Developers can help validate business ideas, build minimum viable products, and scale technology. It's best to first test an idea with a simple build before hiring a developer to create new technology. When hiring a generalist developer, look for logical, fast learning individuals at meetups, universities or sites like Stack Overflow and AngelList who can understand the business domain, have attention to detail, write well, and get work done through a good development process rather than focusing on degrees or languages. Ask about their experience building previous projects.