The Importance of a Technical Co-Founder

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This chapter explores the significance of having a technical co-founder in startups, discussing their role in driving the business and the value of entrepreneurial developers who can make decisions. It also touches on the use of AI tools and the transition from a side hustle to full-time work, as well as raising funds to sustain the business.

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Today’s show:

Zest's Jake Gutstein joins Jason to discuss his journey in creating the cooking app Zest (1:37). The two dive into how the Zest team formed (10:29), finding the right tools for your startup (25:24), Jake's experience in the Launch Accelerator program (33:27), and more!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Zest’s Jake Gutstein joins Jason

(1:37) What prompted the creation of Zest and the initial concept and MVP for Zest

(9:22) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(10:29) The product development, initial testing, and finding a technical co-founder

(17:21) The decision to go full-time with Zest, the process of raising initial funding, and the importance of overcoming ambiguity and uncertainty

(20:54) MEV - Get $30,000 off your first three months at http://mev.com/twist

(22:05) Demo of Zest’s product

(25:24) Finding the right tools and mentors and the value propositions of Zest discovered through user research

(32:35) Paintbrush - Visit http://getpaintbrush.com to see if you qualify for a $50K startup loan in less than 2 minutes

(33:27) Product launch, approach to fundraising, and experience with the Launch Accelerator program

(46:48) Future plans and goals for Zest