Essays
On co-founders, first hires, and the team decisions that compound
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July 2026
Why Your Best Co-Founder Is Probably a Stranger
Convenience narrows your search to the people already in your network, and familiarity makes you skip the conversations that matter most. The best co-founder is usually strong where you're weak, not the one who came up the same way you did.
April 2026
100 Questions to Ask Your Future Technical Co-Founder
You finally got a meeting with a potential technical co-founder. You like their background. You think there might be something here. Now what?
March 2026
The Billion-Dollar Founder Study
20 years of billion-dollar exits reveal a convenient co-founder penalty: founding teams who already knew each other consistently exit for less. The data challenges almost everything startup mythology assumes.
March 2026
Coatue and NFX Alums Launch Catalyst by Outcast Ventures
Andy Chen and Amy Lin, Coatue and NFX alums, announce Catalyst by Outcast Ventures â the first founder formation engine for the top 1% of builders.