Here's the situation: I have two good friends with an awesome real estate-based startup idea. The problem is that I'm the only developer they know and can't go in on it with them for other reasons not important here.

I've been helping them try to find their third partner, and it has been a real learning experience in how hard it is to find a stranger willing to take the plunge and try out a startup.

We've tried our Facebook contacts, I've floated the idea around my office, we've even put paid job listings up on job boards -- a few months later and no real success.

Can startups only be formed among existing acquaintances? How do you go about the founder-search? Do you think that you have to just go full-ahead with the plan without a developer, and trust that you'll find one before you it's too late?