SOLO

Solo founding isn't broken. The narrative is.

For decades, the startup world has pushed one story: you need co-founders to succeed. But after working with thousands of founders, ODF has documented enough solo successes to know there's another valid path.

This database documents solo founders who built profitable companies without co-founders - not to promote a particular approach, but to challenge the notion that co-founding is the only option. Great co-founding teams build incredible companies. But so do determined individuals who know how to leverage their strengths.

Every insight here is extracted from real founder interviews, articles, and posts, organized by the challenges solo founders actually face. Decision-making without validation. Building authority while empowering teams. Managing isolation. Scaling without a co-founder transition.

The result is a different kind of startup narrative - one where working alone isn't a limitation to overcome, but a strategy to optimize.

The goal isn't to convince anyone to go solo. It's to show what's actually possible when founders design around their natural operating style instead of forcing themselves into conventional wisdom.