The Definitive Guide to Finding a Cofounder

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One of the most common questions for an early-stage founder asks is “should I have a cofounder?” And the follow-up is close on its heels: “how do I find one?” So much of the decision-making process in the early stages is part art and part science, and it’s no different here. And the process is critical.

The right partnership is one of the most powerful forces for growth and success -- according to First Round, partners outperform solo founders by 163%. And Startup Genome found that startups with multiple founders will raise 30% more capital and grow customers three times as fast as solo founders.

In contrast, cofounder conflict can doom a company before it even starts. Noam Wasserman found that two out of three startups fail due to cofounder conflict. These statistics underscore just how critical the human dimension is for a new company.

Here are some of the best resources for thinking about partnership and finding a potential cofounder.

Cofounder Matchmaking

  • CoFoundersLab. With a network of 400,000 members and algorithms to recommend potential cofounder candidates, CoFoundersLab is a way for entrepreneurs to reach beyond their personal networks to find potential partners.

  • Founder2Be. Founder2Be has a network of more than 95,000 people, offering entrepreneurs another pool of talent to find potential partners.

  • Founders Nation. Founders Nation is a UK-based platform for entrepreneurs and founders to match with potential partners. Founders Nation is active primarily in London, NYC, and Tel Aviv. 

  • Lunchclub. Lunchclub is a new startup that’s fresh of a $4 million round led by a16z. Its mission is to make relevant one-on-one introductions to people through the platform. The waitlist is long right now. But the queue moves by the thousands every week as the platform expands. Lunchclub is available in London, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Oh, and by the way, Lunchclub has three co-founders.

  • Meetup. This online community organizing tool has more than 35 million members worldwide. It’s a valuable platform for finding communities and connections in numerous groups for entrepreneurs and founders.

  • Startbee. Startbee is a new cofounder matchmaking platform that focuses on the individuals’ skillsets as it makes potential matches.

Entrepreneur Communities & Events

A bevy of in-person and digital communities exist to serve as resources for entrepreneurs to meet, network, and collaborate together. Some of them include:

  • BuiltIn. Built In is a digital platform that “unites companies and people around their shared passion for tech and the universal need for purpose.” BuiltIn holds regular events for tech talent to gather together in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, NYC, SF, and Seattle.

  • Founder Institute. FI’s Equity Collective connects founders to a network of mentors, entrepreneurs, and investors.

  • General Assembly. General Assembly provides experiential education in today’s most in-demand skills like web development, data, and design. It also boasts a network of 40,000 alumni across the globe.

  • South Park Commons. South Park Commons is a collective of entrepreneurs in the Bay Area who come together to learn, explore ideas, and support each other in starting new ventures.

  • Startup Digest. TechStars that curates startup-related events in cities across the globe.

  • Startup Weekend. Sponsored by Google and TechStars, Startup Weekend produces three-day, in-person events across the United States to bring entrepreneurs together to find opportunities to join forces on new companies.

Online Learning Communities

  • The Akimbo Workshops. Seth Godin’s name is synonymous with digital marketing, and his Akimbo Workshops offer several online learning communities where education and connection are front and center.

  • Venture Deals. TechStars and Kauffman Fellows free Venture Deals e-course, based on the book by Brad Feld and Jason A. Mendelson, pairs participants in small groups to facilitate new connections with other entrepreneurs across the country.

Other Resources to Help You Approach Your Cofounder Search Process

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Francesco Barbera

Francesco Barbera is a corporate attorney representing emerging growth companies in a wide range of industries, including software, technology, digital, fashion, health care, retail and e-commerce.


He counsels entrepreneurs, investors and established companies on the full range of their business activities, from formation through raising capital, growth and acquisition. He has special expertise in the representation of mission-driven organizations and social enterprises. 


Throughout his career, he has represented the National Broadcasting Corporation, the Grammy Museum, Ares Capital Management, Credit Suisse First Boston, as well as privately held businesses in internet, media and technology, mobile applications, consumer products, professional sports, film and television production, among others over the course of his career. 


Francesco began his legal career at two large, international law firms in Los Angeles, where he represented large and small enterprises in a broad range of transactions, from mergers and acquisitions to public and private securities offerings to the formation of partnerships and joint ventures.


Francesco is also the Co-Chairman of the Los Angeles chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Inc.A lifelong student of psychology and personal development, Francesco holds a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and has been trained and mentored by numerous leaders in the personal development arena, including Steve Chandler, Byron Katie and George and Linda Pransky. 

Francesco has also founded and represented non-profit initiatives.


He has served as outside counsel to the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a charter school dedicated to training the next generation of social and political leaders, and he is the founder and former Executive Director of SpiritWalk, a non-profit fundraiser created to benefit the University of Santa Monica.  

Francesco’s writing has appeared in The American Lawyer, California Lawyer, Slate, and others. He served as the Supreme Court columnist and Executive Editor of the Harvard Law Record and was the founder and editor-in-chief of the Penn History Review, the first Ivy League journal in the country dedicated to the publication of undergraduate historical research.


Francesco is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, cum laude, and the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.