Blood, Sweat, and Friendship: How We Kept Our Co-Founding Relationship Alive
The journey from strangers to co-founders is intense. And when it comes to building a company together, few relationships face more pressure.
My previous start-up Co-Founder, Carlton, and I met in an unusual setting, to say the least: the back seat of a hydrogen fuel cell car (Carlton’s favourite car…) in September 2015. What started as a conversation over lunch the following month led us to leave our jobs by December and officially incorporate Aceleron in August 2016. The months between were filled with “kitchen top” experiments, as we laid the groundwork for our company, fuelled by late-night discussions and a shared passion for innovation.
I still remember that first conversation, where we dug into our shared vision. It felt exhilarating and nerve-wracking. But as it turned out, the real challenge wasn’t the science or the technology; it was the relationship we were building alongside our startup.
The Icarus Check: Why Co-Founding Relationships Need Their Own Work
Like any relationship, a co-founding partnership is fragile.
It requires trust, respect, and a lot of communication—especially when things get tough. We’ve all heard that you should never go into business with friends, but in our case, it was the friendship that saved us when things got rough.
I’ve developed a guide called the Icarus Check as part of my Gemini Canvas framework, designed specifically for co-founders like us who need tools to work on the relationship, not just the business. As I learned from our journey, the most valuable work we did for Aceleron wasn’t on the product or the strategy—it was the work we put into our partnership.
Building a Business Friendship: The Importance of Alignment and Communication
Carlton and I started as complete strangers, but over the years, we developed a bond that helped us through the highs and lows of running Aceleron. At times, the stress and pressure seemed overwhelming. Tempers flared, and the instinct to retreat into our separate corners was strong. But instead of pulling back, we dug in. We communicated more, even when it felt like the last thing we wanted to do.
What got us through was the shared understanding that we were both doing what we believed was best for the company. It’s easy to lose sight of that in the heat of the moment but remembering that our goals were ultimately aligned helped us refocus on the bigger picture.
When Friendship is Bigger Than Business
Throughout Aceleron’s journey, we worked to keep our friendship intact.
Even as the company faced challenges, we reminded each other that the relationship mattered more than any success or failure. Our friendship survived Aceleron and has become something I value deeply to this day. We went from strangers in a hydrogen car to co-founders, to friends who have endured the toughest of challenges.
Running a business is intense, but building a lasting co-founder relationship? That takes a different kind of grit. Carlton and I remain best friends, and I credit that to the intentional work we did to protect our partnership.
Why Co-Founders Need the Icarus Check
If you’re a co-founder, I urge you to take a step back and ask yourself: Are you putting in the same effort into your relationship as you are into the company?
The Icarus Check is my way of ensuring co-founders have the tools they need to keep their relationship from burning out. Check it out here, and remember: working on your relationship is just as important as working on the business itself.
Origins Video
To learn more about our story and the beginnings of Aceleron, watch our About Us video where we talk about our shared vision and how it all started in the back of a hydrogen fuel cell car. Working on the co-founding relationship is a unique challenge, but it’s also one of the most rewarding parts of building something from the ground up. Don’t just build your business—build the relationship that will see you through.
