3 ms·

just curious, is there a compiled list of compelling single founder startups which are profitable or made an exit recently? the only thing that comes to mind r

• idlewords 17y ago
  I don't know if a list exists. Pinboard is profitable and I'm the only 'founder'. I believe Tarsnap (cperciva) is a one-man show. And the bingo card guy who posts here a lot runs things alone.
  • GFischer 17y ago
    Some of those "single" founders have other support, like family and spouses - a local guy that's profitable leans heavily on his wife, who left her job for the company, so she should be counted as a "cofounder" :)
    • angelbob 17y ago
      Sure. And multifounder companies have non-founder support like spouses and friends as well. Doesn't mean they're not real founders, right?
    • idlewords 17y ago
      Why the scare quotes? Sounds pretty clear-cut.
• wooster 17y ago
  Off the top of my head: Pierre Omidyar with Ebay. Gabor Cselle with reMail. Mark Zuckerberg with Facebook (cash flow positive, at least). Max Levchin with Slide.com. And a few others I can't really talk about (they like their low profile). Personally, as a single founder, I wish I had some cofounders. Next time I probably won't go it alone.