Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Choosing a co-founder is an important step in launching your startup.

Consider these points before finalizing your decision:

• First, understand what are the businesses’ needs and what skills must be recruited.
• In the early stages of the startup, you need a complete team -- someone building it and someone selling it.  
• Choose a co-founder who completes the team.
• Look for candidates who share the same values as you.
• Focus on candidates who you have known for some time. 
• Consider what skills are less important so you know how to make the right trade-off decisions.
• Make sure the co-founder is equally committed to the startup in time spend.
• Discuss the potential exit strategies to see if there is alignment.
• Before finalizing the decision, work on a small project. In the project, see if you work well together.

Is there any chemistry from the relationship?

Does their work ethic match yours?

Does their professionalism match yours?

Is the communication between you and the potential co-founder open and honest?

Choosing a co-founder is an important step, so by no means rush it.


Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.
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Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode, Hall welcomes Jonathan Spangler, CEO & Founder of Ciari Guitars.

Headquartered in San Diego, California, Ciari Guitars is the creator of the Ascender, the world’s first pro-play, gig-ready guitar with foldable convenience. It is also the only guitar company approved for in-airport experiential marketing via the “Music Oasis” free guitar lounge.

A concealed lever “detensions” the strings and unlocks a hinge at the neck, which allows the guitar to bend completely backward as the strings follow the fold under light tension. The Ascender can fit in a backpack and takes up less space than any travel guitar on the market.  It’s perfect for all forms of travel - by air, by land, and by sea - and also great at home for space-limited places like apartments, condos, tiny homes, van life, etc.

Jonathan is a business and legal executive turned entrepreneur. To his leadership role, he brings the business acumen and experience from multiple successful start-ups over a 20+ year career in the medical industry based on market-making innovation, as well as a lifetime passion for music and guitars. He is an inventor on 18 US patents ranging from medical devices to music instruments. Jonathan received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law. 

Jonathan shares with Hall what led him to start working in this space. He discusses some of the challenges he has faced and how he sees the industry evolving.

You can visit Ciari Guitars at www.ciariguitars.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/ciariguitars/. 

Jonathan can be contacted via email at jspangler@ciariguitars.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-spangler-127a037/.    

Music courtesy of Bensound.