"Find out what motivates people. What drives your prospective partners? If the sole factors are money and personal glory, I'd think hard about working with that person. Money can cloud judgment and create conflict: For that reason, money can and should be a primary goal, but it shouldn't be the only goal. Things like changing the world and providing a great product must be equally important.

Check egos at the door. A dynamic leader is great; an egomaniacal one is not. Since your goal is to create an environment in which the best ideas boil to the top, it's important that all members of the founding team have an equal voice. People need to feel that they're contributing to the growth of the company---even as the team builds out. Outside of hard executive decisions, I don't believe founders should pull rank in open discussions."