Do you need a co-founder & how to find the right one?
Should you start a company if you don’t have a co-founder?
The answer depends on your situation, but in 90% of cases, it’s better to spend time finding a co-founder.
Finding the right co-founder is as important as finding the right life partner.
In this post, I’m sharing all about finding the right co-founder, what to look for, where to find them, how to start and main reasons for breakups.
This is my fourth “starting startups mini-series”.
Previous mini-series post was about setting a Dubai company without agents:
Should you go solo or not?
There are exceptions when going solo might work out for you and not become a limitation. These situations usually meet two conditions:
A strong, specific idea: You have a clear idea you’re deeply passionate about, and it solves a real problem.
Domain expertise and execution capability: You have unique experience that qualifies you to tackle this problem effectively, and you can build the product yourself.
For example, if you’re a skilled software engineer with years of experience in a particular industry, you can start building your product solo and gain traction before finding a co-founder.
If you’re not technical, it’s much harder to go solo. In that case, you should prioritize finding a technical co-founder who can help build the product and share the workload.
What to look for in a co-founder?
1. Ability to handle stress
Startups are stressful, co-founders must manage stress effectively and support each other.
Co-founder breakups due to stress are a leading cause of startup failure
2. Aligned long-term goals
Ensure your co-founder shares your vision (e.g., building a high-growth startup vs. a lifestyle business).
Try this exercise, answering 36 questions with your future co-founder. Get to know each other better and assess whether you’re a fit.
3. Complementary skills
Look for someone whose skills complement yours. For tech startups, at least one co-founder should have technical skills.
4. Growth potential
Don’t just evaluate their current skills, consider their ability to adapt and grow as the startup evolves. You want someone who’s a fast learner and not afraid to do tasks outside of their current skillset.
Where to find co-founders?
1. Existing network
The best co-founders are often people you already know. They might be former colleagues, classmates, or friends. Don’t assume someone isn’t available, ask them directly.
My co-founder is also my life partner, and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. I’ve noticed more successful startups being built by family members, and while boundaries are essential, shared values, aligned goals, and deep trust can truly become your unfair advantage.
2. Expand your network
If your existing network doesn’t work, grow your surface area.
Attend hackathons, startup events, or meetups - in Dubai, check out these founder focused groups & events: TacoStars, 24SIX9, those who wander
Contribute to open-source projects to meet other builders.
Join co-founder matching platform on Y Combinator
How to start?
Test the relationship: If you don’t know your potential co-founder well, work on small projects together before committing. This “dating period” helps you assess compatibility.
Formal agreement: Make sure to agree on a clear equity split and put an agreement in writing. This might save you lots of stress in the future.
Reasons for co-founder breakups
35% of companies have co-founder breakups, the most common reasons being:
Unequal equity split: Especially if raising capital, some co-founder’s equity will be diluting faster than others. And they might not like it.
Loss of trust: Co-founders don’t value each other’s contributions, can’t agree and don’t grow their skillset with the company.
Conflicting working styles: One has a family and needs more work life balance, the other wants to go all in. Different leadership styles. In a small team, such conflicts can kill you.
Next up, I’ll be writing about:
✅ How to start 🏁
✅ How to choose get & validate the right idea
✅ How to set up your business and where
✅ How to select a co-founder
👉🏻 Techniques to get your first 100 customers
I’ll include examples from my startups atlaseek and qasima, along with key moments (both good and bad) from my personal journey.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to continue this “starting mini-series” with me.
See you next week!
Kristina
🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn - Kristina Melsova.
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