36 Questions to Discuss Before Partnering Up

Compiled from “50 Questions You Must Discuss Before Partnering Up,” published by Hong Kong X Technology Entrepreneurship Platform. The questionnaire was originally developed and refined by Gloria Lin (Flipboard’s first head of product and Stripe’s first product manager) alongside fellow founders during her own co-founder search, as a systematic way to assess fit between prospective partners.

On the count

The original headline says “50 questions,” but the published text contains only 36 numbered questions (Q0.1–Q6.4). Every question was checked against the source; none are missing, and none appear only as images. This list faithfully reproduces the actual 36 questions, with nothing added.

How to Use This Questionnaire

• Fill it out independently. Don’t fill it out while discussing it together — that invites groupthink and hides what each of you actually thinks. Takes about 2–3 hours.
• Discuss it in several sessions. The full conversation runs about 6–10 hours. Split it across 3–5 meetings, focusing on one or two sections each time.
• Separate your dealbreakers from your negotiables. Each person gets at most three non-negotiables (for example: must have a technical background, integrity, personal maturity). Everything else is open to consensus and accommodation.

Part 0. How You Work

Like a behavioral interview — it surfaces values, work habits, strengths and weaknesses, reactions under pressure, and self-awareness.

1. Q0.1 What is the most serious interpersonal conflict you’ve dealt with, and how did you resolve it?
2. Q0.2 How many hours a week are you willing to work? What does an ideal life look like to you, and what does a hellish one look like?
3. Q0.3 What is your superpower? What are your top three standout traits?
4. Q0.4 What is your biggest weakness? In which areas do you need a partner to compensate for you or support you?
5. Q0.5 Under high pressure (say, runway running out or the product slipping), how do you behave — and how can a partner best support you?
6. Q0.6 How do you prevent burnout? What are the essentials that keep you physically and mentally healthy through the grind of startup life?
7. Q0.7 What is the biggest criticism or piece of feedback you’ve received from colleagues or people who reported to you?
8. Q0.8 How do you make major decisions? Do you lean data-driven or intuition-driven?

Part I. Roles and Responsibilities

Define how roles evolve from the early days through scaling, and clarify who owns what by actually working together.

1. Q1.1 After reaching product/market fit, how do you expect your role to change? And once the company starts scaling?
2. Q1.2 How do we decide who becomes CEO, CTO, or COO? And how would you feel about bringing in an outside professional CEO later if the company needs one?
3. Q1.3 When we disagree sharply on a product decision or strategic direction and can’t reach consensus, who has the final say?
4. Q1.4 How do we give each other performance feedback? How often do we hold a formal founder health check?

Part II. Company Structure, Equity, and Financing

The core business and legal questions most likely to trigger serious conflict — equity splits, board seats, and exit mechanisms.

1. Q2.1 How much should we raise? On the spectrum from a bootstrapped boutique business to go big or go home, where do you want this company to land?
2. Q2.2 How should equity be split between founders? And what’s your philosophy on the employee option pool?
3. Q2.3 If we find product/market fit but all the founders have lost their passion for that product area, what do we do?
4. Q2.4 How should founder vesting schedules and anti-dilution terms be structured? Do we set a one-year cliff?
5. Q2.5 For an acquisition offer, what’s your expected return threshold? At what amount would you consider selling?
6. Q2.6 How should founder salaries be set? What base salary does each of us take before the seed or Series A round?
7. Q2.7 How do we plan board seats? How should seats be divided between founders and investors?

Part III. Personal Motivation and Goals

A deeper look at intrinsic drive, personal financial needs, and long-term career vision.

1. Q3.1 Why do you want to start a company? And why now?
2. Q3.2 What makes you gritty? Share a specific story that shows your resilience.
3. Q3.3 What does startup success mean to you — impact, financial freedom, or personal reputation?
4. Q3.4 How long is your personal runway? How long can you go without a salary, or on a low salary?
5. Q3.5 How will starting a company affect your family and personal life (marriage, children, relocation plans), and how will you balance the two?

Part IV. Business Philosophy and Value Proposition

Fundamental views on market entry, product quality, competitive strategy, and customer relationships.

