Someone once argued that the co-founder relationship is nothing like marriage, but honestly, you probably spend more time with your co-founder than your life partner. 😅
All the points you touched on are truly powerful and important. Thank you for sharing your work, Petar. In addition to those factors you beautifully compiled and Chris Tottman’s comment below may I add one thought? It’s a long journey. Only time will show who you and your co-founder will become along the way. You may know yourselves today, but you don’t yet know how you’ll respond to real success, real failure, or major outcomes whether that’s becoming billionaires, going through an exit, or an IPO.
And things inevitably shift when more powerful actors enter the stage such as investors, growth executives, and others. Collaboration evolves as the circle grows. Just my two cents.
Super important post. Choosing a cofounder is a really important decision and it’s in a way as important as you know your significant other there are three things to remember and one thing to remember not to do the three things are one choose a cofounder who has time to choose a cofounder who has a skill that you don’t have and three founder, who doesn’t have a conflict of interest with you and the company.
The one thing to remember not to do is to choose a cofounder just because you like him or her it’s true that an eyeball test is really powerful, but there is nothing like a cofounder who is actually been in battle with you previously
You’re absolutely right. Founder failure is rarely about intellect. It is about misalignment. Research from Noam Wasserman at Harvard shows that 65 percent of startup failures are linked to conflict between founders. Not product. Not funding. People.
I like the stress test framing. Pressure does not create character gaps. It reveals them. Risk appetite, time horizon and exit expectations are usually the silent fault lines.
The point about testing collaboration in real work is crucial. Shared enthusiasm proves very little. Shared accountability under strain proves everything.
If you had to pick one question that exposes misalignment fastest, which would it be?
Misalignment under pressure is a leading cause of founder breakups, not intellect. Real collaboration is revealed in shared accountability, not just shared enthusiasm
Great questions! Sometimes you don't want to know the answers. But you need to think it through to avoid drama and disaster. It's not difficult to grow a company together if everything goes smoothly. But growth is always messy. You still want a partner in crime when shit hits the fan.
Several of my Millennial Masters interviews described choosing a co-founder as a dating exercise: spending as much time together to find out if values and aims are aligned, as well as if their skill sets are complementary rather than overlapping.
Treating co-founder selection like an extended collaboration test is key. Values, goals, and complementary skills all matter, and real-world collaboration often reveals alignment better than conversations alone
Thanks Petar. Appreciate the support. These times allow Founders to deliver market stories at a low cost -> Weather balloons, failing fast, lean ops, traction, and observability.
The article brought to mind "The Social Network", about Facebook's founders and the tension.
I'd point out that in The Social Network, had all the founders been on the same page about everything, it very possibly would have stayed a small project, and we wouldn't know what Facebook is. But ofc, when building something it's best to be on the same page, and have the convos you discussed...
Biggest wealth creators or dilutors - life partner and Business partner(s). Choose wisely 🤔
Couldn’t agree more; life partners and business partners are among the biggest wealth creators (or dilutors) you’ll ever choose
That's a mind blowing piece of advice, Chris :O I never thought to think of it that way, but that's true.
🔝
Someone once argued that the co-founder relationship is nothing like marriage, but honestly, you probably spend more time with your co-founder than your life partner. 😅
Spot on
All the points you touched on are truly powerful and important. Thank you for sharing your work, Petar. In addition to those factors you beautifully compiled and Chris Tottman’s comment below may I add one thought? It’s a long journey. Only time will show who you and your co-founder will become along the way. You may know yourselves today, but you don’t yet know how you’ll respond to real success, real failure, or major outcomes whether that’s becoming billionaires, going through an exit, or an IPO.
And things inevitably shift when more powerful actors enter the stage such as investors, growth executives, and others. Collaboration evolves as the circle grows. Just my two cents.
Absolutely Esin. Co-founder dynamics evolve over time, and testing collaboration under real scenarios early can reveal long-term compatibility.
Super important post. Choosing a cofounder is a really important decision and it’s in a way as important as you know your significant other there are three things to remember and one thing to remember not to do the three things are one choose a cofounder who has time to choose a cofounder who has a skill that you don’t have and three founder, who doesn’t have a conflict of interest with you and the company.
The one thing to remember not to do is to choose a cofounder just because you like him or her it’s true that an eyeball test is really powerful, but there is nothing like a cofounder who is actually been in battle with you previously
Great practical checklist!
You’re absolutely right. Founder failure is rarely about intellect. It is about misalignment. Research from Noam Wasserman at Harvard shows that 65 percent of startup failures are linked to conflict between founders. Not product. Not funding. People.
I like the stress test framing. Pressure does not create character gaps. It reveals them. Risk appetite, time horizon and exit expectations are usually the silent fault lines.
The point about testing collaboration in real work is crucial. Shared enthusiasm proves very little. Shared accountability under strain proves everything.
If you had to pick one question that exposes misalignment fastest, which would it be?
Misalignment under pressure is a leading cause of founder breakups, not intellect. Real collaboration is revealed in shared accountability, not just shared enthusiasm
Great set of questions! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to take few back to my founders team because I think we aren’t clear enought on them yet
Appreciate it
Great questions! Sometimes you don't want to know the answers. But you need to think it through to avoid drama and disaster. It's not difficult to grow a company together if everything goes smoothly. But growth is always messy. You still want a partner in crime when shit hits the fan.
Totally. The hardest answers are the ones worth having up front. Thanks for calling that out
Several of my Millennial Masters interviews described choosing a co-founder as a dating exercise: spending as much time together to find out if values and aims are aligned, as well as if their skill sets are complementary rather than overlapping.
Treating co-founder selection like an extended collaboration test is key. Values, goals, and complementary skills all matter, and real-world collaboration often reveals alignment better than conversations alone
"Most founder conflict surfaces when a decision must be made quickly and stakes are high." So true.
Thanks for this great post, Petar.
High-stakes decisions expose differences fast, and preparing for them is key to a resilient founding team
Adjacent path to explore - based on my experience with a failed partnership and what works in early stage business development → Go turbo mode.
Co-create a ReadyStack. Founders, ICPs, and adjacent solutions live together in a closed commercial GTM ecosystem. A live incubator.
Invite Angels to observe how your market flows and resonance unfolds. And if adjacent - invite the Angles’ portfolio companies to join in the fun.
Exciting times for the curious.
I like the ReadyStack idea
Thanks Petar. Appreciate the support. These times allow Founders to deliver market stories at a low cost -> Weather balloons, failing fast, lean ops, traction, and observability.
You're welcome. Thank you for joining the conversation!
Chemistry feels good. Clarity builds companies that survive pressure.
Clarity is what actually keeps teams together under pressure
I like the framing here. Pressure does not create cracks. It exposes them.
Perfect line. Thanks for the crisp summary
The article brought to mind "The Social Network", about Facebook's founders and the tension.
I'd point out that in The Social Network, had all the founders been on the same page about everything, it very possibly would have stayed a small project, and we wouldn't know what Facebook is. But ofc, when building something it's best to be on the same page, and have the convos you discussed...
Iconic startups often thrive despite tension, but structured conversations early can prevent destructive misalignment while keeping innovation alive