Both of these founding experiences have been very different. At graze, we were all in our early to mid-20s with few responsibilities beyond the business. Now at tiney, my co-founders and I have been around a bit longer, each with families of our own. Our mission at graze was to make healthy snacking more convenient (a new idea at the time). At tiney, we’re taking on the childcare crisis by building the UK's largest childminder community, with over 1,500 childminders and counting.
However, they’ve both borne very similar hallmarks when it comes to the founding teams: how we’ve interacted, navigated challenges, and delineated responsibilities. In both cases, the shared vision of myself and my co-founders have been the driving force behind our achievement: enabling us to achieve far more together than we ever could alone.
Of course, it isn't always smooth sailing. When everyone cares deeply about what you’re working towards, differing and strong opinions are inevitable. And how that plays out can depend on everything from life stage to experience levels to the nature of the business itself.
Here’s what I’ve learned along the way about how to make a multi-founder startup work:
Build a culture of trust and openness
Having cofounders means you can approach problems from multiple perspectives, which is a superpower. But to truly harness it, you first need to build a culture of openness and trust.
Communicate honestly and directly with one another. Be the first to admit when you’re wrong and be ready to let go of your previously held beliefs when necessary. This fluidity will enable you to be quick and nimble, which is essential in a startup.
Naturally, the loudest voices can dominate, so actively make space for everyone’s different communication styles. Some people might like to hash out ideas on the spot, while others prefer to take time to reflect before contributing. Over time, you'll become more attuned to each other's preferences and get better at making sure everyone has a say.
Define (and refine) roles
In the early days at graze, we all wore many different hats. A single day's work could include everything from tasting experimental snack samples and designing wireframes, to driving forklifts. That kind of flexibility is common (and necessary) for early-stage startups, but as the company grows, the "everyone does everything" approach just isn’t sustainable anymore. This is especially true when you have 3+ founders.
From day one, my tiney co-founders and I have taken on very clear-cut titles and responsibilities. We have a CEO (Brett), CPO (John), and a CTO (me). This works incredibly well for us, but we also find it useful to regularly reassess our roles and responsibilities, just as we would evaluate our funding strategy or budget. Recently, we brought in a COO because we recognised that our roles were starting to converge when it came to operational challenges; we needed a dedicated colleague in that seat in order to unlock the next stage of growth and protect co-founder focus on our specific verticals.
Communicate your co-founder USP to investors
Securing the buy-in of VCs is critical to the trajectory of most tech start-ups. But having an atypical number of co-founders - as we did at graze - can sometimes raise eyebrows. No matter what the structure of your founding team, it’s crucial to be clear about what each of you brings to the table when it comes to fundraising.
Make sure your pitch deck showcases why each of the individuals is deserving of the co-founder title and how their unique skills or capabilities will drive the business forward. Likewise, take time to communicate why this specific combination of people is the right one.
