The Solo Founder Era | Julian Weisser, Co-founder, ODF & solofounders.com

Is the "co-founder mandate" dead? This week on The Data Minute, Peter sits down with Julian Weisser, co-founder of ODF and solofounders.com, to unpack the data behind a massive shift in the startup ecosystem: solo founders now make up over a third of all new companies.

Julian breaks down the "Denominator Delusion"—the survivorship bias that tricks founders into forcing partnerships that often fail. They discuss why co-founder breakups are the silent killer of early-stage startups, the structural advantages of going it alone (including a 30-40% equity buffer), and why "authorship" matters just as much as ownership in the early days.

Plus: Why founding a company has become too "high status," how AI is unlocking the solo path, and why the best investors are finally changing their tune on single-founder startups.

Read the full "State of the Solo Founder" report: https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report/

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Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: The rise of the solo founder
01:15 – Welcome Julian Weisser
02:00 – Challenging the co-founder default
04:31 – The "Denominator Delusion"
06:20 – Why VCs talk themselves out of solo founders
08:32 – Is AI the ultimate unlock for solo builders?
10:30 – The hidden frequency of co-founder breakups
13:15 – When interpersonal misalignment destroys a company
15:04 – Can you add a co-founder two years in?
17:52 – Is being a founder too "high status" now?
21:28 – The difference between serious founders and "tourists"
24:13 – Deep Dive: The State of the Solo Founder Report
26:46 – Chart 1: Over 1/3 of startups are now solo
28:30 – Changing investor minds: A story from the Midas List
30:56 – How solo founders hire and build teams differently
34:22 – The equity advantage: Why solos exit with more ownership
36:33 – "Authorship" vs. Ownership 
38:12 – Outro

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