- The founder of Gobble initially looked for a co-founder but couldn't find one who shared the same passion and was willing to quit their job.
- They decided to proceed as a single founder and built a strong executive team that operates as a cohesive unit.
- Being a single founder is challenging, but they found support from other founders and friends who acted as a support system.
- They regularly met with other single founders to share experiences and provide assistance to each other.

Starting out as a solo founder herself, Ooshma Garg, founder and CEO of Gobble, shares her advice for those starting a company without a cofounder.

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When I started Gobble, I looked for a co-founder.

And I spent, I kind of just started it, like I found chefs on Craigslist, and I was delivering food in my car.

But I was dating co-founders that are now other YC founders at the time.

And no 1 at that time in that like 3, 4 month period was willing to quit their job and join me or was randomly as passionate about my idea as I was.

So it was a unique, this was all very organic.

I didn't really think, you know, I must have a co-founder or I must be a solo co-founder.

I tried to find 1 and my priority was like, leaping on this idea.

And so I didn't find 1 and I just went with it.

Long term, I think it is hard, very hard as a single founder.

Right now, our exec team operates kind of like as a hive mind and I share everything with them.

So after many, many years, now we have like a 5 person super team that's all very invested and kind of like a co-founding team but at scale.

In the early days, what I say for single founders is you kind of have, like if you're swimming in the ocean, it's kind of like a net buoy system.

So you have to find like 3 or 6 people that are like those orange buoys, and you're swimming by yourself, and you're super, super tired, and when you wanna rest, you like swim over to 1 of the buoys and you hug it, and you like talk to them, and they help you.

But then, since you don't have a co-founder, no 1 can be your rock, right?

So next time you're like, you know need to rest you swim over to another buoy and you hug that You know and you kind of like you basically Crowdsource your co-founder from other founders and friends and you have to really find and in fact some of my closest friends were other single founders And so I had a group of 2 or 3 single founders, and we all would constantly meet up for coffee or drinks after work and trade stories and help each other.


Speaker 0: When I started Gobble, I looked for a co-founder. And I spent, I kind of just started it, like I found chefs on Craigslist, and I was delivering food in my car. But I was dating co-founders that are now other YC founders at the time. And no 1 at that time in that like 3, 4 month period was willing to quit their job and join me or was randomly as passionate about my idea as I was. So it was a unique, this was all very organic.

I didn't really think, you know, I must have a co-founder or I must be a solo co-founder. I tried to find 1 and my priority was like, leaping on this idea. And so I didn't find 1 and I just went with it. Long term, I think it is hard, very hard as a single founder. Right now, our exec team operates kind of like as a hive mind and I share everything with them.

So after many, many years, now we have like a 5 person super team that's all very invested and kind of like a co-founding team but at scale. In the early days, what I say for single founders is you kind of have, like if you're swimming in the ocean, it's kind of like a net buoy system. So you have to find like 3 or 6 people that are like those orange buoys, and you're swimming by yourself, and you're super, super tired, and when you wanna rest, you like swim over to 1 of the buoys and you hug it, and you like talk to them, and they help you. But then, since you don't have a co-founder, no 1 can be your rock, right? So next time you're like, you know need to rest you swim over to another buoy and you hug that You know and you kind of like you basically Crowdsource your co-founder from other founders and friends and you have to really find and in fact some of my closest friends were other single founders And so I had a group of 2 or 3 single founders, and we all would constantly meet up for coffee or drinks after work and trade stories and help each other.

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Ooshma Garg: What is your advice for those starting out as a single founder?