Reprompt AI

Cofounder Mode - A Tactical Guide to Finding a Cofounder

Oct 10, 2024

The tactical guide

I spent 9 months and almost 100 “cofounder dates” finding my cofounder. It took way more time and effort than I was expecting. Since then, I’ve helped friends run a tight process to find their cofounder. Here’s the tactical guide I wish I had when I started.

Define your ICP - your Ideal Cofounder Profile

The more specific you are about your ICP, the less time you will waste on people who aren’t a match. The most important factors are:

Skillset
Timing and location
Idea interest

Here’s an example ICP statement:

I’m looking for a technical cofounder who is ready to commit in the next 2-3 months and work in-person in San Francisco. I’m looking for them to do Product, Design, and Engineering. I am non-technical and can handle Sales, Marketing, and Product. I’m committed to healthtech and have a few ideas, but willing to work on other ideas in healthtech.

Define who you are as a founder by answering the 50 Cofounder Dating questions

First Round Capital created a great list of cofounder questions. They're a helpful self-assessment for understanding what's important to you — what's a dealbreaker and what's acceptable.

It will take about 2.5 hours to fill these out, but it’ll save you time in the long run by helping you identify what to look for in a cofounder and cut off unpromising conversations early.

Here's a Google Sheet with all the questions— it's easier to use than First Round's PDF, and you can put your answers next to a potential cofounder's to see where you align or differ.

Find potential cofounder leads

Start with the most fertile sources of leads:

People you already know - People you’ve worked with before make great cofounders because you already know how they work, what energizes or stresses them, and what ideas they’re drawn to. Make sure they match your ICP, though. After 10 years of work experience, there were only 7 people on my list (and they all said the timing wasn’t right).
Your extended network - Tell your network you’re looking for a cofounder and share your ICP. Ask for intros. Even if they don’t know anyone now, you’ll be on their mind when they do.
Cofounder dating apps - YC's cofounder matching platform is quite good, and the talent quality is high. Browse profiles and then adjust your own profile based on the best examples.
Events and hackathons - These can be good sources, but be sure to determine who is looking for a cofounder versus who is happy in their current job.

Important notes on timing

Timing is the hardest part of finding a cofounder. It took me 9 months, which seems crazy in hindsight. There aren’t that many people looking to start a startup right now, which affects you in a few ways:

It takes calendar days, not total hours - Cofounder dating takes a few hours spread over many calendar days. Going on a ton of dates in a week gives diminishing returns. Better to meet a consistent number of people weekly and wait for the right match. Keep this in mind as you plan your emotional and financial runway.
It’s not a full-time job - Cofounder dating can take many months. Consider what else you’ll do during this time: stay in your job, start building your company, or take a break. Trying to do everything at once can be stressful and hard to structure.
Non-committal people - You’ll meet many people who are considering startups but aren’t ready to commit. Avoid spending too much time with them. Check in occasionally to see if anything’s changed.

The dating funnel

Date 1: 30-minute video call

You’re looking for vibes and checking if they fit your ICP.

No coffee on the first date - Zoom is more efficient, taking 30 minutes versus 2 hours for coffee.
Talk specifics - Discuss what you’re working on, what ideas excite you, and why you’re interested in a startup. Skip small talk.

If the vibes are right and they fit your ICP, schedule date 2. If not, politely say no. “It was great meeting you, let’s keep in touch” usually works.

Date 2: In-person coffee

Feel out the vibes and get deeper into ideas. Ask how they work—how much, at home or in-office, favorite projects.

Date 2.5: Take-home assignment - The 50 first cofounder questions

If date 2 goes well, ask them to fill out the 50 questions. Have them copy the Google template and fill in their answers first, without seeing yours. This helps identify disagreements.

Before meeting, share documents and mark topics to discuss.

Date 3: In-person project (2-3 days)

Two options:

Hackathon-style: Attend a hackathon unrelated to your startup ideas. It’s time-bound and lets you test building, designing, pitching, and working under stress.
Startup-style: Take one of your ideas and scope a 2-3 day project. Both of you should contribute roughly equally. Good examples include building a feature to show customers, finishing a pitch deck, or talking to industry experts. Seeing how someone handles talking to customers is great signal.

What’s next

Keep working together as much as possible. If you can both work full-time, start right away. If not, make a plan to get there soon.

Red flags to watch for

They’re unwilling to change an idea you hate.
You’re talking past each other—“agreeing” without truly understanding.
They’re not in your ICP—they won’t do sales or aren’t the right kind of technical.
The vibes are off—cut things off quickly if it’s not working.
They want to work on this part-time
They want to quit their job but haven't set a date to do it
They're going to quit their job but only after the YC interview

FAQ

Should I find a cofounder first or an idea first?

There are advantages to both, but my advice is to make sure you're getting in a high quality rep on both

Working with a cofounder personally sped up my business by about 3x compared to working solo. It's hard to tell how slow you're moving until you're working with someone else who is good and committed.
Not having a cofounder probably shouldn't keep you from moving your startup forward if you have an idea. It's reasonable to work on both if you're able to get in high quality reps.