Eight steps to finding a SaaS cofounder (and whether you need one)

Executive overview

Rob Walling outlines a structured, eight-step process for finding a cofounder, framed around his own experience co-founding TinySeed with Einar Vollset. The core insight is that complementary skill sets — not shared ones — make a cofounder relationship work. Finding a cofounder is treated like finding a spouse: legally binding, personally deep, and hard to undo. The process demands honest self-assessment before any outreach, and it ends with a legal agreement that must include a vesting schedule. Crucially, Walling argues you should first ask whether you need a cofounder at all — most bootstrapped companies are solo or two-person teams.

Evaluate yourself first

• Honestly map your skills and weaknesses before looking for anyone.
• If you hate selling, find someone who loves it — do not assume you will grow into it.
• Two developer cofounders who both avoid marketing is a common failure pattern.
• Complementary skill sets are the foundation of a durable partnership.

Leverage existing connections

• Start with people you already know or are one introduction away from.
• Warm introductions let you back-channel and informally check references early.
• Family cofounders carry complicated history that strains the wider team — think twice.
• The goal at this stage is simply to surface leads worth pursuing further.

Meet people — preferably in person

• Attend startup conferences, workshops, and meetups where motivated builders gather.
• In-person events (MicroConf, eCommerceFuel, Dynamite Circle, Rhodium) produce real cofounder relationships.
• Face-to-face contact creates depth that online interaction cannot replicate.

Use online communities as a fallback

• Online matching is a secondary option if in-person networking has not worked.
• Relevant communities: MicroConf Connect, IndieHackers, LinkedIn and Reddit startup groups.
• Dedicated platforms include CoFoundersLab and StartHawk; MicroConf was building its own at time of recording.

Court potential cofounders with structured conversations

• Discuss vision, equity splits, work style, and personal interaction style explicitly.
• Do not rely on questions alone — work together on something real to reveal compatibility.
• Some founders spend months and travel to meet candidates before committing; that is normal.

Check references

• Verify professional background through mutual contacts, not just their own account.
• Ask how they performed in prior roles and, if applicable, how they behaved in a previous cofounder relationship.

Run a trial period

• Collaborate on a small, bounded project before any legal commitments.
• Set a defined timeframe to evaluate working compatibility under realistic conditions.

Formalise with a legal agreement

• Draft a founders agreement covering equity splits, roles, decision-making, and vesting.
• Vesting is non-negotiable. Typically three to four years with a one-year cliff.
• Equity accrues monthly so that an early departure does not hand someone a large stake in the company.
• Skipping vesting can kill a company before it launches.

Do you actually need a cofounder?

• Venture capitalists push cofounders, but a cofounder receives the largest equity grant of anyone you will ever bring on.
• Around 85% of bootstrapped companies are one- or two-person teams.
• Solo founding is entirely viable; a cofounder is an option, not a requirement.
• Walling's personal preference is partnership because the long journey is more sustainable with someone alongside — but that is a preference, not a rule.