# Guides for founders, builders and investors

Practical, answer-first guides on finding a co-founder, raising from angels, SAFEs, hiring your first engineer, joining a startup and staying safe from startup scams.

## Co-founders

- [How to Find a Co-Founder: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/how-to-find-a-cofounder): 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.
- [How to Find a Technical Co-Founder as a Non-Technical Founder](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/find-a-technical-cofounder): 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.
- [How to Write a First Message That Gets a Reply (With Templates)](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/first-message-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.
- [Co-Founder Agreement: What to Include, With a Clause Checklist](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/cofounder-agreement): What a co-founder agreement should cover, including roles, equity, vesting, IP assignment, decision-making, deadlock and leaver terms, plus a checklist.
- [Working With a Co-Founder in Another Country or Time Zone](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/remote-cofounder-different-country): How to work with a co-founder in another country, covering time zone overlap, communication cadence, where to incorporate, payments, taxes and building trust.

## Fundraising

- [How to Find Angel Investors for a Pre-Seed Startup](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/how-to-find-angel-investors): 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.
- [SAFE vs Convertible Note vs Priced Round: How Early-Stage Funding Works](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/safe-vs-convertible-note-vs-priced-round): A plain-English comparison of SAFEs, convertible notes and priced rounds, with caps, discounts, a worked example, dilution basics and when each is used.

## Investing

- [How Angel Investors Find and Screen Early-Stage Startups](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/how-angel-investors-find-startups): A practical guide for new angel investors on sourcing early-stage startups, screening and verifying founders, basic diligence and working well with founders.

## Hiring

- [How to Hire Your First Engineer: A Step-by-Step Guide for Founders](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/hire-first-engineer): 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.

## Careers

- [Joining an Early-Stage Startup: Equity, Risk and Questions to Ask](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/joining-an-early-stage-startup): Decide whether to join an early-stage startup: weigh the trade-offs, evaluate the founders, understand options, vesting and dilution, and spot red flags.

## Trust & safety

- [How to Check a Co-Founder or Investor Is Real and Avoid Startup Scams](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/verify-cofounder-investor-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.
- [How to Build a Founder Profile That Co-Founders and Investors Trust](https://ruvlabs.com/guides/founder-profile-that-builds-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.