Is anyone interested in equity only part time jobs?

[vekleew]

I'm trying to launch a startup and hire some employees for equity only but not sure what good resources are out there to find people who are willing to work for equity/experience.

Are there a lot of people out there who would be interested in equity only jobs? I'm not really looking for a cofounder, moreso a junior engineer who would be able to contribute on a part-time basis and receive equity.

Also, I imagine most people who are interested are those looking to get involved in a side hustle, which is why I mention part-time, but full-time is great too for anyone who can already financially support themselves.

[aaronrobinson]

Nobody is going to work for your company for free. Your equity is worthless. Almost all startups fail so you’re asking others to take on your risk. Not being unkind but trying to manage your expectations.

[wg0]

Also - Why are they not going to be co-founders if the risk profile is exactly the same?

[vekleew]

So whose equity is not worthless? I guess there's no point in having ycombinator around anymore then since all equity is worthless.

[omgCPhuture]

What the other guy said, but also depends on the product, part in it, travel, and of course, if there are cool toys - maybe even ones that would be beneficial for a potential applicant who may or may not have their own projects they are working on that may be out of reach to part-timers due w/e reasons. I had a thought like this a while back, but locally most folks with the technical ability to contribute are securely employed.

[JohnFen]

Once you're talking "work for equity instead of pay", you're not talking about employment anymore, you're talking about soliciting investors.

A decision about whether or not to make an investment (and this would be a particularly large investment) is necessarily dependent on very different factors than a decision on whether or not to work for an outfit.

To be attractive, your solicitation for investors needs to come from that perspective, in my opinion.

[4d4m]

I've seen countless founders chase this equity only worker marketplace. It's not aligned with the real world nor rewarding enough for the risk takers whom would try it.

It's akin to asking your mechanic to invest in fixing your broken car instead of paying the invoice. Delusional, but attractive enough to be tried over and over again.

[vekleew]

Can you tell me more about this? What marketplace are they using? Is this from your personal experience, or can I read more about this elsewhere?

[emocin]

Not a chance in hell.

[vekleew]

Why take a risk to be rich when you get guaranteed pennies