
Fight between cofounders - debarshri
Me and my cofounder have been working on a product for a while. We recently had a dispute over share split as he think he should own more since it was his idea. I was wondering how do people resolve such kind of early disputes in an amicable way. Furthermore, is it worth fighting with cofounder or just quite and pursue it all alone?
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runesoerensen
Unequal equity splits is one of the most common reasons for disagreement
between co-founders. It's almost always a mistake caused by lack startup
experience and knowledge of what it takes to build a successful company.

I highly recommend you both read this article on the subject:
[http://www.themacro.com/articles/2015/12/splitting-equity-
am...](http://www.themacro.com/articles/2015/12/splitting-equity-among-
founders/)

Perhaps that will help you reach an agreement or part ways if that isn't
possible.

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endswapper
I think the comments that precede mine are valuable and should be the basis of
your decision.

I can offer a relevant perspective because I pursued my startup solo. I have
said for a while that if anyone asked my opinion my response would be, "don't
do it." My understanding is that Y Combinator prefers teams as opposed to solo
founders because of the amount of work and the truly gut-wrenching process of
bringing anything to market. I agree.

I am fortunate because I am married. The strength of will not just to weather
the storms, but to remain focused, positive and productive is a shared
contribution with my wife and I. She has no interest in being considered a
founder, but the value of her contribution in that regard, is indisputable.

Even with a great support system and a decade of experience in my field
everything took longer. When there's a "million" things to do and nothing else
gets done while you are doing something it's easy to lose heart. So, I would
recommend valuing the partnership beyond your individual contributions
(assuming it is effective/satisfying/pleasant - aside from the split
discussion).

My personal opinion is that a quality partnership is worth 5-10% difference.

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ruler88
There are often good reasons to have unequal split, having the product idea is
NOT one of them. Ideas are a dime a dozen, and they are basically worthless
without the execution ahead.

If the cofounder can give you a clear execution edge, then the said cofounder
might deserve a higher share. Some examples include: 1) Existing business
relationships with potential clients 2) Experience starting and selling
startups (which gives you a big edge in raising capital) 3) Commanding
expertise in the domain that you are in (i.e. start a video company with a
hollywood producer) 4) Specialized technical knowledge (i.e. one of few PhDs
in the world who knows how to build autonomous vehicles)

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runesoerensen
All founders of a startup should bring something to the table and be able to
carry their own weight. It doesn't matter if one founder has a clear edge in
selling a company if there is no company/product to sell due to a lack of
founders with the knowledge and expertise required to make it.

If it's very difficult to define the "execution edge"/value of someone then
that person probably shouldn't be a founder, or the other founder(s)
undervalue that person. In either case this should be a major red flag.

I fully agree that being the idea man is a bad reason for unequal splits. I'd
also be more optimistic about the chances of resolving that issue vs the
issues related to an undervalued/incompetent founder.

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red_blobs
Is his contribution just the idea and you are building the product out?

I won't partner up with an idea person anymore. I have found that they always
feel entitled to more of the equity and I suspect it's because they are
insecure about their own abilities (which usually ends up being something you
can do yourself).

I will, however, partner with an idea person if they also offer a sizable
investment into the company.

Your cofounder should be bringing something to the company. Either money,
connections in the industry, or some other type of skill.

If you are both developers or one person has just the idea, you will run into
issues at a later stage in the development of your company.

