[mchannon]

The problem that most people have with this implementation is their salary numbers are quite low, and their equity numbers are quite low or zero.

You have to be very careful to avoid falling in the "build this for me and I'll share it with you" trap, because talented individuals get pitched this way all the time. In fact, you're going to get lost in their mental spam filter if you don't deviate from this stereotype immediately.

Whether you yourself feel this way or not, leading off with admitting you can't do what they can do by yourself, that you're willing to pay handsomely for their help, and that you bring a significant amount of value to the table yourself (not just money, ideas, vision, and a sense of ownership but the ability to raise capital, sell to people, etc.), will be the path to landing the best cofounder.

[beat]

Co-found with a division of ownership on a vesting schedule. That way, if either of you bails, the other isn't stuck with a non-productive co-founder making money off your work.

And make sure both sides are bringing plenty to the table. The business/tech co-founding team is a great model (beats the heck out of most tech-led startups), but it should be fair.

Look at it this way... if you're willing to work on these terms with this business founder, could you work on the same terms with a different partner for better financial terms or chance of success?

[vik1211]

Let's say the product was based around a mobile services app. For discussion let's say Uber for dog walking or Uber for X. What would you consider a reasonable salary and/or equity stake for Hacker to be interested. Assuming solid business model, marketing plan, all else equal.

[mchannon]

If I was a recruiter in the bay area, I'd guess you could find some B-grade talent who could knock that out for about $80k/yr., and A-grade talent for about $150k/yr. There's a whole litany of variables here, like where the talent can live, exactly what you need and on what platform, how fast you need things done, and how many more people they can bring on and whether they can manage them effectively.

Mobile talent is extremely sought after in this day and age, particularly when you start adding essential skillsets for a successful startup.

If you up things to 50% equity, you might be able to take a small amount of the salary number away to attract the same pool of candidates, but not a lot.

Expect those salary numbers to drop significantly if you set up shop in other parts of the country (and particularly the world).

[vik1211]

Roger that on the litany of variables. Super insightful response. Thank you.

Thanks to you I think the essence of this thread can be refined to: What financial (and/or other) consideration would a US-based Hacker, with mobile skill sets, require to team up with a CA-based Non-technical with an idea, business and legal chops?