The problem there is the fundamental misalignment between a boring CRUD project and a technical founder. If the project isn't technically challenging, then the success of the business doesn't even depend on the technical skills, so equity isn't an appropriate incentive for the technical contributor. What they really need is a contract/salary programmer, but are attempting to sell it as "you'll get rich with equity" to avoid paying up front. In essence, they're attempting to raise seed funding from a naive engineer.
Comments
The problem there is the fundamental misalignment between a boring CRUD project and a technical founder. If the project isn't technically challenging, then the success of the business doesn't even depend on the technical skills, so equity isn't an appropriate incentive for the technical contributor. What they really need is a contract/salary programmer, but are attempting to sell it as "you'll get rich with equity" to avoid paying up front. In essence, they're attempting to raise seed funding from a naive engineer.