Episode 2: Cofounder Confessions — Love, Lies & Betrayal
03/13/25 • 56 min
Startups are messy. But cofounder relationships? Even messier. In this brutally honest episode of UnicornPrn, Melissa and Lloyed dive into the raw, real, and often ridiculous world of cofounder dynamics—from love stories gone wrong to business partnerships built on shaky foundations.
They read founder DMs and dissect juicy, anonymized tales of startup breakups, equity disputes, silent resentment, power struggles, and control freaks who hoard all the glory. Nothing is off-limits.
Whether your cofounder is your best friend, life partner, or someone you met at a hackathon, this episode will either save your relationship or confirm that it’s time to walk away.
Highlights:
- The equity conversation you’re avoiding (but must have ASAP)
- How to vet a technical cofounder before giving up your cap table
- Real stories: cofounder ghosting, solo resentment, side gigs, and betrayal
- Who should be CEO (Hint: it’s not the one who bought the domain)
- Managing burnout, power dynamics, and communication breakdowns
Hot takes:
- “Cofounder breakups make divorces look polite. Paper it before the kumbaya fades.”
- “You don’t need chemistry. You need someone who answers emails and doesn’t ghost on deadline day.”
- “Most cofounder drama starts with unclear roles and ends with legal fees.”
If you’re carrying the company and they’re carrying their ego... this episode might save your sanity (and your cap table).
Listen. Cringe. Reflect. Maybe renegotiate your equity split.
Contact UnicornPrn
- Find show notes of each episode on UnicornPrn.com - hit subscribe like it owes you money
About our hosts
- Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, and a 3X bootstrapper who has spent the last 14 years building companies without ever raising a cent of venture capital.
- Lloyed Lobo is a WSJ bestselling author, Cofounder of Boast.AI and Traction founder community, startup advisor, angel investor, board member, and LP in multiple VC funds — he’s seen startup chaos from both sides of the term sheet.
- LinkedIn: Melissa Kwan and Lloyed Lobo
- Instagram: @themelissakwan and @lloyedlobo
- YouTube: @themlissakwan and @StartupTraction
- Subscribe to 'your founder next door' at melissakwan.com, Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and fr...
Startups are messy. But cofounder relationships? Even messier. In this brutally honest episode of UnicornPrn, Melissa and Lloyed dive into the raw, real, and often ridiculous world of cofounder dynamics—from love stories gone wrong to business partnerships built on shaky foundations.
They read founder DMs and dissect juicy, anonymized tales of startup breakups, equity disputes, silent resentment, power struggles, and control freaks who hoard all the glory. Nothing is off-limits.
Whether your cofounder is your best friend, life partner, or someone you met at a hackathon, this episode will either save your relationship or confirm that it’s time to walk away.
Highlights:
- The equity conversation you’re avoiding (but must have ASAP)
- How to vet a technical cofounder before giving up your cap table
- Real stories: cofounder ghosting, solo resentment, side gigs, and betrayal
- Who should be CEO (Hint: it’s not the one who bought the domain)
- Managing burnout, power dynamics, and communication breakdowns
Hot takes:
- “Cofounder breakups make divorces look polite. Paper it before the kumbaya fades.”
- “You don’t need chemistry. You need someone who answers emails and doesn’t ghost on deadline day.”
- “Most cofounder drama starts with unclear roles and ends with legal fees.”
If you’re carrying the company and they’re carrying their ego... this episode might save your sanity (and your cap table).
Listen. Cringe. Reflect. Maybe renegotiate your equity split.
Contact UnicornPrn
- Find show notes of each episode on UnicornPrn.com - hit subscribe like it owes you money
About our hosts
- Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, and a 3X bootstrapper who has spent the last 14 years building companies without ever raising a cent of venture capital.
- Lloyed Lobo is a WSJ bestselling author, Cofounder of Boast.AI and Traction founder community, startup advisor, angel investor, board member, and LP in multiple VC funds — he’s seen startup chaos from both sides of the term sheet.
- LinkedIn: Melissa Kwan and Lloyed Lobo
- Instagram: @themelissakwan and @lloyedlobo
- YouTube: @themlissakwan and @StartupTraction
- Subscribe to 'your founder next door' at melissakwan.com, Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and fr...
Previous Episode
Welcome to UnicornPrn
UnicornPrn is the only podcast that peels back the glossy veneer of startup life and roasts it over a flaming pile of pitch decks 🔥
Hosted by Melissa Kwan and Lloyed Lobo, two founder friends who’ve seen the startup world from the inside out, upside down, and on fire. This show dives into what it’s actually like to build a company (spoiler: it’s not all oat milk lattes and billion-dollar exits).
We riff about all the things you wish you could say out loud but can’t (or won’t) — like investor horror stories, founder mistakes, and bloated valuations.
Tune in. Wake up. Think hard. Build smart.
Contact UnicornPrn
- Find show notes of each episode on UnicornPrn.com - hit subscribe like it owes you money
About our hosts
- Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, and a 3X bootstrapper who has spent the last 14 years building companies without ever raising a cent of venture capital.
- Lloyed Lobo is a WSJ bestselling author, Cofounder of Boast.AI and Traction founder community, startup advisor, angel investor, board member, and LP in multiple VC funds — he’s seen startup chaos from both sides of the term sheet.
- LinkedIn: Melissa Kwan and Lloyed Lobo
- Instagram: @themelissakwan and @lloyedlobo
- YouTube: @themlissakwan and @StartupTraction
- Subscribe to 'your founder next door' at melissakwan.com, Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and fr...
Next Episode
Episode 3: Venture Capital is a Giant Ponzi Scheme
Is venture capital the fuel behind world-changing innovation...or just a glorified pyramid scheme where everyone’s pretending they’re building the next Uber while actually praying for a higher valuation before the money runs out?
In this spicy episode of UnicornPrn, Melissa and Lloyed expose how the game is played — founders chasing funding like junkies, markups for AI buzzwords duct-taped to a landing page, unicorn markdowns like it’s Black Friday, and accelerators slapping lipstick on broken products for Demo Day.
Highlights:
- Why VC math makes founders lie to themselves (and investors)
- The billion-dollar valuation addiction—and who’s really winning
- The culture of secondary exits, fake wins, and quiet shutdowns
- What happens when the market corrects and the music stops
- The NEW Startup Operating System
Hot Takes:
- “A startup that needs constant funding to survive isn’t building... It’s bleeding.”
- “More startups die of indigestion than starvation.”
The startup game is rigged. This episode hands you the playbook they don't want you to read.
Tune in. Wake up. Think hard. Build smart.
Contact UnicornPrn
- Find show notes of each episode on UnicornPrn.com - hit subscribe like it owes you money
About our hosts
- Melissa Kwan is Cofounder and CEO of eWebinar, and a 3X bootstrapper who has spent the last 14 years building companies without ever raising a cent of venture capital.
- Lloyed Lobo is a WSJ bestselling author, Cofounder of Boast.AI and Traction founder community, startup advisor, angel investor, board member, and LP in multiple VC funds — he’s seen startup chaos from both sides of the term sheet.
- LinkedIn: Melissa Kwan and Lloyed Lobo
- Instagram: @themelissakwan and @lloyedlobo
- YouTube: @themlissakwan and @StartupTraction
- Subscribe to 'your founder next door' at melissakwan.com, Melissa's bi-monthly newsletter on how to build a company without an abundance of resources and fr...
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