The importance of co-founders

Yesterday I was reflecting on the inclusion of Launch Pad in this NYTimes article.

Meanwhile, LaunchPad — a k a  LaunchPadNola — which was started by Chris Schultz, offers co-working space and business classes in New Orleans. It has 43 tenants today.

As much as it’s great to be recognized, it does piss me off that it says I started Launch Pad.  I didn’t.  I co-founded it. With Barre Tanguis and Will Donaldson.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is not to go it alone.  It’s too lonely of a game to try to start a company yourself. And there is evidence that shows that having co-founders is much more likely to lead to business success. As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve embraced the fact that I like to have different things going on, its what gets me fired up, and I’ve been able to pull my passions together under Voodoo Ventures.  I very deliberately have made a decision that unless I have a strong partner or co-founder on a project, I won’t do it.  It is the only way I scale.

I’m proud of my partnerships and acknowledge the fact that my endeavors wouldn’t be where they are without them.

  • Flatsourcing – Oleg Kurnosov, Timur Vafin, Alex Mamaev, Peter Bodenheimer
  • Launch Pad – Barre Tanguis & Will Donaldson
  • TribeCon – Tiffany Starnes
  • Even my recent investment in Jackson Square Group is reflective of this.  Patrick Comer brought me on as a co-founder, alongside his brother Walton Comer.

It took me a while to get to this point.  Having a partner can be hard.  One of the most serious strains on a personal relationship I’ve ever had came when I faced challenges with my partner  and best friend in the first company I ever started.

But, reflecting on my career, the successes have come when I have a partner-in-crime, someone deep in the blood and the mud with me.  And I’m grateful in all my ventures that I great co-founders and partners right now.