Navigating Co-founder Breakups | Paul Müller (EWOR)

Co-founder breakups are a key reason why startups fail. From choosing the right partner to surviving the toughest conversations, this session unpacks what founders rarely talk about: how to prevent, navigate, and recover from co-founder breakups.

Paul Müller knows the stakes. As the founder of Adjust, which scaled from 3 to 700+ people and sold for over $1B, he’s lived the highs and lows. Now as a partner at EWOR, he shares hard-won lessons to help your startup succeed.

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AI-generated key takeaways
Choose complementary co-founders you respect intellectually; avoid 50/50 skill overlap and founding with partners/spouses.
Align early on goals, sacrifice level, roles, decision rights, and what requires consent; define clear “turfs.”
Put a “prenup” in place: unequal equity, long reverse vesting, and terms for role changes or underperformance.
Watch for early signs of mismatch (ability, motivation, commitment); address it fast—don’t delay hard conversations.
If a breakup is needed, negotiate from reality: current company value is effectively zero without founders’ commitment; structure a cash-flow-feasible exit and expect the relationship to end.

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Slush is the most founder-focused event on Earth, delivering actionable company-building advice while bringing together the who’s who in startups and tech.

Slush will be back on Nov 18–19, 2026 in Helsinki, Finland.

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