Interesting idea but I would have a huge aversion to giving anyone equity who I haven't had some experience working with in the past or I don't see as having a long term role in my company.
Would anything change your mind about that? If you wanted to test a hypothesis for a risky business idea and didn't want to sink cash into it, would it be worth it?
Would you prefer a method to pay cash for labor instead?
I think in any potential business venture the team is so critical that I'd go out to people I know to help, even for early prototyping. Admittedly I might not be your target demographic because I can code myself.
Would you prefer a method to pay cash for labor instead?