You Have an Idea and No Technical Cofounder. What to Do First

Most founders who call us about an MVP have an idea, a vision, or a story about what they want to build. They don't have a developer, or a cofounder who codes. That's a fine place to start. Here's what I'd do first.

The short answer

1. Pick the one thing your product has to do, and build only that.
2. Get it in front of real people as fast as you can.
3. Look for a technical cofounder after you know someone wants it.

What founders bring to the first call, and what's missing

People usually arrive excited. They've been picturing this thing for a while and they're ready to move on to a more professional version of it. That part is great.

What's usually missing is the stretch between launch and actual customers. If you've only had the idea so far, you haven't been through that rough patch yet. A product that starts from zero is hard to get into people's hands. "Build it and they will come" is not how it goes.

Don't build the battleship

The most common thing we talk people out of is the full battleship, which is usually the whole vision. We ask for something smaller that they can test first. Ship first, ship fast, and learn. The road is a lot longer than most people think, so it helps to get on it early.

What we cut from our own product

We've had to do this to ourselves. With Bento Japanese, our Japanese reading app, we wanted full gamification with stats and everything that goes with it. But we needed to launch something. So we started with graded readers. In the beginning the content was the product, so the content had to come before the rest.

People see a product as one thing. Showing them many things at once is confusing, and it hurts your marketing. My high school teacher called it KISS: keep it stupid simple.

When you're not ready for an MVP

If you can't narrow the idea down to one thing you can test, and you still want the whole battleship built perfectly, you're not ready yet.

The risk is simple. You build something massive, spend the loans and the angel money on it, and then find out there are no users and no revenue. That's a hard hole to climb out of. Testing one small thing first costs far less.

Do you need a technical cofounder?

Not on day one. These days, with AI, a non-technical founder can often look after a small product once it's been handed over. Long-term, it's probably good to find an actual technical person.

Before that, you can test whether anyone wants the product. You might even get some sales without much setup. A working product with a few customers is more convincing than "I have an idea," and that goes for cofounders, collaborators and investors.

Who should build the first version?

Hiring a developer takes months, and finding a good one takes some luck. If you want the first version live sooner, an agency or a freelancer can build it while you keep looking. We've written about how to build an MVP with an agency and what an MVP costs.

FAQ

Can I build an MVP without a technical cofounder?

Yes. An agency or a freelancer can build the first version, and with AI tools a non-technical founder can often run a small product after handover. A technical partner becomes more useful once the product has users.

What should I do first if I only have an idea?

Narrow it down to one thing you can test with real people. Build that, ship it, and see what happens before you build anything else.

When should I look for a technical cofounder?

Once you've shown that people want the product. Early users or sales make the conversation with a technical person much easier.

Have an idea you want to test?

Tell us what you're picturing and we'll help you find the one thing to build first. See how our Zero to MVP sprint works.