Ask HN: How to meet co-founders during pandemic?

2 points by mybestaccount 5 years ago | 1 comment

I'm working on an idea in the business productivity space that I think could be promising. I'm a technical founder with some success launching products in the past. I've learned my lessons and decided that I do not want to be a solo-founder for my next endeavor.

Previously, I planned on taking my time, socializing with non-technical people at work, as well as attending startup meetups to find a potential co-founder, build a relationship, etc...

With the pandemic, everything is remote. Meetups have gone virtual, and no one is in the office.

I'm looking for novel ideas on how meet potential non-technical co-founders, mentors, etc... in these uncertain times.

leesalminen 5 years ago |

When I had an idea for a B2B SaaS product, I got in touch with potential customers in my area via email.

I asked if they would be willing to beta test my app and provide feedback.

I emailed ~12 businesses. 2 wrote back. 1 ended up not being interested after talking on the phone. 1 seemed mildly interested, so I clung onto that.

After a couple months of getting to know this person and them seeing me take their feedback and add it to the product we decided to become business partners.

Almost 10 years later and we’ve both moved on from that company after an acquisition but we remain good friends. Probably life-long friends. Our wives call us “work husbands” lol.

So, idk, just try emailing some people in the industry you’re targeting and keep trying until you get a bite. Persistence works.