Am I a fake founder? What it’s like joining a startup as a cofounder a year late
THE SO WHAT
Late-stage cofounders are increasingly a structural tool — a way to bolt on missing skills, credibility, or networks once the company has real signal. If you’re an early team or investor, be explicit in paper and in culture about what ‘founder’ means, or you’ll store up resentment and misaligned expectations for the first real stress event.
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