Building your startup team — from co-founders to first hires
"Investors often say they invest in teams rather than ideas. The reason is simple: even the strongest technology or research breakthrough can fail without the right people to execute it.
In this workshop, you will learn how successful founding teams are built, what skills and competencies early-stage startups need, how to find the right co-founders and early employees, and how to build a team culture that supports long-term growth.
**Learning outcomes**
After this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand why investors place such a strong emphasis on startup teams.
- Identify the key competencies required in an early-stage founding team.
- Evaluate potential co-founders and avoid common team-building mistakes.
- Understand the basics of founder ownership, equity splits, and long-term commitment.
- Build a hiring plan that supports the startup's growth.
- Create a structured approach to recruiting and onboarding new team members.
**Who should attend?**
The workshop is especially valuable for first-time founders, researchers, and especially technically oriented team members who do not have prior experience building or leading early-stage startup teams."
In this workshop, you will learn how successful founding teams are built, what skills and competencies early-stage startups need, how to find the right co-founders and early employees, and how to build a team culture that supports long-term growth.
**Learning outcomes**
After this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand why investors place such a strong emphasis on startup teams.
- Identify the key competencies required in an early-stage founding team.
- Evaluate potential co-founders and avoid common team-building mistakes.
- Understand the basics of founder ownership, equity splits, and long-term commitment.
- Build a hiring plan that supports the startup's growth.
- Create a structured approach to recruiting and onboarding new team members.
**Who should attend?**
The workshop is especially valuable for first-time founders, researchers, and especially technically oriented team members who do not have prior experience building or leading early-stage startup teams."
These workshops are available for startups in the Aalto Startup Center community, for those in any of the Startup Center Programs (Business Generator, ESA BIC Finland, Research to Business, Aalto Creatives, ESA Phi-Lab Finland).