Finding a co-founder - frequently asked questions answered
Thinking of starting a startup? Unless you have all the required skills and are comfortable going solo, you’ll need a co-founder. Each year we meet with hundreds of founders, and each year we answer the same questions related to finding a co-founder.
In this blog we’ll answer the most frequently asked questions, and provide our favourite resources for anyone interested in finding their match.
With the same level of determination, ambition, and speed as getting your first customers. Who you build your company with might be the most influential decision you make in the beginning of your founder journey, that will make or break your company. The best and brightest people are not waiting around idly, they are probably working on multiple projects and/or working on something of their own. Convincing such a person to join you on a risky venture will require hard work and determination.
Not all of us a fortunate enough to have the perfect co-founder in our inner circle. Here are our top 3 methods:
Skills aside, you need to find a co-founder who you enjoy working with. Events are a great place to meet potential co-founders, because finding the chemistry is easier in person than online. The only downside of events is that they might be rare, and you can talk only to so many people during one evening.
That’s why we organize free co-founder matchmaking events every month.
At our larger open events, we usually get from 50 to 100 people who participate in co-founder speed dating. We also organize smaller invitation-only get-togethers, based around a specific topic. The way to get invited is by filling in your Kiuas Co-Founder profile well and sharing what topics you are interested in.
Check out the next events here: https://lu.ma/kiuas
A large selection of people with various backgrounds who are currently in the same situation as you are. What could be better?
You can also expand your search to these international co-founder platforms.
If you’re looking for a co-founder with a specific skillset, we recommend reaching out to people directly. Some of the best recent co-founder matches have come from founders conducting traditional recruitment campaigns.
The only way to see if you work well with someone is to, well, work with them. Start by doing a project together, like a weekend-long hackathon. This way you will get an idea of what working together would feel like.
Getting along in a work-context is necessary, but not enough. If you end up as co-founders, you will be stuck together for several years, through thick and thin. That’s why spending time together outside of the work context already, in the beginning, can give a lot of perspective. Is this someone you’d like to grab a beer with? Go on a run or a hike?
Here are some questions to cover in the “dating phase” of your co-founder journey:
While you as the founders are the only ones to determine what is right for your company, here are our favorite resources to give you some food for thought:
In most cases you only need paperwork when you’ve found the perfect match. A standard shareholders’ agreement outlines the roles, responsibilities, and rights of all shareholders - in this case usually only the founders. We recommend getting started with the Series seed- template as it covers all the basic concepts you should have in your shareholder’s agreement.
If you are working on something involving a scientific discovery or anything patentable, you can draft a standard NDA to get started, even before signing a shareholders agreement.
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