When starting a company, your focus might be on gathering capital, investment, and really nailing down your pitch. Yet, the most important decision that you need to make for your future business usually flies under the radar. It is also the decision that is most likely to cause business failure. Do you know what that decision is? It’s who you bring on as a cofounder. Most startups fail due to founding team conflicts.
When researching for her book, The Cofounder’s Handbook, Tanis Jorge, a serial entrepreneur and successful cofounder, noticed that not nearly enough attention was being given to the most impactful relationship of a founder’s life. She discovered that many founders partner with their best friend, coworker, employee or even a stranger without verifying whether they are a good match. When a partnership ends, the business itself often follows suit.
That is why The Cofounder’s Hub was created, to bring the most important partnership of your career into the spotlight. The Cofounder’s Hub aims to bring intentionality back into the cofounder relationship.
The Event
We are excited to announce that Tanis Jorge will be holding a two-day event with Vancouver Startup Week. Join us for a deep dive into the world of successful cofounder relationships and leave ready to take your cofounder partnership to the next level.
Day 1 - Fireside Chat
We will start our events by welcoming Tanis Jorge with a fireside chat with William Johnson of Vancouver Tech Journal. Get to know Tanis and become familiar with her message in a casual conversation on June 5th, 2023 at 5:30 pm at BCIT's Tech Collider.
__Day 2 - Are you searching for a cofounder and don’t know where to start? __
Join Tanis on the second day of her VSW event to learn what to look for in a cofounder in order to mitigate conflict and avoid turning your business into a failure statistic. This second day brings the opportunity for you to try The Cofounder’s Hub’s teachings for yourself. You’ll take a deeper dive into what the right cofounder looks like for you and then take part in a pitching session where you can share your results to an audience that may consist of the perfect candidate.
We invite entrepreneurs and future cofounders (whether you’re looking for a business partner or for an opportunity) to join us for a lunch-and-mingle with Tanis and Vancouver Startup Week, from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Food and drinks will be provided, as well as an atmosphere to meet Vancouver’s most passionate up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
At 1:30, Tanis will take the stage, guiding you through an exclusive interactive session of a test of her own devising: The Cofounder’s Self Assessment. This innovative exercise is designed to help you answer questions you didn't know you had, and help you understand what you really need in a cofounder. Join us to find out the ways your personality traits might impact your business, how your learning style may impact communication, and even how your life stage influences your cofounder partnership.
At 3pm, Tanis will invite 15 candidates, armed with this new information, to come on stage and pitch themselves and/or their business, using the Self Assessment as a guideline.
At 3:30pm, we will be joined by a Benjamin Slager, Partner and CEO of Mogan Daniels Slager LLP, who will give you insight into the most important document in your startup’s journey: the Partnership Agreement.
We will finalize our evening with a Q&A with Tanis Jorge.
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind event; an opportunity to lock in the greatest asset to your venture: your cofounder!