20 questions to ask a potential cofounder before you commit

Choosing a cofounder is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make, and most people make it after a few coffees. These questions are meant to be uncomfortable early so they're not catastrophic later.

Motivation and ambition

Why do you want to start a company, and why now? What does success look like in five years — a large exit, a profitable independent business, or something else? What would make you walk away? If your answers point in different directions, the company will eventually have to choose between you.

Money and runway

How many months can you go without a salary? Are you willing to put in personal savings? What salary would you need once you raise, and how do you feel about raising venture capital at all? Financial pressure changes behaviour, so know each other's limits.

Roles and decisions

Who will be CEO, and why? Which decisions does each of you own outright, and which need agreement? How will you break a deadlock? What will each of you stop doing as the team grows?

Commitment and life

How many hours a week can you give, starting when? Are there family, visa, or health constraints the other person should know about? Is anything else — a job, a side project, another startup — competing for your time?

Working style and conflict

Tell me about the last serious disagreement you had at work and how it ended. How do you like to receive criticism? What does a bad week look like for you? Have you worked together on something real yet — and if not, what small project could you do first?

Equity and the exit door

How should equity be split, and on what vesting schedule? What happens to unvested shares if one of you leaves? We cover this in detail in how to split equity with a cofounder.

On Cofounder for Startups, commitment and equity expectations are on every cofounder profile before you match, so you start the conversation from common ground. Find a cofounder.

The Cofounder for Startups team

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