Struggling cofounders usually succumb to lack of knowledge or lack of support.
The most effective approach to help founders is a holistic 7 steps cofounding framework process, from finding the right cofounders, structuring the team, roles and milestones, to equity split and cofounder agreements.
I help you to develop business partnerships and cofounding teams that perform and last.
Would you ever consider sky-diving without any prior training or instructions? Probably not. The same should be true for business partnerships! They are great and can be very powerful and successful, if you know how to do them right. But they are not easy to get right. Maximise your success chances by building the right team.
As a future cofounder you have many decisions to make:
When forming a new cofounding team, you should be asking these questions:
Do I have the right cofounders?
How will we work together as a team?
How shall we split the roles and responsibilities?
What do we need to know about each other?
Do we agree on the company’s purpose?
How shall we split the equity?
Which other options do I need to implement? Vesting? Cliffs? Milestones?
When joining an existing team, you should be asking these questions:
Do I agree with the team’s values? How will I fit in?
Do I understand my role and responsibilities?
What is a fair equity share to negotiate?
What else do I need to be aware of?
Typical issues to deal with:
Do you have the right team structure, a fitting roles and responsibilities?
Is your equity allocated fairly?
Are you covered for leaving or underperforming cofounder?
Is the team performing well?
New cofounder joining
Cofounder leaving
Is your cofounding agreement complete?
Help, we have a dispute - cofounder mediation
Are you considering investing in a startup? Issues within the cofounding team are the No.1 reason that startups fail. Many successful investors, from Guy Kawasaki to John Doerr, know it. Before investing, cofounding team due diligence should be your top priority. I can help.
The cofounding team: structure, composition, team stability, communication, cohesiveness and values alignment
Existing Cofounders Agreements: written or oral, documented or undocumented, and anything which could afect protection of the project and intellectual property
Equity: The existing equity allocation and recovery framework, focusing on fairness and future proofing
Risks and Risk Management: identification of potential risk areas and their mitigation
Help your future team reach the highest possible performance:
Setting the right structure of the team, including roles, responsibilities and expectations
Aligning team members’ working styles
Communication coaching to embed best practices
Regular peer performance feedback sessions
All, or any of the 7 steps cofounding framework:
suitability for partnership
identifying who you need as a cofounder
preselecting and dating your cofounders
allocation of roles in your team
fair equity split and equity recovery - leaver frameworks, and
cofounder agreements and cofounder charter
Cofounders communication, conflict and dispute resolution
I combine real-world examples, case studies, role plays and practical tools to help the participants learn - and apply - the know how. All the lectures and workshops are delivered in an interactive way and customised for your audience.
Watch the video to see an example of a cofounding workshop.
