Sorry for your loss. I lost a close co-worker once and it was extremely painful. Do not hesitate to cry if you want to. Laugh at some of your good moments, jokes. Say something to him out loud if you want to "Hey Gregg, how would you solve this problem?". I hope you continue with your project, I am sure Gregg will support you along the way.
When a co-founder dies
21–30 of 46 posts
Re: When a co-founder dies
#22Condolences, thats just horrible.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#23Several years ago, a close friend of our family died in a bicycle accident.
He had troubles throughout his life - he was a recovering alcoholic of several years at that point, had been through a difficult divorce, was struggling to pay his bills. (He was an excellent carpenter; we still have many improvements on our family's house that he built through the years.) But he was very well read, and had much life experience, and I can remember staying up late into the night when I was in my very late teens; talking with him, and broadening my perspective on life and everything else.
I wasn't so close with him that it had near the same effect, but I can recall the feeling of loss I had when it finally sunk in that there would be no more conversations late into the night in our living room, and imagining that feeling multiplied by interacting with someone as closely as such a co-founder is almost unbearable.
My condolences for your loss.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#24My condolences for your loss. Talk to those who will listen: to friends, to family, to a counselor, to folks you meet at the electronics store. Do what you need to do for yourself, and give yourself time; don't be surprised if it takes longer than you think. Mourning cannot be pencilled into a time slot; it does not mesh with Google Calendar. Don't worry about startups and hacking if you find, at times, that the ener…
The difficulty with conventional condolences is that they appear, to me, hollow when I type them, even when I mean them. Without the ability to use the sound of my voice or physical contact to convey sincerity, I'm at a loss. With that said, I'm sorry.
Sometimes the only thing you can say is just that you have nothing to say, but wish that you did.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#25“All good things must come to an end, but great things will live on forever, only in a different form.” I am not sure what your belief system is, but I am going to express mine because I am assuming, based on your post, that Greg is an example of a ‘great thing.’ And although he will not be by your side in physical form for those late nights, his legacy will live on forever. It is important to realize that Greg would not want you to mourn and instead he wants you to live, to live in a way that you have never lived before. Death is obviously an inevitable occurrence in our lives, but it does not necessarily need to result in feelings of angst because Greg served his purpose in the world by becoming part of who you are today. He will forever be with you, like all great things, only this time in a different form. Have the will to live, have the will to thrive, and have the will to allow Greg’s legacy to continue onward as your start-up becomes a huge success…
Good luck to you and may Greg rest in peace…
Re: When a co-founder dies
#26Not wishing to be indelicate but .... Another problem you might face is any relatives of Greg. With no corporates structure - or even one that just says 50:50 you may see wives/parents/cousins convinced that all startups are going to be ebay looking for their billions. Remember the saying: you only choose a spouse - you don't get to choose their family. You may find you spend another few years working on your own to…
It might be a good idea to make a break and restart the idea with just you. That's not ethical. Whatever equity Greg had belongs to his estate.
This is a very very hard problem. The fact is that in a startup you own 50% because you are there working. Once one founder is no longer present it's very hard to claim the 50% is still valid.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#27that's awful man. i'm very sad for you. .i wish you the best
Re: When a co-founder dies
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
It might be a good idea to make a break and restart the idea with just you. That's not ethical. Whatever equity Greg had belongs to his estate.
This is a very very hard problem. The fact is that in a startup you own 50% because you are there working. Once one founder is no longer present it's very hard to claim the 50% is still valid.
This is why it is so important to have vesting of founders shares. Then when they are no longer participating in the company there is an equitable manner for how many shares you end up with.
In my first company we arranged vesting over 4 years, 1/4 each year. Some people might prefer 3. Many investors will also insist on this as well.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#29!
My condolences.
Re: When a co-founder dies
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
It might be a good idea to make a break and restart the idea with just you. That's not ethical. Whatever equity Greg had belongs to his estate.
This is a very very hard problem. The fact is that in a startup you own 50% because you are there working. Once one founder is no longer present it's very hard to claim the 50% is still valid.
Once one founder is no longer present it's very hard to claim the 50% is still valid.
True. But as cmos responded, this is why you vest equity. Ultimately, as macabre as it is, death is just an instance of the general case of a founder no longer contributing to the business.