1. Q4.1 Should we pursue “fail fast, iterate quickly,” or “pursue flawless quality and an exceptional experience”?
2. Q4.2 When a strong direct competitor ships a similar feature, how should we respond strategically?
3. Q4.3 How do you weigh “customer first” against “product-vision driven”?
4. Q4.4 Where do you stand on protecting company trade secrets versus contributing to the open-source community?

Part V. Team Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion

The foundation for hiring your future team and establishing culture and core values.

1. Q5.1 How much does diversity and inclusion matter to you? Concretely, how would you put it into practice?
2. Q5.2 What kind of work culture do we want to build? (For example: fully remote vs. in-office, transparent communication vs. hierarchical management.)
3. Q5.3 What are our core criteria for hiring the first ten employees? Would we tolerate a personality flaw in exchange for ability?
4. Q5.4 When an employee underperforms, what is our process and our principles for letting them go?

Part VI. Maintaining the Partnership and Exiting

Preventive measures for extreme scenarios, to keep the partnership healthy and sustainable over the long term.

1. Q6.1 If this partnership reaches its end, how would you handle the “startup divorce”? What would the process and principles be?
2. Q6.2 If the business needs it down the road, how would we think about bringing in a third (or Nth) co-founder?
3. Q6.3 What daily and weekly mechanisms will we put in place to keep the founders’ relationship healthy and communication smooth?
4. Q6.4 If one founder needs an extended leave for health, family, or personal reasons, how do we plan the handover of responsibilities?

Key Takeaway

A good idea can be iterated, a product can be rebuilt, and a business model can be adjusted. But if the founders lack trust, boundaries, and a mechanism for handling disagreement, even a great opportunity can be consumed by internal friction.

Rather than rushing into a commitment out of anxiety, use a deliberate process: work together first, face disagreement together, discuss the hardest questions together — and only then decide whether to bet on each other.

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合伙创业前必须谈清楚的 36 个问题

本文整理自「香港X科技创业平台」发布的《合伙创业前，必须谈清楚的 50 个问题》。问卷最初由 Gloria Lin（Flipboard 第一任产品负责人、Stripe 首位产品经理）在寻找联合创始人的过程中，与多位创业者共同完善，用于系统评估创业伙伴之间的匹配度。

关于数量

原文标题写「50 个问题」，但正文实际只列出 36 个编号问题（Q0.1–Q6.4）。已逐条核对原文，未发现遗漏或仅以图片形式呈现的问题。本清单忠实收录实际的 36 个问题，未作任何补充。

使用方法

• 各自独立填写：两人不要边讨论边填，否则容易陷入「群体迷思」，无法反映真实想法。填写约需 2–3 小时。
• 分次深度讨论：全套对话约需 6–10 小时，建议按章节分 3–5 次会议，每次专注 1–2 个章节。
• 厘清「底线」与「可妥协项」：每人至多只能有 3 个不可妥协的底线（例如必须具备技术背景、诚信与个人成熟度），非底线领域则寻求共识与包容。

第 0 部分：工作与处事方式

类似行为面试，旨在了解彼此的价值观、工作习惯、优缺点、高压下的反应以及自我意识。

1. Q0.1 你处理过最严重的人际冲突是什么？当时是如何解决的？
2. Q0.2 你每周愿意投入多少工作时长？在你心中，理想的生活状态与地狱般的生活状态分别是什么？
3. Q0.3 你的超级强项是什么？你最突出的前 3 个特质为何？
4. Q0.4 你最大的弱点是什么？你在哪些领域需要伙伴补足或给予协助？
5. Q0.5 在高压环境下（如资金即将耗尽、产品延期），你会展现出什么样的行为反应？伙伴该如何有效支援你？
6. Q0.6 你如何防止 Burnout？在创业的高压日常中，你维持身心健康的关键要素是什么？
7. Q0.7 在过往的工作经历中，同事或下属对你最大的批评或反馈是什么？
8. Q0.8 你如何做出重大决策？你是偏向数据驱动（Data-driven），还是依靠直觉与洞察（Intuition-driven）？

