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.
Guests Are Welcome!
Please bring a guest! Every member can bring one (1) guest to each event. Each guest must be a full-time tech startup founder so they can bring new perspectives, skillsets, and experience to your chapter.
All guests must be full-time tech startup founders and you can register them directly on this function page. See How to Register a Guest 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.