Should I look for a co-founder with strong storytelling skills?

You've hit the nail on the head with that question, my friend. Let's put it this way: as a technical co-founder, you solve the problem of "how to build things," while a storytelling co-founder solves the problem of "how to make others believe in us." Both are equally important.

You might think, "My product is amazing, its features are powerful, isn't that enough?" No, far from it.

Think about it, how many hurdles does a good product need to overcome from its inception to success?

The first hurdle: Finding investors. Investors look at dozens of projects a day. Most founders come from a technical background, immediately launching into "my architecture is microservices, my tech stack is XXX, and my QPS can reach hundreds of thousands." Investors get a headache listening to that. What do they want to hear? A story that excites them. For example: "We've identified a huge market pain point, an overlooked market worth XXX billion annually, and our product can perfectly solve it. In the next three years, we will become the No.1 in this field." See, that's a story. They're not investing in your code, but in the future potential of that story. A storytelling co-founder can translate your technology into the "dreams and money" investors want to hear.

The second hurdle: Recruiting core employees. In the early stages of a startup, you have no money and no reputation. Why would excellent people leave high-paying jobs at big companies to work with you? Stock options? That's just a "future promise." How do you make that "promise" look big, round, and appealing? Through a story. Your storytelling co-founder will tell them: "Although we are small now, we are doing something that will change the industry. If you join now, you'll be a founding member. Imagine, three years from now, we go public, and you're not only financially free but have personally created a legend." Whether you can ignite the fire in others' hearts and make them willing to endure hardships with you depends on how well the story is told.

The third hurdle: Acquiring the first batch of users. Users won't buy your product because of its technical details. They only care: What problem can your product solve for me? How much better can it make my life/work? A founder who only says, "My app uses the latest AI model," is far less appealing than one who says, "Are you tired of spending 2 hours organizing spreadsheets every day? With our tool, one click, and it's done in a minute. You can spend the rest of the time enjoying a cup of coffee." The latter is telling a story about "you," making you feel a connection.

So, what exactly is the role of a storytelling co-founder?

They are not just boastful liars. They are more like a "translator" and an "amplifier."

• Translator: They translate your complex, hardcore technology into language that investors, users, and employees can understand and are willing to believe.
• Amplifier: They amplify your product's 80% strengths into 120% appeal, allowing others to see the future you envision.

Your relationship is like that of a top director (you, responsible for making the work) and a top producer + marketer (them, responsible for raising investment, finding actors, and promoting). Without either, the movie might fall flat.

So, don't hesitate. If you're not good at this yourself, finding such a person will absolutely double your startup's success rate. This person should ideally truly understand your product and genuinely believe in your success from the bottom of their heart. Only a sincere story is truly moving.