How to find early-stage startups that need a developer

One of the absolute best times to jump into the wild world of startups is when they’re just getting off the ground.

And if you’re a developer with a toolkit full of design and tech skills, this is your golden opportunity.

At this stage, these startups are desperate to bring their ideas to life—and they need to do it with bare-bones resources. What they need is a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Something that can prove the concept, fast.

This is where you come in. If you can take that raw idea and turn it into something real, you’ll be worth your weight in gold. But to do that, you’ve got to know where to find them.

As we've seen at Stone & Chalk, talented developers like you—ones with skills and ambition—often struggle to connect with these startups that haven’t built a solid team yet.

But let us tell you, it’s not as hard as you think, and there are proven strategies that’ll help you find them.

How to find startups

1. Join startup communities

Early-stage startups often gather in communities where aspiring founders, investors, and mentors all meet to exchange ideas and network.

Some of the best places to start include local startup incubators, accelerators, and coworking spaces where founders work on their ideas and look for support.

Online communities like Reddit's r/startups, Hacker News, and specialised startup groups on LinkedIn also provide access to founders looking for collaborators.

Engaging in these communities, offering value through advice, and showcasing your skills can be a great way to connect with people at the earliest stage of their startup journey.

Asking questions, providing insights, and becoming a regular in these spaces will help you become known as a go-to person for startup advice.

Once you're familiar with these communities, you’ll likely get more leads than you expect just by being active and helpful.

2. Attend local events

Nothing beats face-to-face interaction when it comes to building trust with early-stage founders.

Attend local entrepreneur meetups, especially those focused on early-stage startups. These meetups are often filled with founders looking for technical talent to help them bring their ideas to life.

Stone & Chalk offer plenty of events which attract both emerging and established startups.

Pitch competitions, hackathons, and startup conferences are also fantastic places to meet founders at the concept stage.

Often, startups that participate in these events have a vision but lack the technical skills to make it a reality. This is where you can offer your expertise.

3. Explore tech incubators, accelerators, and bootcamps

Incubators, accelerators, and bootcamps are prime hunting grounds for developers looking to work with early-stage startups.

There are also lots of local programs designed to nurture founders with big ideas who may not yet have a technical co-founder. Most early-stage startups in these programs are still defining their product-market fit, building their team, and figuring out how to build an MVP.

By offering to help these startups build their MVP, you become an invaluable asset to their growth.

You should also consider attending pitch competitions, demo days, and networking events hosted by these programs.

These are excellent places to meet founders who have a concept but need technical expertise to build it out.

Another powerful approach is getting involved in their mentorship programs.

These programs offer free mentoring to early-stage entrepreneurs, many of whom have great business ideas but lack the technical skills to develop an MVP.

Offering your services to these organisations not only allows you to give back but also puts you in contact with founders at a stage when they need to build a product but may not have the resources or knowledge to bring on a full-time developer.

4. Build a reputation as an MVP specialist

Early-stage startups are often cash-strapped and don’t have time for inefficiencies in the development process.

This is where your ability to streamline communication between design and development offers significant value. By eliminating the need for separate design and development teams, you speed up the process and cut costs for founders.

Position yourself as an MVP specialist. Make it clear in your marketing that you help founders go from idea to MVP as efficiently as possible.

This message will resonate with early-stage founders who are navigating the constraints of building something from scratch with limited resources.

A great way to demonstrate your capabilities is to showcase a few examples of MVPs you've developed. If you're just starting out, consider partnering with a few promising founders for a reduced rate or even equity in exchange for working on their MVP.

Once you have a portfolio of successful MVPs, you’ll have tangible evidence that you're the go-to person for startups looking to turn an idea into a product.

5. Promote yourself online

In addition to in-person events and communities, there are online platforms where startups seek developers for MVPs.

LinkedIn is an excellent platform to promote yourself to startups at the idea stage that need developers to build their MVP.

Similarly, freelance platforms like Upwork or Toptal can also be good starting points.

Founders who lack a technical co-founder will often seek short-term development help on these platforms.

By positioning yourself as a specialist in helping founders launch their MVPs, you can stand out from the crowd of generic developers.

6. Offer a discovery call

One practical way to start a relationship with a founder is to offer a free discovery call.

This lets you connect with a founder, understand their needs, and show them how you can help turn their idea into a functional MVP.

It also gives you a chance to pitch your value as a full-stack developer with design and development experience, which means the founder won't need to spend extra time and money coordinating between separate teams.

Discovery calls are an excellent way to build rapport, and many founders will appreciate your willingness to take the time to understand their vision before quoting a price.

Once you have their trust, they’ll be more likely to hire you to build their MVP.

Final thoughts

Finding early-stage startups without a development team might feel like a challenge.

But when you can place yourself in the right communities, attend the right events, and offer targeted services like MVP development, you’ll find opportunities abound.

By building relationships with founders, you'll soon become known as a go-to resource for startups.

If you’ve got the skills to take an idea from concept to MVP, you can make an unbelievable impact. It’s in these early stages where you’ll shape products that define the future.

So embrace it, jump in headfirst, and watch how fast you become indispensable.