "But every month you will have a salary in the mower!" - Got it, since today I love pizza.
I believe your office chair fans are brilliant, but who needs them? Belarusians, for example, stupidly have no money, and to whom did your fan surrender? Are there any sales? Are there any competitors? How many - well, for example, do you have potential 10,000 people who will say "well done, the dude is doing a useful job!"
Sorry, but $100 today is more expensive than $100 a week from now. Firstly, inflation, secondly, the lifetime is running out, and thirdly, discounting of cash flows. That's why I don't lend. Because he gave 100 bucks, and a year later they returned 100 bucks. It is worth hinting about interest - they make faces, they say we_zh_friends_how_you_could. And like this - a year has passed, if I had invested them in the business, they would have given 200. Why did you return 100?
If this allows me to receive 300 ye at a full working day after 2 years of hard work, the courier receives more. I ran into a project of a very kind man. He was so kind there are no words. And then it turned out that after six months of free work, I will get the right to work in his company as a sales manager, and I will receive income from each sale. A free work type itself has become.
If you are going to ride me through the entire business process, and then, as it were, say that "it didn't work" and get rid of it, I will notice it. And before you decide to talk about it.
The code is very exhausting. If you plan to give a job and in the meantime go for walks wherever you want, forgetting sometimes to invite me to unwind, very soon I will work three times slower and we will not achieve your plans.
- " When will you do it? "
- Well, I don't know for sure, 10-15 days.
- " Am I here with you, playing with toys? How much time do you need? "
- Go to ... <right there>, huh?.
Because the game of business is just toys. But to do the work with your hands - take a (shovel) and do it. And you don't want to make a promise, and for me to answer for it with my money, smart-ass. This is called - I came up with, I designed, I did, I was responsible, and you earned. That doesn't happen.
The same applies to " we've already agreed on a price, why are you trying to lead me by the nose? " - no, brother, it's you who lead me by the nose, I'm the last link in the food chain and I ask you to pay me for my efforts, and I don't need to breed you for money. But you, just sitting in a chair, need to earn more and give less, so which of us is a brother?
Well, somehow, I went through the points and found myself in a startup a Man with a capital H.

Answer 5

Decent specialists do not look at vacancies. You need to look for them yourself. Blogs, forums, posts on Habré are a good source of potential candidates.

Answer 6

The approach is wrong - without specifying the subject of the project and the platform on which the development will be supposed, a serious specialist is unlikely to pay attention. In this scenario, your proposal is no different from hundreds of thousands of similar ones, which often have no funding, only promises.
Partially agree with @Informatikum , even though I am a developer myself. I learned the hard way how the development partners were irresponsible in their work.
I can only advise you to look for a person who is sincerely interested in the topic of the project, even if not qualified enough. Then there will be responsibility and a focus on results.

Answer 7

How can non-programming founders find a lead developer for a startup?
I think that the main criterion should be compatibility at the level of communication and knowledge, take a person for a trial period, and in 2 weeks everything will become clear and understandable to you, whether you can work together, whether this person can lift your project from its knees, at the same time you will see ambitions and responsibility, and guessing who you are looking for the first time is very unlikely, even for those who fumble in programming.
Everything is learned in practice, start practicing, look for and hire the best of the one who suits you...

Answer 8

1. Availability of successfully implemented projects.
What are those that have been successfully implemented? Here are my examples, only large ones, over the past 10 years.
1.1. At the alpha stage, he died due to a change in leadership and the closure of funding.
1.2. Died during development due to direction change
1.3. Launched, but not supported, not developed. He died after a few years of stupid hanging on the Internet. Because of the leadership, which believed that it was enough just to create, and then it would go by itself.
1.4. Launched, developed, died due to management errors (incorrect assessment of the target audience, not taking into account the employment of markets, ignoring competitors). He died after 2 years of life, was developed before the launch of 1 year.
1.5. He is alive and well, but he worked there in a team, the team has partially changed, it is developing.
1.6. Died during the development phase (improper distribution of finances, rapid depletion of funds, bankruptcy of the owner).
1.7. It has been developed for almost a year, because of the eternal "wants" of the customer, the launch of the alpha version is constantly being postponed.
1.8. System for internal use. Lives for 4 years, customers are satisfied. But you can't see it from the outside.
And what's left? A bunch of small projects done in a week or two? One project where you were a team member?
I met very good specialists, gifted and fanatical programmers. But they see their movement in development in the field of programming (languages, technologies, servers, etc), but not in the field of leadership. For whatever one may say, a good programmer and a good manager are two different things. A hybrid, by definition, cannot be equal to a "narrow" specialist. So we choose who is more important, a manager with poor knowledge of a programmer or a programmer floating in management.
To be honest, it makes me cringe when I hear about a partnership. For how many times have I heard: "Brilliant idea, cut the dough, take over the world! You just need to create a second clone of fb, google, youtube, fuck, amazon, but in a different color and adding a couple of buttons!".
Look for the artist first, offer only the opportunity to become a lead developer. But not a partnership. You can then take it as a partner, after a year or two. And at the initial stage, too big developers will hardly go to partners. Especially when there is no project yet and it is not clear what the "partner" / customer wants.
And how can an unqualified customer evaluate the work of a programmer in past projects? According to statistics, 95% of customers look at the design (the programmer does not draw the design) and do not even understand that under one "button" there can be more than one thousand lines of code.

Answer 9

Among other things, I would advise you to write more about your project. For example, here you write, but there is no link to the description of the project. Perhaps your potential partner will read this question, click on the link, get interested, get in touch, and...
Or are you still not at risk to speak openly about what you are doing?

Answer 10

Throw off the link to brainstorage [email protected]

Answer 11

You can try to lure some employee of some company. Go to linkedin and look for a Lead or Senior with decent experience. Talk to your sponsors as much as possible (someone gave you money). They may have acquaintances.

Answer 12

Well, try contacting me. All data on owner.dev2sms.com
I satisfy the requirements of responsibility and having my own successful projects.
But from your question it is not clear from which area you need a developer.

Answer 13

Well, I have 20 years of experience.
However, there are no public "successful" projects in particular.
Some have already died, some are not public ....
Although he is absurdly ambitious, experienced, responsible, etc.
But according to your "ideal" criteria, I will not pass in any way.
It seems to me that the one who has implemented projects that you can boast of is too expensive for you.

Answer 14

I wrote a long article here on how to look for a partner developer in your project, it may be useful to those who stumble upon this question https://vc.ru/life/300488-kak-nayti-tech-kofaunder...