Software dev seeking a co-founder to build a boring business
Howdy, Indie Hackers!
I'm Matthew.
I've worked as a software developer and leader for twenty-plus years at venture-backed startups, ranging from the post-seed, pre-revenue stage to a company with $100M ARR and a $1B valuation. For the last decade or so, I've been a VPE/CTO or bootstrapping my own projects.
I'm comfortable writing the first line of code or managing a team of 100.
While I'm highly technical–I still code almost daily–I've also been a technical salesperson and marketer.
I'm looking for a partner to build a boring (to others) but successful company. I aim to create a company that offers my family economic security, is a great workplace, is professional, and benefits the world by building something useful.
I don't have a specific idea right now
I don't have a particular idea that I'm pursuing right now.
My background is B2B, so I'm more interested in those kinds of ideas than others. I'm interested in niche markets that others might find boring. (I'm generally interested in learning about how any business works.)
I'm willing to entertain any idea where someone has identified a legitimate end-user problem along with some sense of a solution, go-to-market strategy, and revenue model.
I'm not so interested in web3, online gambling, or something mainly oriented toward gathering personal data.
Whom I'm looking to meet
First and foremost, I'm looking for someone who is emotionally mature, a good communicator, with a compass that points true north in terms of integrity, directness, and kindness.
Ideally, they've had some startup or other entrepreneurial experience, managed people, and had some operating experience. We'll use all of this to our advantage.
They're industrious, efficient, and no-drama. They work hard while eschewing a performative grind.
I'd love to meet someone with experience or unique insight into some byzantine or niche industry.
I'm looking forward to connecting!
Good luck Matthew, there are no people here who want to build a "boring" business, everyone is jumping on the latest hype/scam thing, and most of the time is "need an MVP build to find investors" not "need an MVP to build a business" and by MVP understand at least a clone of some already famous and complex app plus Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and tweeter added on top of it :)
Incredibly refreshing to read something this grounded. I’m building in a “boring but bleeding” space too — not flashy, but the need is undeniable. Would love to jam sometime if you’re open to exploring something already showing early traction (but still early enough to co-build the right way).
Hey Matt, sent you a connection request on linkedin. Would love to talk about an idea I have
Hey Matthew, would love to connect. I think we share a lot of the same values and I think we can help you in this journey. I shot over an email to your gmail.
Hi @mjbellantoni. What's your exit plan? Are you looking to build something that will eventually go on auto pilot, sell it, or make it venture-backed?
While "something that will go on autopilot" sounds lovely, that's not what I expect. I assume anything that generates sufficient value will require most, if not all, of my attention and effort for some time.
I don't have an explicit plan about selling going in. If someone has a "build to flip" kind of idea, then that's fine, but I'm also fine working on something long-term as long as it's generating profit pretty early on.
As to financing the business, it's my preference to bootstrap. If the company requires external capital, I'm open to considering whatever options are available, including venture funding. But raising VC isn't specifically a goal.
An ideal scenario would be to start something that generates profit quickly, grows steadily, and could be sold for a life-changing amount of money in about a decade—all the while being interesting and profitable.
Sounds like a very level-headed perspective. I've gotten more and more interested in Micro SAAS. I don't knows if you're familiar with Pieter Levels, but there are people like him who take the approach of creating many small projects and just going for whatever sticks commercially. Many of them have managed in a short amount of time to have a decent level of MRR while only having to put in a nominal amount of time to keep it running. They do this solo and without venture backing. I like the approach as it seems less risky overall. Like throw a bunch of darts and seeing what sticks. I'm in a similar place like you, looking for good ideas.
I'm familiar with Pieter, Daniel V. and the "small bets" approach. I think I've come to the conclusion that you need to build an audience for that strategy to work. Or, at least that seems to be the GTM that's worked most often, as opposed to, say, SEO or SEM.
It's kind of related to the YC idea of just building a thing that scratches your itch, even if it seems like a toy.
Hi Matthew, I sent an email to your Gmail account. Let me know if you have trouble finding it. I look forward to hearing from you.