Sitemaps
How We Secretly Lose Control of Our Startups
Should Kids Follow in Our Founder Footsteps?
The Evolution of Entry Level Workers
Assume Everyone Will Leave in Year One
Stop Listening to Investors
Was Mortgaging My Life Worth it?
What's My Startup Worth in an Acquisition?
When Our Ambition is Our Enemy
Are Startups in a "Silent Recession"?
The 5 Types of Startup Funding
What Is Startup Funding?
Do Founders Deserve Their Profit?
Michelle Glauser on Diversity and Inclusion
The Utter STUPIDITY of "Risking it All"
Committees Are Where Progress Goes to Die
More Money (Really Means) More Problems
Why Most Founders Don't Get Rich
Investors will be Obsolete
Why is a Founder so Hard to Replace?
We Can't Grow by Saying "No"
Do People Really Want Me to Succeed?
Is the Problem the Player or the Coach?
Will Investors Bail Me Out?
The Value of Actually Getting Paid
Why do Founders Suck at Asking for Help?
Wait a Minute before Giving Away Equity
You Only Think You Work Hard
SMALL is the New Big — Embracing Efficiency in the Age of AI
The 9 Best Growth Agencies for Startups
This is BOOTSTRAPPED — 3 Strategies to Build Your Startup Without Funding
Never Share Your Net Worth
A Steady Hand in the Middle of the Storm
Risk it All vs Steady Paycheck
How About a Startup that Just Makes Money?
How to Recruit a Rockstar Advisor
Why Having Zero Experience is a Huge Asset
My Competitor Got Funded — Am I Screwed?
The Hidden Treasure of Failed Startups
If It Makes Money, It Makes Sense
Why do VCs Keep Giving Failed Founders Money?
$10K Per Month isn't Just Revenue — It's Life Support
The Ridiculous Spectrum of Investor Feedback
Startup CEOs Aren't Really CEOs
Series A, B, C, D, and E Funding: How It Works
Best Pitch Decks Ever: The Most Successful Fundraising Pitches You Need to Know
When to Raise Funds
Why Aren't Investors Responding to Me?
Should I Regret Not Raising Capital?
Unemployment Cases — Why I LOOOOOVE To Win Them So Much.
How Much to Pay Yourself
Heat-Seeking Missile: WePay’s Journey to Product-Market Fit — Interview with Rich Aberman, Co-Founder of Wepay
The R&D technique for startups: Rip off & Duplicate
Why Some Startups Win.
Chapter #1: First Steps To Validate Your Business Idea
Product Users, Not Ideas, Will Determine Your Startup’s Fate
Drop Your Free Tier
Your Advisors Are Probably Wrong
Growth Isn't Always Good
How to Shut Down Gracefully
How Does My Startup Get Acquired?
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?
How to Pick the Wrong Co-Founder
Staying Small While Going Big
Investors are NOT on Our Side of the Table
Who am I Really Competing Against?
Why Can't Founders Replace Themselves?
Actually, We Have Plenty of Time
Quitting vs Letting Go
How Startups Actually Get Bought
What if I'm Building the Wrong Product?
Are Founders Driven by Fear or Greed?
Why I'm Either Working or Feeling Guilty
Startup Financial Assumptions
Why Every Kid Should be a Startup Founder
We Only Have to be Right Once
If a Startup Sinks, Founders Go Down With it
Founder Success: We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success
Is Quiet Quitting a Problem at Startup Companies?
Founder Exits are Hard Work and Good Fortune, Not "Good Luck"
Finalizing Startup Projections
All Founders are Beloved In Good Times
Our Startup Culture of Entitlement
The Bullshit Case for Raising Capital
How do We Manage Our Founder Flaws?
What If my plan for retirement is "never retire"?
Startup Failure is just One Chapter in Founder Life
6 Similarities between Startup Founders and Pro Athletes
All Founders Make Bad Decisions — and That's OK
Startup Board Negotiations: How do I tell the board I need a new deal?
Founder Sacrifice — At What Point Have I Gone Too Far?
Youth Entrepreneurship: Can Middle Schoolers be Founders?
Living the Founder Legend Isn't so Fun
Why Do VC Funded Startups Love "Fake Growth?"
How Should I Share My Wealth with Family?
How Many Deaths Can a Startup Survive?
This is Probably Your Last Success
Why Do We Still Have Full-Time Employees?
The Case Against Full Transparency
Should I Feel Guilty for Failing?
Always Take Money off the Table

