"Co-founder dating" events optimize for chemistry in a two-hour conversation. Chemistry is real, but it predicts almost nothing about how two people handle a product decision under pressure eight months from now, with no revenue and a shrinking bank balance.
Work together before you commit, on something real
Not a hackathon weekend — a real two-to-four week project with a deliverable and a deadline, ideally something with actual stakes, like a paid freelance gig you split or a small tool you both need. You learn more about someone from one disagreement about scope than from ten coffee chats about vision.
Ask about money before you ask about equity
How much runway does each of you personally have before you need a salary? What happens if one of you needs to take a part-time job in month six? These conversations feel awkward to have early, which is exactly why most co-founder teams avoid them — and exactly why unresolved financial pressure is one of the most common reasons co-founder relationships break down later.
Decide the split before the excitement clouds it
Equity splits negotiated early, before either of you has "proven" more value than the other, tend to be fairer and more durable than splits negotiated after six months of one person feeling like they've carried more weight. Default to equal unless there's a specific, discussed reason not to — and write down that reason.
The real test
Not "do we get along" — it's "when we disagree about something that matters, does the disagreement make the decision better, or does it just make both of us tired." You'll only find out by actually disagreeing about something that matters, before you've both quit your jobs to find out the hard way.