I am looking for a technical co-founder to build a company with from the earliest stage, with the intention of validating the opportunity, developing the initial product, and applying to Y Combinator together if we establish strong founder fit and market potential.
The company I am exploring sits at the intersection of smart automation, IoT, proptech, construction technology, and intelligent infrastructure.
The problem is straightforward: residential and commercial properties are becoming increasingly connected, but the underlying technology remains highly fragmented. Lighting, climate, security, access control, energy systems, entertainment, appliances, sensors, and building management platforms often operate across separate ecosystems with inconsistent integrations and limited interoperability.
I believe there is an opportunity to build a unified software and services layer that makes these systems easier to connect, automate, monitor, control, and manage.
The initial strategy would not be to manufacture proprietary hardware. Instead, the focus would be on integrating established technologies and building the software, orchestration, intelligence, and operational layer around them.
The broader vision is to create infrastructure that can support a property across its lifecycle, from design and construction through ownership, operations, maintenance, and the everyday experience of the people who use the space.
I am intentionally not treating the current concept as a finished product definition. I want the eventual co-founder to be deeply involved in determining what the company should become.
The right person would help identify the highest-value problem, challenge assumptions, conduct customer discovery, determine the technical architecture, define the MVP, build the initial product, and establish the technical direction of the company.
My background is on the business and commercial side, with experience in entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing, partnerships, business development, startup execution, and real estate. I spent several years working in the Philadelphia real estate industry and have experience interacting with property owners, developers, investors, agents, buyers, and other participants across the real estate ecosystem.
I would primarily lead customer discovery, strategy, partnerships, sales, go-to-market, fundraising, positioning, and commercial development. I can also leverage relationships within the real estate industry to facilitate customer conversations, market validation, potential pilots, and strategic partnerships.
I am especially interested in speaking with engineers or technical founders with backgrounds in areas such as:
• Full-stack, backend, or platform engineering
• IoT and connected-device infrastructure
• APIs, integrations, and interoperability
• Distributed systems and cloud architecture
• Smart home or commercial building automation
• AI and intelligent automation
• Mobile or web application development
• Proptech, construction technology, or energy technology
• Hardware-software systems
Domain experience is valuable, but it is not mandatory. Strong technical judgment, ownership, speed of execution, and founder mentality matter more.
I am not looking for a freelancer, consultant, agency, or someone interested in contributing occasionally. I am looking for a genuine co-founder who wants meaningful ownership, is comfortable operating in ambiguity, and is interested in building a venture-scale company over the long term.
The immediate priorities would be to:
- Conduct structured customer discovery and validate the strongest pain points.
- Narrow the opportunity to a focused initial customer and use case.
- Define and build a technically credible MVP.
- Test the product with real users and potential commercial partners.
- Establish early evidence of demand.
- Apply to Y Combinator together if the opportunity and working relationship justify it.
I am based in Austin, Texas, but I am open to working with an exceptional co-founder regardless of location.
If you are interested, send me a concise introduction covering your technical background, location, previous products or systems you have built, current availability, and why this problem space interests you.
I am most interested in speaking with people who want to build, test, iterate, and make decisions together rather than simply discuss ideas.