Why do investors say you need a business co-founder?

by Dalton Caldwell1/11/2024

Y Combinator Group Partners Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel in front of the text "Business Co-founders?"

Whether or not you need a co-founder is always a hotly debated topic — but going one level deeper, founders often wonder what kind of co-founder they need.

In a prior video Michael and I explained why every software company should have a technical co-founder. But it’s also common for technical founders to be told by investors and advisors that they would benefit from a co-founder with non-technical expertise in things like business or marketing.

Are they correct? In this episode of Dalton & Michael we dive into exactly that question.

Author

  • Dalton Caldwell

    Dalton is Managing Director, Architect and Group Partner at YC. He was the cofounder and CEO of imeem (acquired by MySpace in 2009), and the cofounder and CEO of App.net.