Putting together a team for a web startup

We are missing some important information here - namely do you have enough money to fund your startup? It would be to your advantage to get your project as far along as you can before you take on a developer, and then pay the developer in cash if you can. Otherwise, they will be able to demand quite a bit in terms of shares and ownership.

The founding should be as close in quality and mix as what investors would expect to have if they were paying market salaries. put the other way round, if you start with mates that are not at the right level but are included mostly because they are in the 'coalition of the willing' then later you will likely have to make changes. I know someone who tried for years to get a business off the ground with a partner that just could not do the amount of 'lifting'. Worth considering at the start.

Remuneration by shares: that's a tricky one. it can work for some but it depends on temperaments. developers are often motivated by technology, freedom, lifestyle and a bit of bling. I don't see many that have a gold-digger mentality. Few understand a business model and few also would be ready to remortgage half their house for your business. But if the business takes off then they'll be diss'd if they don't have a stake. Better to maintain the lifestyle and freedom of work, and to earmark in your head some shares that you would release.