Hi, Cofounder began with months of conversations with early-stage founders about finding someone to build with. Finding people with relevant experience was one part of the search. Understanding whether they could make decisions, share responsibility, and work through disagreements together was harder to assess.
I wanted to create an in-person setting where those conversations could begin. The first gathering took place during New York Tech Week in June 2026.
what the applications revealed
I personally reviewed all 153 applications. Alongside helping me select the group, the responses offered a detailed picture of the experience people wanted a cofounder to bring.
Requests included:
- 77 people looking for a technical builder
- 46 looking for product experience
- 39 looking for marketing experience
- 38 looking for sales experience
- 32 looking for fundraising experience
People could be looking for more than one role, so these figures overlap.
AI featured heavily in the ideas applicants were pursuing. Even with those tools available, they were seeking partners with specific expertise and responsibility for important parts of the business.
For this group, building with AI still involved finding people who could develop the product, understand customers, reach an audience, and help finance the company. The applications gave me a clearer understanding of what founders hoped to share with another person.
adapting the evening
Around twenty people joined the first gathering. I had prepared structured conversations and prompts, then adjusted the format to suit the group in front of me.
Everyone was invited to give a short introduction: founders could explain their idea, and people interested in joining could share their experience and what they hoped to contribute. Participation was optional, and everyone chose to take part.
Those introductions gave the room something specific to respond to. People could hear which problems mattered to someone, why they wanted to work on them, and where another person’s interests or experience might connect.
Reviewing the applications beforehand helped establish that shared purpose. Everyone had been considered for their commitment to building and their interest in finding a cofounder. Once the conversation began, there was already a reason for people to pay attention to one another.
what I learned from the pilot
Several attendees said they had made more than one connection. One specifically commented on the intention behind how the room had been put together. Almost everyone said they would return, and some asked how they could hear about future gatherings.
After the event ended and I returned the venue, I walked outside to find people still talking together on the sidewalk.
That continuation mattered to me. People had chosen to spend more time together beyond the introductions and the scheduled evening.
The pilot reinforced the value of reviewing applications carefully, giving people a concrete starting point for conversation, and allowing the format to respond to the group. It also gave me a reason to keep developing Hi, Cofounder: people were finding others they wanted to know better, and they wanted another opportunity to do it.