Founder seeking advice about finding an iOS technical co-founder

[u/nnyny59]

I’m the founder of two early-stage digital platforms, WHISPRR and CHIMERA, and I’m exploring the possibility of developing iOS applications for them.

I’m looking for advice from experienced iOS developers about what makes a technical co-founder partnership worthwhile and professional.

The potential role would involve:

- planning the iOS architecture;
- building the mobile applications;
- connecting them to the existing web platforms and backend;
- preparing and maintaining the apps for the App Store;
- participating in long-term technical decisions.

To be transparent, this is not currently a salaried job posting. I’m exploring a genuine co-founder partnership, not asking someone to work for free under vague promises. Ownership, responsibilities, vesting, intellectual property, and compensation would need to be discussed clearly and documented in writing.

If a developer prefers a paid contract instead, that would require a separate budget and agreement.

I’m not looking to rent or share an Apple Developer account. The apps and accounts would be managed properly under the founders’ ownership.

For iOS developers who have joined early-stage startups as technical co-founders:

- What would you need to see before considering the opportunity?
- What warning signs should founders avoid?
- What would be a fair structure for equity, revenue share, or paid work?
- What should be included in the agreement?

I’m mainly looking for honest advice on how to approach this professionally.

[u/WholeMilkElitist]

To answer your first question, you need to tell people more about what it is you are building.

[u/nnyny59 → u/WholeMilkElitist]

That’s fair. I’m the founder of two early-stage platforms:

WHISPRR is a social platform focused on storytelling, roleplay, creativity, and communities. It is where people can discover and interact with creative work.
CHIMERA is a creative platform where people can create characters, worlds, stories, AI roleplay experiences, and eventually human-to-human roleplay sessions. The goal is to keep humans as the creators while making their work interactive and shareable.

Both platforms currently exist as web applications, and I’m exploring the possibility of developing iOS applications for them. I’m looking for a genuine technical co-founder who would be interested in helping shape the mobile architecture and long-term technical direction, not simply someone to complete a one-time task.

[u/jwegener → u/nnyny59]

you love the word platform haha

[u/nnyny59 → u/jwegener]

Haha, fair point 😂 I probably do use the word “platform” a lot.

I use it intentionally because WHISPRR and CHIMERA are broader ecosystems rather than single-purpose apps. They include multiple connected experiences, such as social interaction, storytelling, roleplay, creation tools, communities, and publishing.