Co-Founder Connect #2
Are you still looking for a co-founder?
Finding someone you can work well with is among the most important decisions you'll make, and it's hard to find someone who's genuinely a good fit. Random encounters. Potential friends. Or just hoping the right person happens to sit next to you at networking.
Following the success of our first Co-founder Connect, we’re running it back on September 9 and this time we’ve taken some suggestions on board for a different format.
Half the room has an idea. Half the room wants in on one.
Last time everyone arrived holding their own thing. This time we're splitting registrations down the middle. Half are building something and need a person. Half are looking for the right thing to throw themselves at. Same ambition, different starting point, and that's exactly why the conversations work. You’ll be labelled on if you’re looking for something to join, or you want someone to join you.
This time we’ll start with a fireside from some founders to get you thinking and inspired.
Opening with a fireside
Ron Shell co-founded the National Pickleball League and turned a sport most Australians hadn't heard of into a national competition with a Tennis Australia deal. It started with two social leagues in South Yarra and Thornbury.
Then he hit the problem every operator hits, which is that the software to run it properly didn't exist. So he built it. LADER launched this year, running live scoring, event management and broadcast in one platform, and it powered the Australian Open Pickleball Slam. Two companies out of one obsession, and a co-founder story in each.
Plus one more guest, announced closer to the day. Twenty years building and backing internet companies. Some of you have already met him.
They're here for the part nobody posts about. How you found the person you started with. What you got wrong about them. What happens when someone's effort drops and their equity doesn't.
Who's this for
Founders actively looking for a co-founder, technical, commercial, product or domain
Builders with an idea who know they can't and shouldn't do it alone
Operators ready to jump into something early with the right person
How the afternoon works
2:00 Doors, coffee, name tags
2:15 Fireside
3:00 Industry tables
3:55 One-on-ones, matched from your answers
4:35 Lock it in, book the coffee before you leave
5:00 Close
How to register
Spots are limited and registration is by short application. Pick your side when you apply, whether you're bringing an idea or looking for one, and both sides are capped so the room stays balanced. Your answers are what we use to build your one-on-ones, so give us something real. Takes 90 seconds.
Check-in closes 2:15 sharp. We build the matching from who's actually in the room, so late arrivals can join a table but will miss the one-on-ones.
Staying on? VC Rosetta Stone runs from 5:30 in the same room. Two rooms, one day. The person who builds it with you, then the person who funds it. Separate registration below.