Running with someone else's idea...how to credit?

I have a friend that knows I do startups and mvps and SaaS and general internet voodoo. He presented me with a pain point and a list of high volume prospects willing to use and pay for a solution to this pain point.

He was interested in partnering, taking on the prospect relation side of things since he already had a relationship with them. Getting requirements, demos, feedback, etc. He is also a designer and I was looking to lean on him for design work.

3 months in and there is just about nothing produced on his end from that side. Meanwhile, I made a functioning (and quite technical) mobile and web mvp and ready to start iterating.

Should I start considering skipping this blocker and introduce myself to his connections and go from there? Is there an ethical way that I can credit this person?