Different times bring different challenges. A new challenge in the post pandemic times is cofounder disputes between cofounders who have never met in person. 

The typical story line

I am into (fill the name of the technology, industry, trend) and I have met my cofounder on XYZ platform. We hooked up, both wanting to develop something in XYZ. For a few months we have been  working on this project and it has been going really well. We have the prototype, both of us invested some cash into it and started to get some traction. 

Then my cofounder..

• Disappeared 

• Stopped communicating with me

• Stopped being available for the project

• Locked me out of the project website, database, social media accounts

Since then I have been trying to talk to him, but actually, I don't even know where to find him. I have never met my cofounder. 

This case pattern is probably a combination of the covid lockdown times together with the technology progress and trend to transfer so much of our lives to the online environment. 

Don't get me wrong. We need to try to make the most of the new possibilities and to adapt. So I won’t say that stories like these can never work. What I will say though - in a situation where you have never met your cofounder in person, where there is no history, no references, no common ground or network (and i don't mean virtual platform membership), it is even more vital than ever to date your cofounder. To make sure you make time and search for ways of how to make sure you get to know each other. 

Prevention tips

The reason - if your business is going to succeed, your cofounder is potentially one of the most important relationships you will ever have in your life. So you better make sure it is with a person with who you:

• Share core values (or at the minimum your core values are not contradicting each other 

• Defined what is the Why and How of the business you are building 

• Have at least a vague feeling who the person is - how do they work, how do they react under pressure, why are they in it

• Talk about what are your respective contributions and roles 

This is a very summarised version of the conversations I would recommend you to have with any potential cofounder, and especially with a cofounder you have never met. To help you through the process, I have developed a cofounder worksheet to help you structure the process and make sure none of the essential topics will be forgotten. 

So, if you have met online and you think you are the right fit - do go for it while remembering that no technology can substitute the importance of personal fit. So do date your cofounders. Online or offline - make sure you know them before you invest significant amounts of your time, money, ideas, creativity and entrepreneurial enthusiasm.