jdsadow

>>"I don't know what they would require you to sign"

Our lives away, basically.

Latch: shoot me an e-mail and I'm happy to share plenty.

The "I" and "we" is a little tricky. Someone else is involved with the current concept, but his role really comes into play farther down the road.

The purpose of my post was regarding a partner, not just with this concept, but with many opportunities going forward. In that sense, it's an "I."

Steven, no need to be so antagonistic. The NDAs are between Google & its employees.

I am not worried about losing my idea. I am not 100% focused on getting a prototype done. I want to find a real partner to work with on my current concept or any others.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. A few responses all around...

DStein2: I've been given repeated and direct advise not to pursue funding without a functioning prototype; most important reason is b/c terms are never favorable.

I should add that quite a few of the folks we've talked to have been very interested, it's been more that the fit really hasn't quite been right on both sides yet.

And if I've learned anything from the engineers, it's that this game is about 5% idea/95% follow-through.

Steven: I can't really dive into this but it's just not as simple as you think. Trust me, I wish it were, but employee NDAs and such are major hurdles.

Also, I've not ruled out getting a prototype done, but of of the engineers I've talked to (>15) most said they would prefer to be involved from the beginning as opposed to inherit a prototype.

Hoodoof: I am definitely planning to learn as much as I can, and would like to develop the skills to build a prototype, at least.

I was just pointing out that I have a respect for the experience developers have. Yes, I think I have a strong work ethic, but that's quite different than being adamant I'll be able to out program more experienced people.

This is a really great point. Starting teaching myself Java about a month ago after I got frustrated with finding the right engineer, and plan to continue to learn as much as I can from the ground floor.

However - and I think many would agree - there are engineers who have been doing this their whole lives who are far beyond my capabilities and will be even if I work incredibly hard for many years. I think it's naive (and somewhat offensive) for me to think I should be able to fully catch up.

I do want to learn as much as I can, but I find it important to embrace the skills I have. Ultimately, a real team is a requirement if any start-up is going to succeed.

Hey Jack,

E-mail should be there now, sorry about that.

Everything I've learned from those with experience is that outsourcing is a poor, short-term fix. I need the expertise & insight of a real engineering lead, and one way or another when we get past the prototype phase, I'll just have someone else's code and still no lead engineering presence.

I think the key here is to create a forum that connects the two pieces of the puzzle: engineers and business folk.

I've struggled finding a co-founder as well and have milked my network for everything I can squeeze out of it. I'm determined to find an engineering partner who I can really build many projects with for years.

If you're looking to build something, find a way for people to connect directly and strip away the antagonism/jaded-ness that usually shrouds business people & engineers from connecting effectively.

if you're seriously considering it, shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].

we're looking for someone to start prototyping and are about 2-3 months into things and have vetted the concept about as thoroughly as possible.

would love to share and chat.

Any idea how I get the post to the "Ask" section and not just "New"?

Why not leave your job and join a start-up?

Thanks for the follow-ups -- a few more answers for you...

First, appreciated the feedback, even if you're overseas! If you know any eng folks in the SF area, please feel free to put them in touch.

As far as MVP/launching --> we are very much focused on getting a prototype into users' hands (whether in Beta or publicly) as soon as possible. We've done a hefty dose of market research and have put a lot of time into sizing & outlining our go-to-market strategy (these things are in line with our strengths and skill sets.)

The fail-early approach is the best one in my eyes as well, and when I reference optimization it's really about stripping functionality to make sure we are offering a clean UI/UX & suite of features, and are not over-zealous. A lot of apps just try to do too much, and that's a trap we won't fall into.

Scale will come after our prototyping and launch, that's for sure...so you're point is well taken.

Stay tuned!

Great questions...

-Color is focused on proximity sharing & social voyeurism, we are focused on the content generated from events people care about. We're happy to share quite a bit more detail in a 1:1 conversation...

--Based in SF, but okay with remote work from the NY area

--2 of us right now -- one is a consultant at a top-tier firm, the other specializes in marketing/design and is currently working at a major tech co.

Also, main advisor was the founder of a former Google-acquired company ($70M acquisition)

--Not funded yet, working to build a prototype first and focus on efficiency (another major difference from Color)

IF you become interested, feel free to reach out to chat more. :)