[socal-piggies] FounderDating program

[Grig Gheorghiu]

While this does not related directly to Python, it does come from a
member of our group and it pertains to the tech scene here in L.A. so
I thought it's appropriate to post to our list:


My name is Andres Buritica. I am a Python dev and a member of Socal
Piggies. I recently started helping with a program called
FounderDating which helps match entrepreneurs. I approached the
problem of creating my own startup like any other engineering
problem--by reading the manual. What I learned was that a team with a
complimentary skill set has a great chance at success and that
sole-founders have very little chance of succeeding. Working towards
this goal I came across FounderDating.  I have met some great people
and I recently found the team I've been looking for. We have a round
every two or three months. Our third one for LA is on December 11th
and the apply-by-date is November 26th. Anyone can apply here. I
personally review the applications and I can guarantee you that no
business types trying to recruit a developer will be accepted.

Here are some highlights about FounderDating:

- No people who "need a developer to implement an idea." - This idea
is against our principles
- High Quality - A few of the folks who are part of the network are
former founders or early employees from: stackmob, snapfish, Zynga,
Loggly and Gilt just to name a few.
- Balanced - 50% engineering & 50% non-engineering
- No Idea Necessary - FounderDating is about the people, so you don’t
need to have an idea, just be ready to work on a serious side project.
- Invite-only - We carefully screen applicants. Only the best are accepted.
- Online network - Members can contact potential cofounders from every
major city on our private, online network.

Our CEO, Jessica Alter, just wrote a post on Steve Blank's blog which
details some of our principles:
http://steveblank.com/2012/10/21/how-we-fight-cofounders-in-love-and-war/