Hidden Founders Is The Solution For Non-Technical Startup Founders

Emma McGowan

Hidden Founders Is The Solution For Non-Technical Startup Founders

What do you do if you have a great idea for a tech startup, but no technical knowledge about how to build it? Well, there are usually three options: find a technical Co-Founder you can work with, outsource to an expensive dev shop in the States or in Europe, or outsource to a cheaper (but often lower quality) dev shop overseas.

Hicham Amine and his company Hidden Founders are out to add a fourth — and better — option to that paradigm.

The Hidden Founder Difference

map-hf-animated_gif-1

Hicham describes Hidden Founders as “halfway between an incubator and a dev shop.” Dev shops, for example, traditionally complete the technical specifications of a project — and then leave. They have no investment in the company and, usually, are more like hired hands than members of the team.

Incubators, on the other hand, typically take equity. In return, they invest a huge chunk of time and energy into the success of a startup. Founders go through intense courses lasting anywhere from three to nine months, a time period that’s capped off by a “demo day” presentation in front of potential investors. It’s like Startup College, but instead of paying for your lessons, you’re getting paid in the form of investment.

We help them build their products and rapidly get them to the market to test their hypotheses at a minimum cost, while meeting advanced standards of quality.

Hidden Founders combine the two — dev shop and incubator — to create their own, new solution to the “where the @$^!@ can I find a technical Co-Founder?” problem. Like an incubator, they not only take a 3 percent equity in every company they work with, but they also are strict about which companies they take on — wantrepreneurs need not apply. So far, they’ve worked with two cohorts of 20 startups, which were chosen from an applicant pool of over 200 companies globally. During the time that Hidden Founders is building the product, they also work to find technical Co-Founders who are a good fit for their companies, both in terms of skills needed and vision.

“In a place where CTOs are scarce, low-cost equals low quality, and development shops are struggling to grasp the business implications around current disruptions, we brought a competitive offer that suits early stage founders,” Hicham tells Startups.co. “We help them build their products and rapidly get them to the market to test their hypotheses at a minimum cost, while meeting advanced standards of quality. This is why our activity is reflected in our Hidden Founders main tagline: CTO as a service.”

Companies that are accepted by Hidden Founders sign up for an initial six month contract, after which they’re free to choose whether or not they want to continue with the program. The entire project cycle from fledgling startup to becoming an independent company is 18 months, with products getting to MVP level within four to six months. Oh, and they’re currently accepting applications, although this round closes on January 1.

Continuing Education for Startups

banner

In addition to building the product and finding companies a solid technical Founder, Hidden Founders also connects their clients with a network of mentors and entrepreneurs who can help them in their journey — similar to what an incubator does. They’re also creating a startup continuing education program for both their partners and anyone else who’s interested.

Startup Patterns is an app that provides bite-sized lessons from the best startup blogs, books, and experts, delivered to you three times a week. The goal is to not only foster continuing education for startup founders but to also cultivate  a community of Founders, experts, and investors who are looking not only to learn but to connect with each other.

A lot of people have amazing ideas, but an idea is just an idea unless you have someone to help you turn it into a reality. Hidden Founders has figured out how to not only bridge that gap between technical and non-technical Founders, but also supports early stage startups at a time that they’re most vulnerable to failure. Isn’t it great to have a fourth option?

 

Find this article helpful?

This is just a small sample! Register to unlock our in-depth courses, hundreds of video courses, and a library of playbooks and articles to grow your startup fast. Let us Let us show you!

Submission confirms agreement to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Already a member? Login

No comments yet.

Register to join the discussion.

Already a member? Login

Create Free Account