Co-founders
How to Find a Co-Founder: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
A step-by-step guide to finding a co-founder, covering where to look, how to evaluate candidates, running a trial project, red flags and a realistic timeline.
9 min read
Guides for founders, builders and investors
Straight answers to the questions founders, early employees and angel investors ask most, written by the RUV Labs team. Each guide starts with the short answer, then walks through the steps.
Co-founders
Find, evaluate and agree terms with the right co-founder.
Co-founders
How to Find a Technical Co-Founder as a Non-Technical Founder
How non-technical founders can find, pitch and evaluate a technical co-founder, what equity is typical, and when a freelancer, agency or first hire fits better.
9 min read
Co-founders
How to Write a First Message That Gets a Reply (With Templates)
How to write a first message to a potential co-founder, investor, hire or employer, with a simple four-part structure, copyable templates and follow-up timing.
8 min read
Co-founders
Co-Founder Agreement: What to Include, With a Clause Checklist
What a co-founder agreement should cover, including roles, equity, vesting, IP assignment, decision-making, deadlock and leaver terms, plus a checklist.
9 min read
Co-founders
Working With a Co-Founder in Another Country or Time Zone
How to work with a co-founder in another country, covering time zone overlap, communication cadence, where to incorporate, payments, taxes and building trust.
9 min read
Fundraising
Angels, SAFEs, notes and priced rounds, explained plainly.
Fundraising
How to Find Angel Investors for a Pre-Seed Startup
Where angel investors come from, how to build a target list, a readiness checklist, outreach cadence and follow-up for founders raising a pre-seed round.
9 min read
Fundraising
SAFE vs Convertible Note vs Priced Round: How Early-Stage Funding Works
A plain-English comparison of SAFEs, convertible notes and priced rounds, with caps, discounts, a worked example, dilution basics and when each is used.
9 min read
Investing
How early-stage investors source and screen startups.
Investing
How Angel Investors Find and Screen Early-Stage Startups
A practical guide for new angel investors on sourcing early-stage startups, screening and verifying founders, basic diligence and working well with founders.
9 min read
Hiring
Hire your first engineers and early team.
Hiring
How to Hire Your First Engineer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Founders
How to decide between a first engineer and a technical co-founder, define the role, find and evaluate candidates, structure pay and make a strong offer.
9 min read
Careers
Join an early-stage startup with your eyes open.
Careers
Joining an Early-Stage Startup: Equity, Risk and Questions to Ask
Decide whether to join an early-stage startup: weigh the trade-offs, evaluate the founders, understand options, vesting and dilution, and spot red flags.
9 min read
Trust & safety
Check people are real and build a profile others trust.
Trust & safety
How to Check a Co-Founder or Investor Is Real and Avoid Startup Scams
Learn the common startup scams, how to verify that a co-founder or investor is who they claim, what never to send, and what to do if you are targeted.
9 min read
Trust & safety
How to Build a Founder Profile That Co-Founders and Investors Trust
Build a founder profile people trust: a real photo, a clear headline, a specific bio, verifiable proof and badges, plus before and after headline examples.
8 min read