Founding Voices: Who Do You Want to Build With?

Who do you want to build with?

The founder’s world is function over form, and there is a tendency to prioritize experience, work capacity and resiliency. While this pursuit of performance is understandable, it cannot supersede qualities like empathy and compatibility when it comes to choosing your co-founders and founding investor.

“It’s hard to imagine doing it without co-founders. There’s just been so many ups and downs throughout the journey, and to have people that you can commiserate with and inspire each other and push each other has made a huge difference. Mayfield played a big role in helping us make those connections – it’s hard to imagine Mammoth without their involvement.”

JANICE CHEN

Co-founder & CTO, Mammoth Biosciences

“When it comes to people, I see many founders prioritize performance,” says Ursheet Parikh. “But you need to stop and ask, ‘do I get along with this person?’ You’re going to spend a lot of time with them, and mismatches in temperament are going to show. So try to find people you like, and be intentional about building affinity. If you can do that, you can create a more collaborative and more resilient organization, especially early on.”