Part I. 角色分工与职责划分

明确定义从早期到规模化阶段的角色演变，并通过实务演练厘清具体职责归属。

1. Q1.1 在达到产品/市场匹配（PMF）之后，你预期自己的角色会如何变化？当公司开始规模化扩张时呢？
2. Q1.2 我们如何决定谁担任 CEO、CTO 或 COO？如果未来公司发展需要引入外部专业 CEO，你的态度是什么？
3. Q1.3 当我们对某个产品决策或战略方向产生严重分歧且无法达成共识时，最终的决定权归谁？
4. Q1.4 我们如何互相给予绩效反馈？多久进行一次正式的创始人健康度检查（Founder Health Check）？

Part II. 公司架构、股权与融资战略

涉及股权份额、董事会席位、退出机制等可能引发重大争执的核心商业与法务问题。

1. Q2.1 我们应该募集多少资金？在“自负盈亏的小型精品企业”到“追求独角兽的 Go big or go home”光谱中，你希望这家公司停在哪里？
2. Q2.2 创始人之间的股权应该如何分配？你对员工期权池（Option Pool）的理念是什么？
3. Q2.3 如果我们找到了 PMF，但所有创始人对该产品领域都失去了热情，我们该怎么办？
4. Q2.4 创始人股权的兑现条款（Vesting Schedule）与反稀释条款如何设定？是否设置一年的单崖期（1-year Cliff）？
5. Q2.5 对于公司的并购邀约，你的期望回报门槛是多少？在什么金额下你会考虑出售？
6. Q2.6 创始人的薪资如何设定？在公司获得种子轮或 A 轮融资前，我们各自领取多少基本薪资？
7. Q2.7 董事会席位如何规划？创始人与投资人的席位比例应如何分配？

Part III. 个人动机与目标

深入探索创业的内在驱动力、个人财务需求以及长期职业愿景。

1. Q3.1 你为什么想创业？为什么是选择“现在”？
2. Q3.2 是什么让你具备坚韧不拔的毅力（Grittiness）？请分享展现你坚韧特质的具体故事。
3. Q3.3 对你而言，创业成功（Success）的定义是什么？是影响力、财富自由，还是个人声誉？
4. Q3.4 你的个人财务跑道（Personal Runway）还有多久？你能承受多久不领薪水或领低薪的日子？
5. Q3.5 创业对你的家庭与个人生活（如结婚、生育、搬迁计划）会有什么影响？你如何平衡两者？

Part IV. 商业理念与价值主张

探讨对市场切入点、产品质量、竞争策略与客户关系的根本看法。

1. Q4.1 我们应该追求“快速失败、小步快跑”，还是“追求完美品质与极致体验”？
2. Q4.2 当面对强大的直接竞争对手推出类似功能时，我们的战略应当如何回应？
3. Q4.3 你如何看待“客户至上”与“产品愿景导向”之间的权衡？
4. Q4.4 对于保护公司商业机密与开源社区贡献，你的立场是什么？

Part V. 团队文化与多元包容

确立未来招聘团队、建立企业文化与核心价值观的基石。

1. Q5.1 多元与包容（Diversity & Inclusion）对你有多重要？具体而言，你会如何将其付诸实行？
2. Q5.2 我们希望建立什么样的工作文化？（例如：全远程 vs. 办公室集合、透明沟通 vs. 层级管理）
3. Q5.3 我们招聘前 10 名员工的核心标准是什么？我们愿意为了能力而容忍性格有瑕疵的人吗？
4. Q5.4 当员工表现不佳时，我们的解雇流程与处事原则是什么？

Part VI. 联合创始人关系维护与退场

面对极端情况的预防措施，确保伙伴关系的长期健康与可持续性。

1. Q6.1 万一这段伙伴关系走到了尽头，你会如何处理“创业散伙（Startup Divorce）”？流程与原则是什么？
2. Q6.2 如果未来业务发展需要，我们如何考虑引入第三位（或第 N 位）联合创始人？
3. Q6.3 我们将建立什么样的日常与每周机制来维持创始人之间的健康关系与沟通顺畅？
4. Q6.4 如果其中一位创始人因健康、家庭或个人因素需要请长假，我们如何规划权责过渡？

核心观点

原文的关键结论：好点子可以迭代，产品可以重做，商业模式也可以调整；但如果创始人之间缺乏信任、边界与处理分歧的机制，再好的机会也可能被内耗消耗殆尽。

与其因为焦虑而仓促绑定，不如用一套有节奏的流程——先一起做事、一起面对分歧、一起讨论最难的问题，再决定是否共同下注。