I'm Anuraag, a software engineer and founder

How to pronounce my name?

Anuraag: Anoo-raag. Many people simply call me Anu.

Where do you want to establish your startup?

I feel the best place to attract the best tech talent and to live in the best weather and beautiful nature would be in San Francisco, California. However, it also depends on what we are building, and who (target market) are we building for. I'm okay with anywhere safe and sound in the world.

What is your mission?

I am looking to apply myself maximum to the fullest. Most importantly, I want to create something valuable for the society, and that could take a village.

What are your interest areas?

I like ideas executable in the digital realm but since AI is taking over software engineering so fast, I am also open to physical realms such as e-commerce, food and beverages, housing, robotics, medicine, fitness, hardware and electronics, travel etc. If you are from a machine learning/statistics background, I will enjoy working on AI models that solve specific problems.

What kind of cofounders are you looking for?

I will answer it from a different angle: whatever we decide to build and sell will require different kinds of ACTUAL expertise (i.e. no heavy thinking/research required). For example, if we are building an autonomous car company, we need to know how to do or get done hundreds of downstream tasks from designing the car, sourcing of the parts, knowing where to's and how tos, knowing exactly how to test, being able to sell, being able to partner with vendors, and god knows how many other tasks. That's why cofounders matter a lot and what we do is completely based on our cumulative expert skills and what we can put together.

TL;DR
If you have specific knowledge and practical skills, we would be a great team. I will bring in the tech experience, you bring in the specific domain experience.

How can we succeed?

We need to find a customer who'll pay to solve a pain or to fulfill a "want". We will then prototype our first version and give it to them to use it, and ask for the money as our first payment. We do it over and over, and each new sets of customers gets a better version of the product. The org will emerge along the way.

How many cofounders are you okay with?

Just as YC has noted, there are more break-ups of 3 cofounder teams than of 2. Hence, I would tend towards 2. But If we 3 bring non-linear advantages, then I'm up for it.

How do you handle collaboration and conflict resolution?

We will try to be as practical and empirically supported by data as possible. We will test conflicting decisions using logic and wherever possible by speaking to customers, prototyping, and then real-world testing. We will ultimately settle for the simplest, fastest, least expensive, and most effective solution, doesn't matter who offers it, you, me or someone else. We will ensure that we create an environment that is welcoming and frictionless to discuss anything without any inhibitions.

Have I ever had a cofounder before, and when?

- I had 1 technical cofounder for my first software gig startup Triologic from 2007-2010
- I had 1 non-technical cofounder for my code generation startup Kronosis from 2012-2014.

What's your moral code? What wakes you up from bed?

I believe I'm pretty close to being a libertarian. Maximize the individual freedom and there will be happiness. I am attracted to the philosophical ideas of Kapil Gupta (Naval Ravikant's coach): we are in a cosmic playground, happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin, and human beings are driven by their desire, resulting in the best desires winning. My deep desire is to create wealth from something I enjoy, which is technology. I seek contentment by channeling my desire. I also think I'm a nice person to be around and enjoy deep conversations.

How can I reach out?

Feel free to email me at me@anuraagvaidya.com

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