Cofounder Matching: Finding the Right Partner
Thinking about finding a co-founder — or not sure if you even need one? 🤔
Join us for a practical, honest workshop designed for early-stage founders facing one of the biggest startup decisions: building the right team.
We’ll dive into:
Whether or not you actually need a co-founder
What makes a strong co-founder match
Red flags, founder breakups, and lessons learned
Real stories from founders in the community
This is a candid, tactical conversation—plus a chance to connect with others who are actively building. You’ll leave with clearer thinking, actionable tips, and maybe even a potential partner.
Hosts:
Colton Kaplan, Founder @ Founder Social Club
Founder Social Club｜Community for founders to eliminate loneliness and connect people with mentors, investors, and peer groups. We host events every week in SF and the South Bay in various formats. Join community here!
Dar Patel, Founder & Executive Coach of Little Pursuits
Little Pursuits is a coaching firm focused on supporting founders as they navigate the unique challenges of building and scaling early-stage startups.
Dar Patel brings 15+ years of experience in consulting and tech, blending psychology and neuroscience to help founders and leaders to align their actions towards critical goals. Currently working with founders who are building companies from fintech to healthtech to edtech companies.
Bing Li, Startup Mentor & Founder, LeavenLab
Bing is passionate about technology, disruptive innovation, and supporting founders at the earliest stages. She established and led the startup ecosystem at Agora, the global leading RTE (Real-Time Engagement) platform, mentored founders, curated global real-time AI showcases, and partnered with VCs and hackathons to drive innovation. Before that, she managed startup programs at Berkeley SkyDeck, helping founders grow and secure funding.
As a former founder herself, Bing brings a unique blend of technical expertise, creative thinking, and real-world experience to help early-stage teams move faster with clarity and momentum. She is currently building leavenlab.xyz, guiding early teams from fuzzy ideas to first versions that speak for themselves.
Together, Dar and Bing combine coaching and mentorship—two powerful tools that work better together. Coaching is a creative process that helps you clarify your thinking, build confidence / trust in yourself, and build resilience. Mentorship brings patterns, pitfalls, and perspective through the experience of the mentor. This session gives you both.
A Longer Program, If You’re Ready to Build
The Pursuit Lab is a 4-month program for big ideas still taking shape. Co-led by Dar and Bing, it pairs hands-on instructions with targeted coaching and mentoring—so you can move from sketch to prototype, with support that actually sticks.
Inside the Lab:
Map your market: Define the problem, audience, and opportunity
Build your MVP: Sketch, scope, and start building
Craft your story: Shape yours and practice delivery
Stay accountable: Through small-group sessions(max 6 per group) that blend coaching and mentorship, to dive deep into your situation and help you build with clarity and momentum plus two 1:1s
Why founders join:
Proven frameworks and firsthand insight from operators and coaches
Small cohorts (max 6 per pod) for real feedback and real connection
A clear, repeatable roadmap from “idea” to “I’m in business”
Secure your spot in the program, or simply join us at the workshop to get a taste of what it’s like to work with us. It’s the best way to see how coaching and mentorship come together to help you move faster,