The Wrong Co-Founder Will Kill Your Business (How to Know Before It's Too Late)

Fabien Koutchekian built his first company with two co-founders. They were completely misaligned.

After one year, Fabien left. The company failed.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Genomines (plant-based metal extraction, £45M Series A, 30 people across France and South Africa), Fabien's second attempt went very differently.

Here's what he learned about choosing and working with co-founders.

What you'll hear:

The questionnaire that reveals misalignment before you start. There are specific questions you can ask your co-founder before you begin. Compare answers. Fabien shares what actually matters and what questions most people miss.

Three warning signs your co-founder relationship is failing. Fabien breaks down the early signals he missed in his first company and what he tracks now. If you're seeing these, you have a problem.

How to track productivity from day one. This is your early warning system. Fabien explains how to define productivity for your specific business and why tracking it weekly changes everything.

The unified front rule. Fabien and his co-founder have one rule they never break. It creates safety in the organisation for creative conflict. He explains why this matters more than most founders realise.

Why complementary skills matter. Are you bringing the same skills to the table or different ones? Fabien explains how to assess this and why it determines whether you need this co-founder or not.

How the relationship gets stronger under pressure. When they raised £45M Series A - the most stressful time - they got closer, not more critical. Fabien explains what this signal means and why the opposite is a warning.

When to leave. Fabien left his first company after one year. Deep down, he knew it wasn't working. He shares how to recognise when it's time to go.

The reality:

The wrong co-founder is worse than no co-founder.

Fabien now works with someone where stress brings them closer together. They've gone from lab to field in 5 years. Industry standard is 10+ years.

That's what the right co-founder partnership enables.

One action: Listen to the end for what to assess about your co-founder relationship today.

Submit your questions: [e-mail]

One action: Listen to the end for Fabien's specific advice on what to assess today.

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