Do You Really Need A Tech Co-Founder To Build A Successful Startup?
Overview
"Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important."- Bill Gates, Co-Founder Microsoft. A startup cannot function on the basis of just, the ideas. You need to make things from a dream to a reality. For this, you need an effectively working startup organisation, from the CEO to the Developers. This chain should be an effective one, where the startup cannot work without any of them. But, there is a running debate regarding the role of a Technical Co-Founder. Some say they play a vital role in the effective function of the Product Management and other technicalities. On the other hand, some feel that a Co-Founder can do that task all by himself. So, the burning question is to hire or not to hire a Tech Co-Founder? Let's find out.
Major Roles In A Startup-


CEO- He/She is generally the one with either the idea or the money or the experience to take off a startup. The responsibilities increase with the success of the startup.
CTO- The person with all the programming and system architecture knowledge.
Tech Co-Founder- The one responsible for all the technicalities, from features to limitations and products tech deets.
Developer- One with all the development experience.

Types of Tech Startups-

High-Tech- Startups with a good online presence, social platforms, huge customer base, working organisation, etc.
Moderately Tech- Startups based on an equal use of backend ops and technology.
Low Tech- Budding Startup with technology limited to websites, WordPress, etc.

So, if you are a High-Tech startup, you definitely need to hire a CTO level Technical Co-founder for an effective functioning of the startup. You can't-do without one because otherwise, the startup could be a big mess. If you are a Moderately technical startup, you too need a Technical Co-founder for things to be on track.

However, if you belong to the Low technical startup category, then you can do well without a technical co-founder. It is simply because the CEO or CTO can learn the required technologies and save you from the technical trap. You could also look out for freelancers for temporary relief.
What is a Tech Co-founder? 
A Tech co-founder is essentially the link between the CEO and the developers. He/She possess all knowledge regarding the technical features of the product, the main line of action and the 'how' and 'why' of the product the startup is all about. All of the technical functioning of the startup lies on his shoulders. From being a tech lead to a tech project manager, this profile has a lot of roles to play. All iOs Developers, Senior Developers, Tech Leads, System or Solutions Architects are suitable for this role. The key is to know all the technicalities that will go into the smooth functioning of the startup.

The ability to hire or not to hire a tech co-founder for a startup depends on a lot of factors. Some of which are- technical knowledge, time, resources, etc.  It is a choice of the startup initiator to go ahead and pay someone else for the post, to partner with other or to simply do the job himself. So, let's see which of these options proves to be viable for startup of various kinds.
To Hire, To Partner or DIY?
If you choose to pay someone for the job at hand, then the best option is to hire freelancers. Freelancers would not only prove to be economically viable for the startup but also give you an outside perspective. This setup works the best for startups at an initial stage. However, it is also a risk you should think twice before taking. The reason being, most of the freelancers might not be able to meet deadlines due to the 'part-time' nature of the job for them. To sum up, this is an economically best-suited option for startups, not work-wise.

It is a good idea to have a partner, for a better and technically sound future of the startup. However, it might turn out to be a no-profits deal in terms of finances.

So, the last but not the least. The most cost efficient but a tiresome task it to do it all by yourself, just like DIYs. It means you could learn to code and other technicalities yourself and make the extra effort to make an effectively working startup. However, this might lead to a slow progress of your venture.Therefore, it will give you an all-round knowledge of things and save you from giving away unnecessary equity. Moreover, if things fall apart, you'd be the first person to know what went wrong and how to fix it. So, basically, that's more like a one-man-army.
Why have a Tech Co-Founder?
Since the task of running the startup falls at different levels at different hands, there have to be people for all the different roles to be played. Moreover, if you are a founder with not much of technical experience and knowledge, you could go in for hiring a tech co-founder for technical and business related soundness of the system. Furthermore, you would also have to share equity with the tech co-founder for an ideal market setup. You wouldn't mind doing that if your business runs into huge profits. In addition, there is not only one department to be looked into for a startup. So, if as the head you take control of all departments, you are very close to ending up in a mess. It is better to avail this facility to ensure some amount of success.
What to look for in a Tech Co-Founder?
So, since a technical co-founder could be a basic necessity for a budding or early startup. What are the prerequisites to look for?

First of all, Tech Co-founder should know fundamentals of Coding.
Interest in coding for a sustainable run in the business.
Coding Experience.
A good knowledge of Business and Technology-oriented decisions. That is, to be able to understand and make value judgements as to where the startup is heading.
Thorough knowledge of Language.
Problem Solving Tactics.
Should match the Domain of the Startup.
A degree in Computer Science or equivalent Certification/Diploma.
Leadership as well as Team Work.
Time Management and Meeting Deadlines.
Work Organization.

Why not to have a Tech Co-Founder?
If you feel you are capable enough to multitask for the benefit of the startup, then you can definitely do without a tech aid. This will require you to learn the technologies, language and other basic requirements. Moreover, this will save unnecessary finances and equity.
Final Verdict
So, it is completely up to the needs of the startup to hire or not to hire a tech co-founder. However, it deems proved that it is not mandatory. Startups do function without tech aids. It is a choice to be made judiciously. Also, do have a look at some latest reads on Startup Incubators and Online Promotional Strategies.

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