Finding your technical co-founder/CTO takes prior internal reflection. Know your strengths, weaknesses and what holes need to be filled in your business plans before setting off in search of a partner. This rule applies to the broader tech industry and can be used to find your ideal partner and CTO. What skills and qualities are you lacking? Search for the person that can be your "better half" in the sense that the two of you together make a strong and solid foundation for a startup.
Some of the best people that you will work with often come to you through a rich and diverse network of connections which is why it's important to attend as many networking events as you can. Hackathons and tech meetups are perfect examples of this and a great place to get started. Even if you don't find your CTO at a recently attended event, you may just stumble across the perfect person who can introduce you to the right fit.
The most helpful and effective advice I can offer for finding a CTO is to keep in mind at all times that this person isn't going to be just a regular employee working for you. No, whoever you choose, they will work with you along the journey and ensure the business's survival and success. Employees work for you while a technical co-founder will help you make decisions and find the best direction to head the business in for maximum results. So, when looking for a CTO, make sure that they have a team-first mentality rather than a solo approach for working patterns and decision-making. They should also share the vision and the ultimate goal you have in mind; you may conflict on deciding which path is best, but the destination should be one. The individual shouldn't just be qualified but also energetic and passionate about the business and its success as you. And lastly, their strengths and capabilities should cover your weaknesses and vice versa so that you both can support each other.
The best way to find a Chief Technical Officer is through word of mouth. I use to get my CTO's through agencies like Upwork, but I experienced high turnover. My CTO's were talented but frequently stopped responding to my email requests for help. Once I started hiring CTO's through word of mouth, my CTO's lasted a long time. In fact, my current CTO has been with my business for years. When you are breaking into a new business venture, you have enough on your mind. You shouldn't have to keep replacing your CTO's. By asking other business contacts for recommendations, you stand a strong chance of keeping your CTO for years.
Really take the time to evaluate what that ratio should look like. It's easy to assume that a co-founder / CTO should be heavily weighted on the technical side. However, if you're recruiting for your future, you'll realize that you'll need her/him to have the ability to lead and motivate future developers. And, you'll need her/him to develop a product that meets the end customers needs as much as it is technically sound. In fact, the act of code validation, testing, and some of the more hands-on technical roles can be fairly easily and cheaply sourced through the new gig economy even in the early days of the company. Once you find that ratio - and it could potentially be an equal 33% split, evaluate your candidates against it.
If you're breaking into a new venture, I would highly recommend partnering with someone who carries some clout in your industry. Speaking from personal experience, my company received a lot of positive attention when actress and activist Jaime King partnered with us. With aspirations of being the biggest company to provide all-inclusive virtual care to women with PCOS, this was a major win for us. Data shows that influences can be big adopters for market validation, so use that to your advantage.
Look within your network to find a collaborative startup resource such as a CTO. My husband and I founded our company with one of our friends from grad school. He had already started a business with my husband, so we knew he would be a good fit for this new venture of ours. It's important to first look at who you know. If you can't find anyone within your network, you can always recruit in tech cities such as San Francisco, but I'd suggest first searching within your personal network of friends and acquaintances.
This will better align the incentives and you'll be able to find a CTO who truly loves what they do, and isn't just there for the pay check. A CTO is such an important role in any startup and so it's worth giving up a chunk of equity to find a real rockstar CTO.
A startup is very different from a well-established organization, and the best way for a startup founder to find a fitting technical co-founder or CTO is to look for the finer details in the information that reveals prior experience. Firstly, a worthy candidate’s technical and management experience should include startup experience. Moreover, this stint should match the stage at which your startup stands right now so that after the new leader jumps on board, the only thing left to do is begin implementing tried and tested solutions.
Don't be afraid to ask around. Your network is a great place to start when looking for a technical co-founder. There's a good chance that someone you know knows someone who would be a good fit.
The best piece of advice for finding a technical co-founder as a startup is to make sure your idea is something a potential co-founder can get excited about. A lot of people have great ideas, but unless you can find someone who is passionate about your project, it will be difficult to get them on board.
Develop a pitch for your idea and present it at online and offline tech forums. Build traction on online websites such as Indie Hackers and Product Hunt, which have thousands of other startup founders who share experiences and review each other's products. Upon finding potential candidates, subject them to a thorough test to ascertain their qualifications and suitability. Avoid rash decisions or decisions based on pressure. When the right candidate shows up, you will know it.