Andy Chen

@rajatsuri Thanks for having me! I've been a longtime listener of Founders in Arms and so was thrilled to join you! 🙏

Most founders default to picking co-founders from their network. @andychen argues that might be the wrong move. We talk about what actually makes a founding team work, why “strangers” can outperform friends, and how the best companies are built around talent, not ideas. Really enjoyed this one. In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Why successful founders struggle to find co-founders (00:28) Introduction to Andy Chen and Outcast Ventures (01:17) Andy’s path into Silicon Valley (03:23) Building Outcast and rethinking founder formation (04:19) Research on co-founder success (and what most people get wrong) (06:25) Why working with your co-founder before can hurt outcomes (07:47) Skill, interest, and timing alignment in founding teams (08:22) Inside Outcast’s co-founder matching model (10:24) Why existing co-founder platforms often fall short (11:23) Talent vs. finance backgrounds in venture capital (13:37) Why the team matters more than the idea (14:47) How venture capital has evolved over time (17:48) Rethinking the “atomic unit” of startups (19:20) AI, enterprise vs. consumer, and new opportunities (24:49) The rise (and limits) of solo founders (27:48) The future of venture in the AI era (30:33) Rapid fire: trends, feedback, and lessons (34:20) Andy’s experience working in government (37:45) Why everyone should try building something

@OutcastVC Read the full study here: outcastventures.com/essays/billion…

@OutcastVC 📈 Apply to Catalyst to meet other founders building in the age of AI. outcastventures.com/catalyst

Most billion-dollar companies take over a decade to build.

@OutcastVC Read the full study here: outcastventures.com/essays/billion…

@OutcastVC Apply to Catalyst to meet other founders building in the age of AI. outcastventures.com/catalyst

The AI generation may build companies 10x larger than those before it.

@antoinenivard @UWaterloo Great point! We restricted the research to US exits, so Waterloo ended up with 4 companies. That said, per capita based on student body size, and given that it’s not in Silicon Valley, Waterloo punches way above its weight class. US universities should take note!

@andychen @UWaterloo should probably be in your top 3 with at least ten $1B+ outcomes and counting

Where you go to school doesn’t determine how big your company becomes.

@IlyaStrebulaev Read the full study here: outcastventures.com/essays/billion…

@IlyaStrebulaev Apply to Catalyst by 4/6 - Program for top 1% builders to meet their co-founder: outcastventures.com/catalyst