Difference Between Founder and Co-Founder

Founder vs Co-Founder

Founder is a word that we are familiar with and understand it as the person or individual who establishes a venture. It is a term that connotes pride and prestige as well as creativity on the part of the person who starts the venture. However, there is a term co-founder that clearly indicates that there is not a single person who has started the venture. This article attempts to find out if there are differences between a founder and co-founder or is it merely a word to indicate more than 2 people involved in starting a venture.

Founder

If there is a single person who, not only has the idea, but also the resources to turn that idea into a successful venture, that person is termed as the founder of a company or a venture. History is replete with business empires and ventures that were created by the vision and fearlessness of single individuals who dared to turn their dreams into realities. A founder is a person who creates something out of nothing. Most big and successful companies around the globe started out with humble beginnings because of the courage and vision of their founders.

Co-Founder

Many a times, the establishment of a business or a venture is the brainchild of 2 or more individuals who share not just this idea but their resources and expertise to establish a business. In such a case, all these members of the group are referred to as co-founders of the establishment. As the word indicates, a co-founder is a person who founds an entity in conjunction with another individual. There may be several co-founders in a company, and the recent spat between actor Ashton Kutcher and the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak has brought out this word in the news once again. While millions believe it was just Steve Jobs who was the founder of Apple, it turns out that he established the business in association with Wozniak.

What is the difference between Founder and Co-Founder?

• Founder is the individual who has the idea or vision to start a venture from scratch.

• Co-founder is a term that is used to refer to the members of the group that takes the initiative to set up a venture.

• Founder is not a term that can be used in a hierarchical manner to indicate the superiority of a single individual in setting up a venture. This is why all those who support an idea and pool their resources to start a venture are called co-founders.

• Everyone who comes after the stage of ownership of a venture is an employee and not a founder.