What’s inside this Startup Co-Founder Interview Template:

1Personality and incentives

Learn about both parties’ personality and their incentives to embark on a new venture.

• Why do you want to build a startup?
• What would be your personal goals for this company?

2Experience

Discuss past experiences.

• Have you built a company before? What was the outcome?
• What is your experience in this industry? (for example, in the software industry)
• What is your ideal outcome for salary in the early stages? Are you comfortable working unpaid?
• Do you have any experience fundraising? What are your thoughts on fundraising?
• Can you share a time you did something you have never done before? How did you handle it? What was the outcome?

3Working styles and culture

Discuss both preferred working style and building culture.

• If you had to come up with three words to describe the culture you want to create, what would they be?
• What values would you want to instill in our employees?
• What is your experience working or managing diverse teams?
• What roles do you think the first five hires will be?

4Roles and responsibilities

Discuss potential roles and responsibilities if you move forward.

• What are your best skills and competencies? How do you think we should divide the responsibilities within the business?
• What will our decision-making process in the early stages look like?
• What should the equity split be?