How to find the perfect co-founder(s) for your startup

Having a strong co-founding team is an important success factor for startups. In fact having the wrong founding team is amongst the top reasons why companies fail. Read more about how to build a strong team.

Without a strong team, the idea will just stay as that, an idea. However, finding the right co-founder can seem like a long and complicated process. There are many things that entrepreneurs need to take into consideration when making the decision of who to start a company with; starting with what to look for in terms of skillsets, compatibility and personality, followed by where to meet available co-founders, to making sure it will last in the long run. Based on our experience, there are 5 important elements that make a strong co-founding team. But before you start searching for someone, you need to ask yourself some key questions.

antler

Antler

The investor backing the world's most driven founders, from day zero to greatness. Enabling thousands of founders every year to launch and scale companies that move the world forward.

Do you need a co-founder?

There is no right or wrong answer here. Many unicorns have been successful with only one founder but in general, a team of 2 or 3 people has the best dynamics necessary to run a company. Imagine how great it is to have someone on your team to share your wins with and have a shoulder to cry on, someone that can complement your strengths and balance out your weaknesses. Founding a company is not a steady journey, it can be a real battle where you need some friendly power which you're not going to get from your employees.

Where do I start?

Before you begin the headhunt for a perfect co-founder, you should start with yourself. First of all, find your superpowers - things you are good at and keen on doing. Then, be brutally honest with yourself and confront your weaknesses. When you identify your strengths and weak points, look for an individual who completes you. The ideal co-founder will possess the skills you lack.

Having the right mindset is absolutely key when looking for a co-founder. Finding a perfect co-founder is all about increasing your luck surface area. Spend as much time as possible with people talking about your ideas. This is when you see whether the person is interested in the same field, whether they can add value to your idea and whether you have the chemistry.

If you meet someone with whom you see yourself working with, that's fantastic! But don't worry, it's okay to tell them that before you start working together, you want to meet other people and have more in-depth discussions relating your ideas. Remember to be open and transparent in your communication. It's clear that you want to exploit all the opportunities. Just remember that the heads-up for your potential co-founder is crucial to have a strong and honest foundation of your relationship.

What to look for in your co-founder?

A popular concept introduced by several notable investors and founders is that an efficient founding team consists of three types of people: a Hipster, a Hacker, and a Hustler ("The 3H"). The Hipster designs the product or service, the Hacker builds it, and the Hustler sells it.

The 3H concept is based on the belief that complementary skill sets in the founding team are critical to effectively build and scale a company. However, it does not mean that you need three people in every co-founding team. For example, some people can be both great "Hustler" and "Hipster", and others can be a fantastic CTO while also having tremendous sales capabilities.

Why does this matter? We know that the wrong founding team is amongst the top reasons why companies fail. Great talent in itself does not lead to great companies if the team is not right.

We've seen hundreds of teams being formed, hundreds of teams breaking up, and also many teams being highly successful. We've identified 5 important elements that make a good co-founding team:

1. Chemistry - an absolute must in a co-founding team. Founders need to be able to see themselves working together for the next 3-10 years. Learn more about the first-hand experience relating chemistry from one of the Antler founders in Sydney.

2. Shared values - it is necessary to agree on the work style, on how to treat your employees, and basically how to run the company.

3. Same vision - it is important to have a very aligned view on where to take the company and find clear ways to align on differences. Even though at the beginning it might be difficult to see an exact vision, it is crucial to talk about it from the very start.

4. Complementary skillsets - it's good to have different strengths, e.g. the classic tech/business split. But there are multiple ways to think about this. It could also be two techies, one with a front-end spike and one with an infrastructure spike.

5. Complementary personalities - a good team consists of team members who have different personality strengths, e.g. on the MBTI or Big 5 dimensions.

Identifying and assessing these 5 elements might be challenging. This is why being in a program such as Antler is a real asset. Here is a sneak peek of a few insider success stories from the Antler program and why they work well together.

- Co-founders of Cognicept from Singapore formed a team based on a clear idea brought by one of the founders and complemented one another in terms of skills and personalities.

- Co-founders of Capture from Singapore had unique chemistry and the same vision to build something sustainable.

- Co-founders of Blueheart from London completed each other when it comes to complementary skills and have very strong chemistry.

