^{Forwarded this email? Subscribe for more.}

Hey, I’m Tim! ☕

Every Mon and Fri, I help you become the cofounder your startup deserves.

• Actionable advice: Practical tips you can put into use today.

• Relatable stories: Real-life experiences from people just like you.

• Unique insights: Fresh perspectives that you won’t find anywhere else.

Cherrytree is the blueprint to building your dream cofoundership.

PS — If you really want to answer the unGoogleable questions, book time with me for free. I’ve coached dozens of pre-seed/seed stage cofounders.

And if you need legal support for all things cofounder-related (equity, stock grants, incorporation, agreements, fundraising prep) we’ve got you covered too.

Hack Yeah

Hackathons are underrated.

Where else can you find a group of smart, ambitious people who voluntarily subject themselves to marathon building sessions just for fun?

It’s one of the best places to find cofounders and early team members because you’re not just talking about building but actually doing it together.

The time constraints, the pressure, the need for clear communication are all condensed versions of what you’ll face in a real startup.

For cofounders, hackathons are an incredible test drive.

It’s easy to vibe with someone when you’re chitchatting over coffee. It’s much harder, and more revealing, to maintain that energy at 3 a.m. when the backend won’t deploy, and the presentation is in six hours.

The stakes may be artificial, but the behaviors are real.

Rachit Kataria and William Wang, cofounders of Centralize, used to host hackathons and supplied boba for everyone back when they were in undergrad.

I think it’s even more powerful when you use hackathons as a chance to tinker around with what interests you.

That’s what Gale cofounders Rahul Gudise, Haokun Qin, and Rishabh Sambare did.

Lens, Not Launchpad

Notice any patterns in their backgrounds?

• Rahul Gudise: Built Canada's first instant immigration PDF filler and automation suite. Previously worked at NVIDIA and Tesla, studied CS at Waterloo.

• Haokun Qin: Been coding and designing since middle school. Studied Waterloo CM, interned as MLE at Viavi, immigrated twice in the last 20 years.

• Rishabh Sambare: Built automations for Canadian immigration forms, energy trading at Tesla, and improved algorithms for the Waterloo co-op program.

What stood out about them wasn’t just their technical competence, but their dynamic. There wasn’t a rigid hierarchy when I spoke to them.

They were three friends chasing problems that they all had personal experiences with and building cool stuff using the skills they learned, without titles or egos.

One of the most powerful things about hackathons is that there’s no room for politics.

You’re working with people who’re there purely by choice, united by a shared goal and a ticking clock.

Don’t expect hackathons to be a launchpad for your company. The odds of building something at a hackathon that becomes a viable product are slim.

But that’s not the point.

If you use hackathons as a lens through which to see your fellow builders, you might just find someone to share your startup journey with.

If you already have a team, why not host your own in-house hackathon?

Startups live and die by the 2-week sprint. They’re the status quo.

Some of your best cofounder moments won’t come from running sprints but from rethinking how you do them entirely.

How I Can Help

There are two parts to building your cofoundership:

1. Increasing compatibility and trust.

2. Decreasing tension and effort required.

I can coach you through both.

1. You’ll learn how to actually be comfortable with speaking your mind by creating a space where you feel heard and understood.

2. You’ll learn how to keep the company moving while addressing concerns that you thought would take too much time or energy.

Grab time here or simply reply to this email.

Thanks y’all,

Tim He

_{Brought to you by:}