Cofounders can make or break a startup. The reason most startups fail is not because of competition is because of a bad founding team dynamics. Without the right founding team the startup boat sinks pretty fast. If you’re looking for a cofounder start with these traits to avoid the next cofounder horror stories:
1. Complementary skill sets
Does their skill compliment your skill or is it a duplication? You don’t need the same hand you need different hands in a startup. Usually in a startup the skills sets falls under three categories: hacker, builder or designer. Find someone who compliments your skill sets.
2. Value alignment
This is huge. Are they trustworthy? Are they honest? Do they want to have a positive impact in the world? What do they value as a person? If your values are not aligned is over before you begin no matter how talented you’re cofounder might be.
3. Persistency
Persistency is such as a key because startups are badly broken. You need to have a persistent person to push through. Most people give up but it’s about that 1% of the population that can go out and take entrepreneurial risk to create those opportunities. When you’re looking for a cofounder look for people that are persistent as hell. They just don’t give up! Ever.
4. Passion
What are they passionate about? Your cofounder has to love their trades, if they don’t they you won’t be able to push through all the bad times in a startup.
5. Determination
Are they determined to make this a success? A determine person can find solutions when nothing is working out and that’s what you need a in a cofounder paradigm.
Just remember most startups die because of suicide and not competition. Getting the founding team right is the first step before anything else.