Based on the thousands of companies YC has funded over the years, the biggest common element between all successful startups is having technical talent on the founding team. But what do you do if you don’t know how to code? You may think you can get by using no-code tools, part-time consultants, or dev shops to bring your startup idea to life. But that thinking is wrong.
In this episode of Dalton & Michael, we’ll discuss exactly why that is and why recruiting a technical co-founder is the single biggest way to create value as someone trying to start the next big thing.
Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply
Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs
Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) –
00:00 – Coming Up
00:32 – Technical Founders
01:52 – The Intersection
05:06 – Software Engineers
09:18 – How to Find Them
10:31 – Ask The Best
11:28 – How Not to Pitch
13:26 – The Adventure
14:17 – Great Recruiters
Ok real issue is one can't find a reliable solid software engineer.
It would be great to hear their thoughts now (one year later) with all of the GenAI, vibe coding, and ability to create so quickly. Can companies get started without a technical lead in Sept 2025 and going forward?? I am of the mindset that a dedicated non-tech person with a good dev team can do it, but, of course, it is risky.
I have been on YC Co-founder match for a while now and none of the matches have worked out. One went very far and then at the end, the guy wanted to keep looking for a FT job, asked me to pay him a salary, give him royalties, and 20% equity. The ask was so egregious that everything fell apart after 10 wks of working on a pilot project. It was a waste of time and energy, only to find a person who wants all of the reward and none of the risk. What kind of co-founder is that?? And that was coming from a YC lead!!
well I kinda am winging it with lovable and I already paid for the annual subscription , so uhhhh yay ?
curious – is using white label software or vibe coding to get an MVP and proof of concept a worthwhile strategy? or shortsighted? or both? 😉
Would it be possible if you tone down on the laughing a bit? The content are just great but the constant giggles at other people bad ideas/stumbles kinda put me off. Thanks!
TL;DR 🚀
Great business founders distinguish themselves by recruiting exceptional technical co-founders, which is crucial for software startups' success.
🚀 Key Points
– Top business founders succeed by recruiting amazing technical co-founders 🚀
– Software startups without a technical co-founder face drastically reduced chances of success ⚠
– Hiring engineers or dev shops is not a substitute for a committed technical co-founder ⚙
– Recruiting a technical co-founder requires persistence and offering a shared adventure, not just pitching ideas 🤝
– Gaining startup experience or working at a startup can help find and attract technical partners 💡.
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How To Build A Tech Startup With No Technical Skills. You don't. It's the same as opening a reastaurant without having an idea how to turn on a stove. A disaster. Get educated first.
ok, from other side. how a technical co-funder can look for non technical ones?
Amazing episode, wow.
These man are semi dumb you definitely DO NOT NEED a tech co founder. What dumb information. I’ve seen a man that had no tech background make a piece of software that check for cheating on test and then points out where the cheating is with percentage and more things too ALL ALONE.