The perks of being a team of one

If one founder is good, then more must be better, right? Not necessarily. New research shows that the benefits of cofounding a startup with strangers can be eclipsed by the risks.

Yes, cofounders can bring their own perspectives, along with “access to wider networks, greater capacity, and access to funding,” says Monique Boddington, a management practice associate professor at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School, whose research includes early-stage venture formation and startup strategy development.

And yet: “An increasing number of individuals have been setting up businesses with no intention of taking on employees,” she explains.

That’s because more people are identifying as solo entrepreneurs—“solopreneurs”—since the pandemic, Boddington adds. And while the distinctio