[logn]

Option 2 is hard. It means you're in the role of engineering manager. Most people on oDesk/elance are individual engineers and the consulting shops on there are generally just loose associations of friends or crappy outsourcing firms.

I'd suggest finding a small, local consulting shop and asking them to build it for you as a work-for-hire giving you full copyright ownership. Full-time consulting orgs will have no interest in stealing your idea as it's their lifeblood to build out other people's ideas. Meet with the owners, see their offices, evaluate their past work, get a free consultation, and only pay what you can afford.

Finding a co-founder is also hard. I think it's the same success rate of starting a rock band. And I think it's more likely to have a bitter end where you're trying to divide a baby.

[darbor]

I agree. Your suggeston of finding a "local" consulting shop is probably the direction I will take. Thank you for your input! .