At NEXEA, we are at the centre of the Startup world in Malaysia & Southeast Asia, and this gives us a special access to Startups, Developers, Investors, and Entrepreneurs. We have Invested in many upcoming Startups - many of which are looking for Co-Founders.
According to some research, the magic number of Founders for a unicorn ($1B Startup) is two. However - this is not nearly as important as building a great team overall - Founder or no Founder!
...the magic number of Founders for a unicorn ($1B Startup) is two.
To save you time, here are some of the better/localised tips on how to find a co-founder from another article;
Someone that has strengths that are exactly your weaknesses. Typically, you would be very entrepreneurial, so do find someone that can is either very productive (or is a great result-oriented salesperson) or very process-driven person.
Fresh graduates are acceptable if they already have specific skills. Usually, Startups require quite specific skills in digital marketing, sales, and IT development. Yes - these are mostly skills to bring in revenues, the most important ingredient to Startup sustainability.
Partners from the exact same backgrounds do not always turn out well. First, if the personalities are exactly the same, this signals a lack of diversity. A lack of Founder diversity usually causes strengths to double, but also for weaknesses to double as well. A well-balanced team is able to cover all weaknesses in different situations.
Use social networks and matchmaking sites for co-founders
Here are some networks for you to find co-founders:
Get in touch with past co-workers and associates that impressed you. Sell your idea to them and tell them why they are good for the role. Most people tend to be bored in their daily jobs - so do not let your fears avoid contacting them!
People in your hobbies, sports, or clubs are also a good source of potential co-founders.
As you never know who knows who, it is also great to engage your family & friends to see if they know of anyone that has the skillset or experience you may be looking for.
If your network may not have such expertise, it may be due to your location/environment. Relocating to a more conducive environment for Startups may help. Consider:
It is important to define key metrics for the Startup - so all co-founders know what the common goals and the purpose of the company is. If there is no common goal that you can see with the Startup, it will be a tough journey together.
Discussing the roles early on makes it clear who is responsible for what.
Sometimes, it is tough to know who's the boss.
In such cases, the few of you can give it a trial month and see who's great at what, and agree on which person is fit to drive the company.
In the cases of all-tech Founders, typically the more sales or business-oriented person needs to drive the company. Sometimes, CEOs are hired to run the business while the tech Founders do what they do best.
It's also important that a proper shareholders agreement be set in place to ensure the company can run smoothly in the case of a huge argument. It is wise to ensure there is a way to compensate and buy back shares if someone has to leave or if something happens to any of the shareholders.
Congratulations on making it down here!
We often have great Startup ideas ourselves. The problem is, we need great entrepreneurs to run them. So, let us know if you are interested. Just mention "Looking to Venture Build Together" and we will get back to you!
More often, we have great Startups looking for great people as well. Let us know too.
If you happen to need tech co-founders, we can help you with that. We can help you as a tech/IT co-founder, as well as help you hire one as you grow bigger.