Cofounder dating is the evaluation period (typically 1-3 months) between potential cofounders before formalizing the partnership with a founders agreement and equity allocation. It is designed to test working compatibility through actual collaborative work (not just conversations), complementary skills coverage of what the business actually needs, value alignment on the fundamental questions (vision, ambition, work intensity, ethics, exit goals), and shared vision for the company being built. The discipline matters because the cost of formalizing a bad cofounder partnership and then breaking up is enormous (it typically destroys the company) compared to the cost of a thorough dating period upfront. It is the structural proc...