Forming a Startup Founding Team

How to build & formalise a founding team dynamic

Investing in People

With investors trending towards investing in people rather than ideas, the blend of talent in founding teams has become the chief identifier of future success in startups.

At the same time, one of the biggest challenges faced by founders is finding the right co-founder. Someone who shares their vision, complements their skills, and is equally committed to the venture. Learning about the importance of teams and how to facilitate co-founder matching can go a long way in helping startups to success.

Learn from Global Experts

Deirdre Lyons

Founder & CEO | Examfly

Mark Little

Head of Product Safety Strategy | Spotify

Co-founder of Kinzen acquired by Spotify

Sinead Walsh

Director of Operations | Bioinnovate

Oran O'Flynn

Co-founder & CEO | Talio

Jane Dillon

Director | Founders

Ian Browne

Managing Director | NDRC

“I now have a strict rule to only invest in teams. There are other examples of companies I missed and other examples of the converse – companies where I invested in mediocre people chasing a great idea and the company failed – but Dropbox is emblematic to me as to why you should always invest in people over ideas.”

Chris Dixon | GP at Andreessen Horowitz - Leads a16z Crypto ($7billion AUM)

Knowledge You Will Gain

Learn about the key elements of a founding team and hear from successful startup teams.

Understand the key parts of a founding team

What are the traits that great founding teams share, and how can they be built? We explore the importance of a great founding team

How to build & formalise the founding team dynamic

How to build & formalise the team dynamic - setting roles & responsibilities, equity agreements, and vesting schedules

Practical case studies

An overview of programmes or supports that can bring people with complementary skills together, including On Deck, Entrepreneur First, and Dogpatch Labs' Founders programme

An Interactive & Immersive Schedule

This Masterclass will cover the following topics:

1. Kick-Off (09:00 - 09:05)

  • Welcome & Introductions

  • Learning Outcomes & Topic Overview

2. The Importance of Founding Teams (09:05 - 09:30)

  • The key elements of a founding team

  • Building complementary skill sets & solving for weaknesses

  • People vs. Ideas

3. Forming The Founding Team (09:30 - 10:15)

  • Setting roles & responsibilities

  • Equity Agreements & Vesting Schedules

  • Insights from successful startup teams

4. How to Facilitate Co-founder Matching (10:15 - 10:55)

  • What programmes, supports, and meetups are available?

  • A look into the Founders Programme

  • Interactive discussion with breakout groups

5. Action & Wrap (10:55 - 11:00)

  • How to get involved

  • Key Actions & Wrap-up

Course Details

When is it: To be announced

Time Commitment: 2 hours

Format: Fully virtual session

How to Prepare: Download/update the Zoom desktop app, and make sure your video and audio are clear and have a stable internet connection.

Description: This Masterclass is targeted at those who want to learn more about the importance of startup founding teams. We will explore the chemistry of top-class founding teams and the traits they share, how successful founding teams form, and the pathways to finding a co-founder. Along the way, we will get insights from founders and talent programme experts, seeing how Entrepreneur First and the Dogpatch Labs Founders programme facilitate successful co-founder matching.