[donofrip]

I really like the notion of a trifecta--"a tech lead, a designer, and a business hustler". I think that when you have smart people with complimentary skill sets that can work together eloquently, you have a better chance of delivering a quality product with fewer revisions and rewrites.

I'm not sure it makes a difference whether the initial idea comes from a designer or a hacker or a business person. I think that to deliver successfully, a company eventually needs all three, but the initial idea is just an idea. I see no reason why hackers would be favored over designers or anyone else. I think a fund to help designers fund their ideas is a great thing.

[joeminkie]

That trifecta sounds similar to what Michael Lopp will be talking about soon: http://rands-at-etsy.eventbrite.com/.