How do I know if this is the right fit?

When you finally have a certain person in mind, ask yourself "is this person an energy gainer or energy drainer to me?". Can you see yourself delight in being around this person almost every day for the next 5 years or more? Do they make you feel energized and motivated or lackadaisical and slow? Nothing is more important than your chemistry.

A lot of teams learn about each other for many weeks or even months. But you can make things easier by talking through the difficult questions early on. Are we gonna work weekends for the first year? Are we gonna take salaries? How do we hire people? How do we pay them? Are you going to spend time with your kids/partner? What's your motivation to build a company? Talk through your personal values and your long-term vision for your company. The sooner you have the answers to these questions, the better for the future of your company.

Besides that, if everything looks perfect in theory, but you are still in doubt, listen to your gut feeling. It is often the best indicator.

Launch your startup with Antler!

Antler is a global early-stage VC investing in the world's most exceptional people building the defining companies of tomorrow. We help our founders build strong co-founding teams, validate their business idea, connect them with a global network of successful entrepreneurs and mentors as well as provide funding. Find out more about Antler or apply to one of our locations: Singapore, New York City, Nairobi, Amsterdam, Sydney, London, Oslo, or Stockholm.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest news and views from Antler’s global community

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Must-read articles from Antler

Browse our collection of founder stories, industry insights and latest startup successes from Antler Australia

See articles
Insights
5 min read
Invest in women: fast-track progress

Making progress a certainty—our north star goal at Antler—can’t happen if driven and visionary people aren’t firing at all cylinders with the support they need to tackle the pressing problems of our time. We’re marking International Women’s Day by asking women founders and team members in Antler’s global community why women are essential to progress.

Insights
5 min read
How to secure venture capital as an underrepresented founder

There is growing recognition that diverse founders and diverse teams generate more innovative solutions, ultimately building stronger businesses in the long run. Read Antler in the UK portfolio director Sarah Finegan's recent article in Startups Magazine, offering 10 tips on securing venture capital as an underrepresented founder.

Insights
5 min read
From day zero to greatness: Magnus Grimeland on the Capital Allocators podcast

How can the world tackle the increasingly complex problems of our time? With a new global infrastructure backing the most driven founders. Listen to Antler founder and CEO Magnus Grimeland discuss this—and why we're building Antler—on the Capital Allocators podcast.

News
5 min read
Antler expands into Queensland, Australia

Antler is charting a new course for innovation by expanding our presence in Australia. We are launching in Queensland and partnering with the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).

Supported by the Queensland Government's Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund (QVCDF), the partnership is poised to transform the state's innovation sector. With a focus on bridging the early-stage funding gap, Antler and QIC are committed to attracting and nurturing the nation's top talent, driving forward Queensland's position on the global innovation stage.

Insights
5 min read
Bridging startups and industry leaders to drive purposeful innovation

As Jeff Bezos once said: “What’s dangerous is to not evolve.” While most business leaders understand that stagnation is fatal, for a host of reasons established companies often struggle to innovate—purposefully and powerfully.

Antler’s Business Development and Collaborations Group helps global corporates drive innovation excellence through high value-generating collaborations with Antler’s 1,000+ (and growing) global startup portfolio. In our collaboration with Investa, a leading Australian real estate investment manager and developer, we are connecting them to our global community of founders and the cutting-edge solutions they are building.

Read more about the powerful outcomes that happen when ambitious startups and industry leaders come together.

Insights
5 min read
The next wave of innovation: 27 industry trends set to define 2024

What will innovation look like as we move deeper into 2024? What are the biggest industry trends that will define the coming year?

We asked our global network of Antler Operators—founders, sector leaders, CxOs, and VPs from companies including Roblox, Airtable, Shopify, Spotify, Affirm, DoorDash, Uber, Hubspot, and more, who offer 1:1 advice to Antler portfolio companies, giving them extra firepower to help fast-track their growth.

News
5 min read
Antler leads $5.1M pre-seed funding for 37 startups across Southeast Asia

This marks the highest number of pre-seed deals completed in a single round in the region.

Insights
5 min read
Shaping sustainability in venture capital

Antler's third annual ESG and Impact Report discusses our commitment to sustainability as a strategic principle that's fundamental to the success of our firm, our portfolio companies, and broader society.