You don't need a co-founder

Y Combinator rejected me partly because I don't have a co-founder. They want founding teams, not solo founders.

I've worked on multiple projects with co-founders over the years. And with one exception, I've never seen them bring equal value.

One person always does more. One person always cares more. That's just how it works.

But here's the real problem I see. If someone joins eight months after I started building, are they really a co-founder? Or are they an early employee I'm overpaying with equity?

I built the vision. I did the work. I spent months figuring out what this thing should be.

And now I'd give away 30-40% of my company and spend my energy convincing them where we're going? That doesn't make sense to me.

And here's something people don't talk about: co-founders leave. Twenty-three percent of co-founders leave after three years. That's almost one in four. And it's getting worse—eight years ago, it was only twelve percent.

I'm not against having a team. I need people I can trust. People who make the product better, not just fill a co-founder slot.

But I won't give away my company just because someone told me to.

You can read my whole application here.