The End of Co-Founders? The Rise of AI & Seedstrapping

Search by show, podcast, video or article

━

See full schedule

BFM 89.9

The Business Station

Clients

Advertise with us

Users

Careers About Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Contact Us FAQ

Join our community

Platforms

Facebook Instagram X (Twitter)Tiktok Linked In Threads

Download app

Users

Careers About Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Contact Us FAQ

Join our community

Download app

Clients

Advertise with us

You've listened to 5 podcasts this week.

Remove this login wall forever and get a free BFM car sticker with a one-time sign up.

Podcasts

Business

P&L

The End of Co-Founders? The Rise of AI & Seedstrapping

42 mins·11:00, 5 Jan 2026

Podcasts /

Business /

P&L

The End of Co-Founders? The Rise of AI & Seedstrapping

42 mins

11:00, 5 Jan 2026

Recommended

Podcasts

What’s Next for Malaysian Politics

11 mins

Podcasts

EPF, Some Changes but its Laws That Need to Be Amended for Real Impact

12 mins

Podcasts

EFS Group : Scaling Up in the Solar Business

22 mins

Guest: Kevin Brockland (Managing Partner), Indelible Ventures

Co-founder disputes are a top killer of startups. But with AI providing the leverage of a full team, a new wave of "seedstrappers" is rising fast. Could going solo actually be a safer bet than a "forced co-founder marriage"?

Kevin Brockland, Managing Partner at Indelible Ventures, joins BFM’s P&L to kick off our 4-part series on "The New Math of Business Building, Powered by AI." We unpack startling new data showing that 36% of new startups in the first half of 2025 were solo-founded (up from <24% in 2019), suggesting a structural shift driven by AI leverage.

We discuss:

The "Reliability" Myth: Kevin explains why VCs historically avoided solo founders due to lack of expertise and support structures, but argues that a bad co-founder "marriage" is often riskier than going it alone.
AI as the Ultimate Lever: How AI tools allow individuals to launch complex tech businesses (like SaaS and HealthTech) that previously required a full C-suite, fundamentally changing the "time-to-MVP."
Distribution > Product: With AI shortening the time to build and copy products, Kevin argues the real value has shifted entirely to distribution, a game where incumbents like Google currently have the upper hand.
The Speed Advantage: Solo founders are dictatorships, not democracies. We discuss how this allows for faster decision-making and why solo founders are reaching priced rounds quicker than teams.
The "Seedstrapping" Trend: A look at the new model for 2026 where founders skip pre-seed rounds, maintain larger equity stakes, and use that equity to hire top-tier talent instead of bringing on co-founders.
The Southeast Asia Angle: While the trend is US-centric, Kevin highlights the "leapfrog" opportunity for ASEAN founders to build B2B solutions that integrate seamlessly into corporate structures.
Ambition vs. Lifestyle: A critical look at the risks: will solo founders in Southeast Asia cash out early for a "lifestyle business" once they hit financial comfort, rather than aiming for regional domination?