On January 1, 2011, I had just left a Company I co-founded, VirtuOz, and went on a quest to find a co-founder to start another Company. Boy was I not expecting the ride it has been…I think I could write a book about it.
The dating sites and dating events, the dates themselves where everybody is bragging but keeping their game close to their chest. The one night stands (a.k.a startup weekend or hackathons), the short term stints (a.k.a “side project”), and then, big leap of faith, you find somebody and you settle – you are not dating anymore, you have a boyfriend/girlfriend (a.k.a “partner”). You move together (in a coworking space of course). You brainstorm. You build a few things that can be ambitious or not, you can put yourself through challenges (a.k.a incumbator application)… and then something comes out: a baby (a.k.a “a product or Company” depending on how traditional you are).
In my case, I did all that and much more, “dated” several potential partners at the same time, did multiple side projects, and … big hope…found my partner. We applied to an incumbator, build a few things that sounded interesting but never got there… and then, bad communication, different life goals, and our path diverged.
We split before celebrating our 6 months together.
That’s where you understand why Founder dating…is really like dating, after all.
(And I am lucky enough to have forgotten what it was like!)
