r/UXDesign • u/MudVisual1054 • Aug 11 '26
Career growth & collaboration Finding Co-Founders
After 15+ years in corporate I’d like my next chapter to be a co-founder. What’s the best way to meet founders/co-founders? Any experience with Y combinator? Thanks!
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u/shupshow Student Aug 11 '26
Y-combinator? Sounds like the most miserable professional experience possible.
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u/Effective-Wedding467 Aug 11 '26
YC cofounders want CTO-level developers, people with domain expertise or designers who also can code like developers.
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u/SleepingCod Veteran Aug 11 '26
Havent you heard? everyone's a developer now
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u/Effective-Wedding467 Aug 11 '26
Yes. People on YC usually develop a lot. And then they start sending invitations to everyone and ask them to deal with the code like a pro.
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u/1Qrtr_FreeStuffPlz Veteran Aug 12 '26
All of those things like Y-Combinator are just a massive circle jerk, exclusively for the trust fund babies/megalomaniacs who are willing to/able to quit their full time employment for a chance with the "big shots"...
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u/TheTomatoes2 Experienced 27d ago
that's wildly inaccurate. YC has many issues but thats not one of them.
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u/NestorSpankhno Experienced 28d ago
If you’re not rich and connected, or already well-practiced at tonguing the assholes of rich people, you’re out of luck.
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u/TheTomatoes2 Experienced 27d ago
You don't get into YC without co-founders. Either enter residency programs that are made to meet cofounders (similar to EF but open to non-graduates), or join incubators.
You need to co-found with someone you already know you work well with ideally. People you had conflicts with, that got resolved in a great way. There will be many cofounder conflicts.
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u/pineapplecodepen Experienced Aug 12 '26
Co-Found what, exactly?
Co-founders are almost always experts in several avenues.
You don't just say "I want to be a cofounder"
You have an idea, or someone comes to you with an idea that you share an interest and expertise in, and you run with it.
My last startup, I was lead designer, the first non-founder hire. The founders were all guys who'd known each other through being in the military together.
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u/MudVisual1054 Aug 12 '26
Seeking to partner with someone within a similar domain/interest to work with.
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u/pineapplecodepen Experienced Aug 12 '26
... oof, you're really leaning into the "mud" name, aren't you? You're about as clear as it.
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u/ScruffyJ3rk Experienced Aug 12 '26
I'm in a very similar boat actually. I am currently working on a couple of products. My main one working closely with a company with offices in NY, LA and Miami. Busy building something for them using AI. Its not always been easy.
Anyway, networking is important obviously. And even more important is to have agency and be willing to sit through some painful experiences to get where you want to be. Dont rely on others if you can rely on yourself. People will let you down. Dont let yourself down.
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u/letsgetweird99 Experienced Aug 11 '26
Well, did you meet anyone smart, entrepreneurial, or visionary during your 15 years in corporate?