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Ask HN: How does a domain expert (me) find software people to develop an app?

by joelegner on 6/7/23, 6:01 PM with 4 comments

Bottom line up front: As a non-“hacker” how can I connect with people to collaborate and build an app or website?

This might seem like a silly question but bear with me for a moment. I have an idea for an app — a vision — but I lack the software development skills to make it. You could say I’m a domain expert needing a software expert to team up with. My vague idea is to share the profits, if any are to be had.

Where do I find such people? How can I vet them to see if our values match? How do I protect my idea so it is not stolen?

In short, how do I connect with someone who has the hacker skills to complement my knowledge domain skills and create value for us both?

Any guidance is appreciated!

  • by aaronrobinson on 6/7/23, 6:23 PM

    1. Vet your idea as much as possible before you incur costs. Read something like the mom test for guidance 2. Get an NDA drawn up and have it signed before you divulge anything you think is at risk 3. Get an equity agreement drawn up and in the hands of the technical counterpart - having them have a vested interest can reduce the risk 4. Find some money to pay a high quality all rounder engineer who has had experience at seed or very early stage startups. At this stage you need doers not theorists. Focus on hiring less high quality rather than lots of less high quality. You’ll be hard pushed to find high calibre people that will work just for equity. 5. Don’t try and build an app and a website at the start - choose one and focus on it and getting an MVP out the door. One of the biggest early stage mistakes is trying to build too much - get something of value out the door and learn from the feedback before building the next thing 6. You can hire someone on an hourly/day rate to help you find good technical people - ‘fractional’ CTOs are a thing and I’m sure you’ll be able to find one to give you a couple of hours for free to see if they meet your expectations then pay them by the hour/day going forwards. I’m happy to give you an hour for free if helpful. 7. How you find people will depend on where you are. I’m UK based but that won’t help state side.

  • by bhu1st on 6/9/23, 6:11 AM

    Hi Joe, if you are looking for a Web App "hacker", feel free to write to me.

  • by kuharich on 6/8/23, 6:56 AM

    Joe, hit me up. My contact info is in my about bio ...