According to most estimates, around 65% of startups that could have been great end up crashing because the founders fall.
Which brings us to a logical conclusion: choosing “the one who says yes” because your co-founder is not really a winning strategy. At least statistically.
An obvious alternative is to build solo. What can be brilliant or disastrous – depending on whether you have enough skills, endurance and blind optimism to remove it. Oh, and enough charm to convince investors to risk betting on you and only you.
When I caught my start -up bug, I was almost sure that I needed a co -founder. I saw too much solo foundation and CEO while I worked for my previous employer. I had already learned it to the hard one (thank God, not on my penny!) How important it is to have a solid power balance and a source of mutual decision -making challenge in management.
The problem was that I had absolutely no option in mind.
Ideally, you start a business with someone you have worked for for years. Someone with whom you survived bad bosses and pitch meetings. Someone you have panic attacks and panic jokes that you both have first -hand views.
I didn't have that. I have a lot of good friends, but none of them would have been crazy enough to embark on this trip with me.
But the absence of perfect conditions has never been sufficient for me not to try.
(Some names below have been modified for courtesy and common sense)
📌 attempt # 1: Antler UK
First stop: Antler UK, an accelerator program which, among other things, helps the founders to match the co -founders.
I will save my full experience from Antler for another article (leave a comment below if it would be interesting). But the co -founder … It was not exactly a roaring success. Because, frankly, it is the disadvantage of accelerators of sectoral agnostics – it is really difficult to find someone who:
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Has the same interests as you in the sector
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Has complementary skills to yours
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Is actually someone you would like to work with.
From a cohort of 69 people, only one – let's call it like for the moment – I felt like a good adjustment for what I had in mind. Simi had a strong bizdev experience, great enthusiasm and a range of personal features that I really appreciate for people – good work ethics, empathy, responsibility, etc. We worked together for a few weeks and even started sketching the first locations of the product.
Everything seemed promising, but there was something that separated us.
The comments of Antler's partners.
At the time, my idea was not considered completely supported by VC. Which, frankly, was true. It could have been slightly moved in the right direction (which has arrived in IMII in the last months of this year, but that's another story). But at the time, the comments we obtained were sometimes enough destructive.
Simi felt more and more worried not to raise. I was trying to stay strong, but unfortunately, I am already going into my depression (that I was officially diagnosed and treated later, but it is also a story for another time).
None of us had enough energy to resist criticism and prove them the opposite.
Sim is devoted to exploring other teams while the program was still underway. No drama, no resentment. Honestly, I always respect him for trying.
Lesson learned: Find a co -founder through a generalist accelerator can Work – but you literally drive dice in a thunderstorm. Sector -specific programs can give you better odds.
But one thing Antler didGive me – something much more useful in the long term – was a framework to correctly assess the co -founder.
Later, this setting would make me a lot of sorrows.
📌 Attempt # 2: the random intro
Some time later, I met Nicole, a talented AI engineer, thanks to a networking event. At the time, she was also looking for a new challenge. After a few coffee cats, we decided to give him a shot.
But from the start, something has been felt … off. There was a subtle shift but living in energy, tempo, communication. Little progress. Little alignment. And a persistent intestinal feeling that continued to hum in me:
“It's not good.”
After taking a very necessary vacation, I sent a text to Nicole suggesting that we have taken a break.
“Oh yeah, I also thought that everything is a little eccentric” – was his answer.
I have blinked on my screen. It was not quite what I said – but fairly fair. Better a clean break than a dragged mesh.
Sometimes they are not fiery red flags. Sometimes it's just the calm voice of your instinct: No.
You would be able to listen.
📌 Attempt n ° 3: the LINKEDIN DM
Somewhere during my post -entry survival sprint, I started to publish more openly on LinkedIn – raw reflections, learned lessons, no sugar. This is how Marc found me. He slipped into my engineer DMS – AI, a similar founding program background, even hungry to build something real.
On paper, everything was aligning beautifully. In reality … there was no momentum.
Partly because I still determined what I could delegate exactly to a technical co -founder at such an early stage of my business (which was still in its state of Pitchdeck at the time).
Partly because Marc was … Well, not exactly forward. While I jostle – launch imii wherever they give me a microphone, whisking our WordPress site from zero, mapping our first B2B strategy … Marc sent three or four cold e -mails to the relocation agencies. I have no answer. Raised his shoulders. And that was it.
When I slowly pushed to find out more, he admitted that he was overwhelmed. And – the greatest truth – that he had fallen in love with the project.
Indeed, I thanked him for honesty. After all, the better it is an honest no now than a next day and full of resentment.
We have separated on good terms. He now builds something different in his country of origin. We always discuss each other here and then.
📌 Attempt n ° 4: Halloween, chaos and a real co -founder
At the end of October, I was still at that – a deck, a handful of user interviews, and that's about it. But I was always full of hope and determined.
So, one day, I signed up for Pitch Imii at Rarefounders – my first Open -MIC startup event outside Antler. My first public argument of Imii, Also.
Two days earlier, the organizers sent a cheeky email: “Halloween arrives. Let's carry costumes – a winner of the costume competition will obtain a meeting of investors!”
I didn't need to be asked twice – a costume party. So I presented myself in full outfit.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, can I introduce you how I appeared for the first time in front of the crowd presenting my social impact startup for the first time.
And yes, that's how my co -founder then future saw me for the first time.
Alex came to talk to me after my field. She presented herself as a product manager with ML and AI training, looking for a startup to join. Something about him seemed … well. At least the connection was definitely there. We therefore agreed to exchange contacts and catch up.
At the time, I always ended things with Marc, but after the closure of this chapter, Alex and I seated properly for a conversation. And we talked. Really spoken. On what we both wanted and what we feared. On money, equity, decision -making rights, limits, founding conflicts, mental health, ambitions, professional exhaustion.
And obviously, we decided to give him a blow – and started our period of “trial”.
Quick advance until January, we officially recorded Imii and signed our founding agreements.
Later this month, I caught the worst flu of my life – the kind of influenza where an ambulance was to be involved (but turned out to be useless anyway). Alex proposed to travel all along London, during an icy night, to drag my self -conscious self in a re. And even if I did not adopt it in this offer (germs and logistics) – but the fact that she offered me enough to know that I was ready to trust this person.
And here we are. More than a year later.
Always standing. Always pushing. Always understand, one step at a time.
Good end?
Maybe.
Hopefully a very good start.
To follow.
