Founders Should 'Manufacture' Co-Founding Teams Rather Than Hire Friends
Manav Garg · These 90 Minutes Will Teach You Everything About SaaS Business | SaaSBOOMi Co-Founder | Neon Show · Jul 12, 2024 · at 1:25:46
Together Fund partner and Eka Software founder Manav Garg discusses how founders should assemble complementary, meritocratic founding teams tailored to a problem space.
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“So your co-founder has to be meritocratic in nature instead of your, the first friend from school or your first love from your college coming and beginning to work with you. I think that's what I'm calling manufacturing co-friends, which means co-founders, which means, you know, that if I'm starting in AI, let's say I want to start a foundation model company to complete open AI. Let's say I take that challenge today. Yes, I can attract funding because I have to exit. I know how to build an enterprise business. No, but my college friend is not going to be my best co-founder or my previous co-founders who are very, very good at Eka are not the best co-founders to building another foundation model company. I need the top end AI talent. I need the best researcher with me, right? I need the best security expert for me. I need the best public policy person with me. So my co-founding team is going to be very different and I will then go and quote, actually I will meet such, 20 such people and then get to know more six months time. So I think building or manufacturing a team is six months to one year process or even more to really understand what kind of team will be successful for the business that you're starting from.”
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