What is Co-founder Connect, and Why We Built it
Co-founder Connect is an event for people looking to build something with someone else. It brings together founders who already have an idea and are looking for a co-founder, and people who don't have an idea yet but want to join one.
The premise is simple: the old model of pairing a "technical" co-founder with a "non-technical" one is breaking down. With AI tools closing the skills gap, what actually predicts a good partnership isn't complementary skill sets, it's shared drive, compatible risk appetite and the ability to have hard conversations early.
The event is built around getting people into real conversations fast, first at industry tables, then in structured 1:1s, so they can find that out about each other before they've committed to anything.
Why it Matters
Most founder networking gives people a stack of business cards and a vague sense they should "keep in touch." Co-founder Connect is built to do more than that. Finding the right co-founder can be one of the biggest unlocks in a founder's journey, and that unlock only comes from actually talking to people and it changes everything.
Fireside with Ron Shell and Darius Monsef
The night opened with a fireside chat featuring Ron Shell (CEO, National Pickleball League of Australia, formerly early employee at PointsBet) and Darius Monsef (serial founder, now building an agent-first shared knowledge layer). Both have built multiple companies with multiple co-founders, and both were candid about what worked and what didn't.
Key Takeaways:
- Skills matter less than drive and fit. Complementary skill sets matter less now that AI lets anyone upskill fast. What counts is a shared, near-irrational drive to build, a compatible (not identical) risk appetite, and peers who understand that drive rather than try to talk you out of the stress.
- Equity needs care, and 50/50 is a trap. Uneven equity breeds quiet resentment over time, so it pays to be generous early. But a true 50/50 split risks deadlock; go 51/49 so there's a clear tiebreaker if you disagree.
- Have the hard conversations before you start. Stress, money running out, family pressure, worst-case scenarios: raise them upfront rather than let them surface later and blindside someone.
- You don't need a co-founder, but a great one multiplies your odds. Going solo is viable with modern tools. Choosing a co-founder from a position of "I don't need this" rather than dependence makes for a stronger partnership, even if it means a smaller share of a bigger outcome.
How the Day Went
After the fireside, the day moved through a sequence built to get people into real conversations rather than small talk. Attendees first grouped into six industry tables focused on health & medtech, AI tooling & applied ML, data and security infrastructure, consumer marketplaces and edtech, fintech and GTM, and climate/proptech/hard tech, working through MC-led prompts together to surface shared interests.
From there, idea-holders and joiners were matched using cards, splitting the room into people with something to build and people looking to join something, before rotating into structured 1:1s: each attendee got a list of three specific people to go find and talk to.
The day wrapped by locking in next steps on the spot, with everyone prompted to book a follow-up coffee at CDH.
Thanks to everyone who came along and leaned into the conversations, the tables, and the matching, on top of Ron and Darius for such an open fireside. Co-founder Connect works because people show up ready to be honest about what they're building and what they're looking for, and this community did it!
