How Cofounders Can Prevent Their Relationship from Derailing

 

As a tech founder, your cofounder is more than a collaborator — they’re your closest strategic ally, sounding board, and pressure valve.

But, 65% of startup failures are due to cofounder conflict. This conversation is designed to make sure you’re not in that number.

In this founder-to-founder session, startup coach Alisa Cohn draws from years of coaching high-growth tech teams to share 5 essential principles that help cofounders stay aligned, navigate tension, and scale without blowing up the partnership.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build a “cofounder prenup” that gets your values, vision, and working styles out in the open
• Define clear roles and decision-making boundaries to avoid stepping on each other’s toes
• Run scenario planning exercises to prepare for high-stakes moments like acquisitions or exits
• Protect your relationship by scheduling time for trust-building outside the boardroom
• Use “conflict meetings” to normalize disagreement and sharpen your communication muscles

Your product won’t succeed if your partnership fails. Invest in it.

Whether you’re in the earliest stages or already scaling, this is a tactical, no-fluff guide to building a healthier, more resilient cofounder dynamic — so your startup can move faster, smarter, and stronger.

 

About the Speaker:

Alisa Cohn is an Executive Coach who has worked with C-suite executives at prominent startups (such as Venmo, Etsy, Draft Kings,) and Fortune 500 companies (including Dell, Microsoft, Google, Pfizer, and The New York Times.) She is the author of From Start-up to Grown-up, which won the 2022 Independent Press Award and the American Book Fest 2023 Best Book Award for Entrepreneurship. She is the creator and host of a podcast also called From Start-up to Grown-up. She’s been named to the Coaches50 list by Thinkers50 which recognizes the Top 50 most effective and impactful executive coaches in the world. She was named the Top Startup Coach in the World at the Thinkers50/Marshall Goldsmith Global Coaches Awards and named the number one Global Guru for startups for the past four years by Global Gurus Research Organization. A sought-after speaker, she has keynoted events for IBM, PwC, Dell, and Citi. Inc. named Alisa one of the top 100 leadership speakers. Her articles have appeared in HBR, Forbes, and Inc, and she’s been featured as an expert on Bloomberg, BBC World News, and in the NY Times and the WSJ.

You can download Alisa’s 5 Scripts for Delicate Conversations at www.alisacohn.com/5scripts. Buy Alisa’s book here and check out her podcast. You can follow her on twitter & instagram @AlisaCohn.

 

Complimentary Ticket:

Are you a full-time tech founder? Be our guest! We’re making our events available to tech founders everywhere. Enjoy a complimentary ticket to come learn from fellow tech founders, partners and investors. Already used your complimentary guest pass? Request an invite to see if you qualify for membership.

 

About Founders Network:

Founded in 2011, Founders Network offers lifelong peer mentorship to over 600 tech startup founders globally. Our platform, programs and high-touch service facilitate authentic experience sharing, warm introductions and long-term professional relationships. Additional benefits include over $500k in startup discounts and promotion to 2,000 newsletter readers. Members are located in San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, London and other tech hubs. Each month our Membership Committee admits a new cohort of full-time tech founders who are nominated by an existing member. Learn more about us here

Confidentiality Policy

All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity. Read more about our Privacy Policy here.