Draft:Solo Founder
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A solo founder (also called a "solo entrepreneur," "sole founder," “single-founder," or "one-founder startup") is an entrepreneur who creates and initially leads a new company without any co-founders.[1][2]
Large data sets suggest the model is becoming more common. Carta’s Founder Ownership Report 2025, based on anonymized data from over 45,000 companies incorporated between 2015 and 2024, found that 35% of U.S. startups formed in 2024 had a single founder, up from 17% in 2015.[3]
History and usage
[edit]Discussion of one-founder startups appeared on startup blogs in the early 2000's.[4] The term reached mainstream tech press with TechCrunch’s 2016 article “Breaking a Myth: Data Shows You Don’t Actually Need a Co-Founder”.[5] In 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that the share of solo founders had more than doubled over the previous decade and examined possible causes, including increased leverage from artificial intelligence tools.[6]
Advantages and criticisms
[edit]- Speed and ownership. Solo founders can make decisions unilaterally and retain 100% of initial equity.[7]
- Investor bias and workload. Investor Paul Graham argues that “starting a startup is too hard for one person”.[8] Y Combinator advises that one-person companies are “tough” and that applicants are more likely to succeed with a co-founder.[9]
- Mixed performance evidence. First Round Capital’s “10-Year Project” found that teams out-performed solo founders by 163% on seed-round valuations.[10] In contrast, a TechCrunch review of 6,191 startup exits reported that 52% were created by a single founder.[11]
Notable examples
[edit]- Zoom Video Communications – founded by Eric Yuan in 2011.[12]
- Vercel – founded by Guillermo Rauch in 2015.[13]
- Calendly – founded by Tope Awotona in 2013.[14]
Support ecosystems
[edit]Initiatives aimed at supporting solo founders include the Solo Founder Program, which offers an accelerator-style program and community.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Howell, Travis; Bingham, Christopher; Hendricks, Bradley (July 2022). "Don't Buy the Myth That Every Startup Needs a Co-Founder". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ "Y Combinator FAQ". Y Combinator. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Walker, Peter; Dowd, Kevin (2025). Founder Ownership Report 2025 (Report). Carta. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Graham, Paul (October 2006). "The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Kamps, Haje Jan (26 August 2016). "Breaking a Myth: Data Shows You Don't Actually Need a Co-Founder". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Strozier, Matthew (25 February 2025). "Pro Take: Get Ready, VCs. Solo Founders Are Coming". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Heddleston, Russ (16 May 2022). "Start Up Solo or Bring On a Co-Founder? Four Factors to Consider". TechCrunch+. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Graham, Paul (October 2006). "The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups". Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ "Y Combinator FAQ". Y Combinator. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ The 10-Year Project (Report). First Round Capital. 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Kamps, Haje Jan (26 August 2016). "Breaking a Myth: Data Shows You Don't Actually Need a Co-Founder". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Westwood, Ryan (10 January 2018). "Do You Need a Co-Founder? Zoom CEO Eric Yuan Says Maybe". Forbes. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Pimentel, Benjamin (21 April 2022). "The 29-Year-Old Founder of Vercel Used This Pitch Deck to Raise $21 Million". Business Insider. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Shen, Lucinda (26 October 2020). "Meet the Unicorn Founder That Braved War Zones and Missed Meetings". Fortune. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ "Solo Founder Program". Solo Founder Program. Retrieved 27 May 2025.