Mistakes Non-Tech Founder Make

I have spend lot of time looking for founder. Some of the non-tech folks really underestimate the contribution of tech in building a tech company. I have compiled a list of mistakes that non-tech Founders make when looking for tech founder.

1. I want someone skilled in this tech stack. Early stage products are all about building MVPs to test hypothesis. Tech Founder should be able to build the MVP and iterate with little to no extra help. It’s all about learning what is missing and building it.

2. I want someone who can scale and design systems. It’s like finding a founder with specific tech expertise. Scaling isn’t a big issue unless you’re building something like Facebook, Instagram etc. The chances are higher that you are going to die even before you get 10 users. Get someone who can iterate fast.

3. It a small app, I will outsource it. It’s like not owning a car and depending upon uber. You will get uber most of the time, but you will struggle to get one during peak hours and emergency. For startups there are always rush hours and emergency. No outsourcing agency will have that much intensity and iterations as of a tech founder.

4. I understand tech and can get some Founding Engineer. The tech space is evolving rapidlt, and most of the tech people struggle to stay updated. so don’t underestimate tech contribution. You are more likely to succed focusing on business and getting a strong tech founder to build and iterate faster.

5. I have already built the MVP. The whole basis of software is it evolves rapidly. If you think, your product is already ready. You are either assuming that there will be no changes in features in the future. Or you competition is not going to catch up with you. Which are highly unlikely.

Most of the Non-tech founders assume that they have a very clear vision and only remaining is building product. In reality building and experimenting is what brings clarity. Every idea looks good in mind, It starts breaking when real people use it.

Someone who loves building product can help you navigate those feedback cycles faster.