Comment by Aydarbek

Thanks, this is genuinely helpful framing. We made the mistake of thinking in “roles” (GTM cofounder) instead of pulling people into the problem and watching for ownership.

We’re now doing short problem interviews with early users / people who engaged deeply with our Show HN, and tracking who (1) reframes the problem, (2) proposes concrete next steps, and (3) follows up unprompted. Those are strong signals.

Also +1 on the “technical storyteller” point our ideal partner might be technical but customer-obsessed rather than a traditional sales profile.

One question: when you’ve seen this work best, what’s a good lightweight way to test alignment/commitment before talking equity (e.g., a 2-4 week project sprint, shared doc, pre-defined milestones)?