Petito · Co-founder matching
Find a co-founder in Sweden — 8 places that actually work.
Finding a co-founder in Sweden in 2026 is a screening problem, not a discovery problem. Eight channels work in practice — and the screening framework underneath them matters more than the channel choice. This page is the map, and Petito is the channel that starts from documented ideas.
- Match from documented ideas, not abstract CVs
- Team with shipped track record
- Free to list, contracts inside the platform
Where to look
8 channels that work in Sweden.
Sting and other accelerators bring vetted founder networks. YC Startup School Sweden groups source ambitious solo founders. Founder Slack/Discord communities surface real-time matching. LinkedIn works when filtered for repeat founders, not first-timers. KTH Innovation and Chalmers Ventures connect to technical talent leaving research roles. Tech meetups (Sthlm Tech Fest, Nordic.js) are slower but higher quality. Industry founder dinners are best for sector-specific matching. Petito matches team to ideas already documented in the marketplace.
Screening
Five non-negotiables before handshake.
Shipped track record (what have they built end to end before?). Financial runway compatibility (how long without market salary?). Commitment level (full-time intent, not side project). Decision conflict handling (how do they argue when you disagree?). Reference calls with two previous collaborators. Skip any of these and the mismatch reveals itself six months in — when separation is expensive.
Equity & vesting
How to split the cap table.
Default split: 50/50 when both join at the same time with the same commitment. Asymmetric (60/40, 70/30) when one co-founder brought the idea plus months of pre-work, joins later, or takes CEO accountability. Always use four-year vesting with one-year cliff — protects everyone if someone leaves early. Document in the shareholders' agreement (aktieägaravtal) before the first deposit hits the company account.
Petito matching
Start from the idea, not the CV.
Petito lists documented, timestamped ideas in a marketplace where team, investors and experts browse by sector. Mark a concept as 'seeking co-founder' instead of 'for licensing' and qualified matches with execution track record appear inside two weeks for most documented ideas. The matching is based on what you actually want to build — which removes the awkward 'tell me your idea' dance from cold founder dating.
Continue
Document the idea first.
The fastest path to a real co-founder match is a documented, timestamped concept the other party can react to. Petito handles documentation, timestamping and matching in one surface — free to list, transparent percentage only if a deal closes.
Frequently asked
Finding co-founders — FAQ.
Where do you find co-founders in Sweden in 2026?+
Eight channels work in practice: Sting and other Stockholm/Gothenburg accelerators, YC Startup School Sweden groups, the Swedish founder Slack and Discord communities, LinkedIn filtered for repeat founders, KTH Innovation and Chalmers Ventures, tech meetups (Sthlm Tech Fest, Nordic.js), industry founder dinners, and Petito's co-founder matching for documented ideas.
What should you screen a co-founder for?+
Five non-negotiables: shipped track record, financial runway compatibility, full-time commitment intent, decision conflict handling, and reference calls with two previous collaborators. Skip any of these and you'll discover the mismatch six months in, when separation is expensive.
How do you split equity between co-founders?+
Default 50/50 when both join at the same time with the same commitment. Asymmetric (60/40, 70/30) when one brings the idea plus pre-work, joins later, or takes CEO accountability. Always use four-year vesting with one-year cliff — protects all parties if someone leaves early.
How do I find a technical co-founder?+
Technical co-founders compete with FAANG salaries plus startup equity. Three approaches: (1) work on the idea until you have a prototype or design doc to show, (2) target senior engineers tired of corporate scope reduction (not juniors), (3) be specific about the technical challenge and equity split before the first call — most CTO searches die at 'we'll figure it out later'.
Can you start a company with a part-time co-founder?+
Only as a temporary structure. Set a date for full-time conversion in the founder agreement, or treat the part-time person as an advisor with smaller equity (0.5–2%) instead. The structural conflict appears at the first hard decision — full-time founder ships, part-time founder is in a meeting elsewhere.
How does Petito's co-founder matching work?+
Mark a documented idea as 'seeking co-founder' instead of 'for licensing'. Qualified matches with execution track record appear inside two weeks for most documented concepts. The matching is based on the actual idea, which removes the awkward 'tell me your idea' dance from cold founder dating.