How do I 'date' a potential co-founder before committing?
Run a real trial: work on a scoped project together for a few weeks, ideally under a deadline, and pay attention to how they handle disagreement, deadlines, and dull work. Talk explicitly about money, worst-case scenarios, and what happens if one of you wants out. If you can't have those conversations comfortably now, it only gets harder later.
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3 resources, 3 link-checked.
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✓ Link checkedFreeBeginner
The largest and most credible free co-founder matching platform in the world, with vetted founders and 100,000+ matches made. It's the default starting point when your own network doesn't have the right person.
A curated collection of YC's best primary guidance on how to find, evaluate, and test a co-founder, straight from the people who've seen thousands of founding teams. It's practical, opinionated, and free.
The definitive, data-driven book on early founding-team decisions, drawing on quantitative research covering nearly 10,000 founders. It replaces gut-feel folklore about co-founders and equity with evidence.
