Co-buildGuide

Technical co-founder, freelancer, agency or studio?

If you cannot code and you need a product, these are the four usual routes. Each one is the right answer for somebody. Here is how to tell which one is yours, written by a studio, so weigh our bias.

Technical co-founder

What you get: A partner for years, not months. Someone who owns the product as much as you do.
What it costs you: A large share of the company, and usually months of searching before you find the right person.
Right choice when: You are building a company where the technology is the business, and you can afford to wait for the right person.
Wrong choice when: You need something in front of customers this quarter.

Freelancer

What you get: Speed and a low bill for a well-defined piece of work.
What it costs you: You become the product manager and the tester. Quality depends entirely on who you found.
Right choice when: The scope is small and clear, and you can judge the code yourself.
Wrong choice when: You are not sure what to build yet, or you cannot tell good code from bad.

Agency

What you get: A team, a process and a fixed scope with a date on it.
What it costs you: Cash up front. They build what the spec says, then hand over and move on.
Right choice when: You have a detailed spec, a budget, and someone in house to own the result after launch.
Wrong choice when: The spec will change once users see it, which is most early products.

Startup studio

What you get: A small product team that designs and builds with you and stays on after launch.
What it costs you: Cash, and sometimes part of the fee in equity. Terms vary a lot between studios, so read them closely.
Right choice when: You have customers and a problem, you want a partner with opinions, and you are not ready to hire.
Wrong choice when: You want to own every decision alone, or you already have an engineering team.

Questions to ask any of them

Who owns the code and the IP, and from when?
If equity is involved: which instrument, at what price, and does it vest?
Who writes the code day to day, and can I talk to them directly?
What happens if we stop working together halfway?
Can I see something you built that is still running?

Our answers are on the co-build page.

Still not sure which route fits?

Send us the problem. We will tell you in writing which of the four we would pick in your place, even when it is not us.

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