👋 Can you build a tech product from ground-level up without a technical founder?
Richa Chordia
3 replies
Exceptions do exist, but what are the odds of it according to you all.
(AirBnb with the amazing team of founders : Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia & Nathan Blecharczyk.)
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Jacob Nathaniel White@jacobnathanielwhite
It's definitely possible but wayyyy harder. Need at least 1 technical cofounder who can build the initial MVP/prototype. Then once you have some traction, funding, and validation of product-market fit, you can hire dev team to scale it up. But having strong technical expertise early on is critical IMO for most tech startups. Exceptions like AirBnb are super rare.
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Odds seem low without technical know-how, but a strong biz dev founder who can sell vision, raise $, and recruit A+ talent may pull it off. Domain expertise, market fit, traction all help too. Def exceptions but generally technical chops needed somewhere in early core team IMO.
It's definitely possible to build a tech product without a technical co-founder, but the odds of success are much lower. You'll likely need to hire developers to build the product which is expensive and requires strong technical knowledge to manage effectively. Successful examples like AirBnb are more the exception than the rule. Finding a strong technical co-founder significantly increases your chances, even if it means giving up more equity. Just my 2 cents though, curious what others think!