SeedcampAMA

@Geordant, are you pitching? :)

Tom: Great question. Looking at people / the team - a balance of skills (technical and non- technical) and also generally a positive outlook are key characteristics we look for. Being a founder of a start-up is hard and you're gonna get knocked down a lot and have to work super hard to make it work, that's why we look for positive people. Positive people are those who can inspire those they work with, deal with the setbacks and learn from the experiences and also lead a business and grow it into something incredible.

Carlos: If you want a deeper dive into how an investor evaluates a team for success, I wrote a blog post a while back on the subject and also asked fellow investors their thoughts on the matter here - http://thedrawingboard.me/2011/09/12/how-does-an-investor-evaluate-a-startups-team/

Dave: To make it clear, Seedcamp does accept single founders and has done both in the past and very recently. It's a good start that you've already built a product and are the technical co-founder. Being a single, non-technical co-founder without a product would likely be a lot tougher!

Of course, a co-founder can make things easier for you in the long-run and make you more investable in the eyes of an investor, but isn't the defining factor for success and it sounds like you're keen to get a co-founder in the near future to complement your existing skills.

If your existing idea, product and passion is enough to get you through the application process as a single founder, then there are many ways that you'll benefit from the Seedcamp experience. For example, during Seedcamp Week alone, you'll meet over 100 of the best mentors in Europe. As well as getting great feedback and advice on the day, a lot of startups find their first advisors, employees, investors and future COO's at this event.

And all companies coming through Seedcamp Week get that, not just the ones we invest in!

Dave: We've got an orderly rota now Phil :) We take it in turns to clean up.

Dave: Even though the word 'camp' in our name, Seedcamp is a lifelong experience :) not just a short term thing!

Depending on what you want your lifestyle to be like, it's always helpful to save up some personal money before jumping into a startup, to whatever extent possible. Then if you're successful in getting an investment from us during Seedcamp Week this should help you bootstrap your initial life as a founder, including coming to London (if you're overseas).

After this, one of the key benefits about being on the Seedcamp program itself is that we're teaching you the skills to expedite follow-on fundraising. 86% of companies have gone on to do this, hopefully within 6-9 months, but it varies between companies.