I am throwing a cry here because desperate times call for desperate measures.
I have an amazing prototype that is bringing new technology to the masses, and I think it has a good chance to change the world. YCombinator showed interest (I was interviewed as a solo candidate for a new batch, but decided to wait until I found a co-founder). This idea will not be fresh forever (there are other people who are starting to study it), so I want to implement it as soon as possible with the right team. But there is one thing that holds me back: I haven't found a suitable co-founder yet.
For the past year, I have met 1 or 2 people a week, either by phone or over coffee, but despite that, this person has not yet appeared. But I believe that the perfect co-founder is out there and maybe he will read this text on HackerNews tonight.
"Wedding at gunpoint" is not a good idea, but if you are the same person, I don't care how we meet. I'm going to improve my chances of finding you in any way possible.
So what is my idea?
Credit card fees are too high. In the next five years, merchants will start moving away from paying 2.5% plus 30 cents per transaction when fast, secure alternatives become available. They are going to (first) offer these alternatives at checkout alongside the traditional credit card options, and then eventually start encouraging consumers to make the full transition. If Amazon has a 5% margin on a $ 100 textbook, they are not going to give away $ 2 of their $ 5 Visa / MC forever.
The same will happen on mobile. Your phone will become your wallet, and I don't think 30 years of credit card technology will be the backbone of this e-wallet when someone goes out to buy a cup of coffee in 10 years. All solutions today carry the legacy of credit cards.
So what will this decision be? It will be a digital currency like bitcoin or some derivative of it, running in the cloud with a robust api to build an ecosystem around it. I think that first of all it will organically arise in developing countries or in places without stable currencies. If you think bitcoin sucks, then this is not exactly the right place to get involved in a fiery war with it. I am making a long-term bet here that when it becomes clearer in five years or the situation changes, it will be too late to hop on that train, so whoever is going to win this bet must start now. Digital currencies show some early promise, but are too difficult for ordinary people to use (or are owned and controlled by a single company like facebook credits). This is an opportunity for meand I'm in a position to start laying the groundwork for this new platform.
Here are some screenshots of the prototype:
It has basic send / receive functionality but is still at a very early stage.
In a few words, this is paypal for bitcoin. The killer feature will be to disrupt transaction fees, which are a tax on every transaction in our economy.
Who do I want to meet?
You must be a techie, have a passion for the field, and have an insane work ethic. It's going to be super fucking hard, but the payoff is that we have a non-zero chance of really making a big difference in the world. This is not just another photo sharing app. Let me stress again that you have to be a deep techie who can build things (like me). At this stage, there is no room for people of ideas. I would be happy to share my past with you if we get in touch. (Edit: I've added some of my stories below).
If interested, please send an email to applytoycwithmeandchangethewor@gmail.com AND include (1) something awesome that you built (2) why you are the right fit and (3) phone number and how late can I call you ...
Even if you are the wrong person, please add this and help us meet. This post could literally form a company in the next three days.
Presentation rehearsal and tips from Paul Graham:
Follow the YC Startup Library news in Russian in the telegram channel or on Facebook .
Useful materials
- A selection of 143 translations of Paul Graham's essays (from 184)
- 75 lectures in Russian from Y Combinator (out of 172)
- Y Combinator: Russian-speaking founders
- What startups Y Combinator is looking for in 2020
- Chat Y Combinator in Russian
- Public on Facebook YCombinator in Russian