đź“… Date: Wednesday, April 30
🕒 Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM EDT
đź“Ť Location: New York City (address shared after registration)
đź”— Register here: https://lu.ma/BambooX-Investors-Lunch
Startups don’t fall apart because the idea was wrong. They fall apart when the relationship at the top fractures, and no one steps in early enough to do anything about it.
Co-founder conflict is one of the most common causes of startup failure, yet it rarely gets discussed during diligence or post-investment support. That’s what this lunch is for.
We’re inviting a small group of VC investors and platform leads to join a focused conversation about co-founder dynamics, what drives breakdowns, and what investors can do to reduce risk across their portfolios.
WHY THIS CONVERSATION MATTERS
We’ve seen the pattern too many times. On paper, things look strong. But inside the team, trust is eroding, alignment is slipping, and decisions are stalling. By the time it shows up in metrics, it’s too late.
That’s why we’re partnering with Confidante for this event. Their work centers on co-founder alignment, communication, and long-term team health. Together, we’ll share what early signs to watch for and how to support founder relationships before things fall apart.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The lunch will center around a candid, practical conversation—not a deck, not a panel. Just two people who work closely with founders talking about what they’ve seen go right, what they’ve seen go wrong, and where investors can actually make a difference.
You’ll hear from:
Annie Garofalo, founder of Confidante, who works directly with co-founders navigating everything from early friction to long-term trust breakdowns. Her perspective comes from inside the conversations most people don’t get to hear—until it’s too late.
Alex Pavlou, co-founder of Bamboo X, who’s worked across dozens of founder-led teams and has seen how misalignment shows up quietly in hiring, culture, and retention long before anyone names it.
The discussion will explore:
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The earliest signs that a co-founder relationship is starting to strain
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How unresolved tension impacts team performance, decision-making, and speed
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What VCs can pay attention to early on—beyond what’s said in the pitch
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Simple, effective ways to help founders talk before conflict escalates
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This event is for anyone who works directly with founders and wants to build stronger, more resilient teams across their portfolio. That includes:
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General partners who’ve seen a team implode and wondered if it was preventable
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Platform leads who support founders but rarely get to influence team dynamics early
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Talent, people, or operating partners who’ve noticed the ripple effects of founder conflict before it’s been acknowledged
If you’re asking how to support better outcomes, not just better products, this room is for you.
ABOUT THE HOSTS
This event wasn’t created in a vacuum. It came out of ongoing conversations between teams who spend every day working with early-stage founders - on hiring, alignment, conflict, and the realities that surface once the initial hype fades.
Each of the organizers brings a different angle to the same issue: what actually makes a founding team work, and what happens when it doesn’t.
Bamboo X is a technical and design recruiting partner for high-growth startups. We support VC portfolios directly by helping companies build the right teams, and avoid costly mistakes that stem from misalignment. Events like this are part of our broader work to improve hiring, retention, and team health from day zero.
Confidante works with co-founders to build trust, navigate disagreement, and stay aligned through growth and change. Their work gives teams the structure and language to have hard conversations before tension turns into fallout.
Lynx Collective supports the NYC startup ecosystem through curated events and practical programming. Their weekly newsletter brings forward the conversations happening inside real founder and investor rooms—not just what makes the headlines.
These teams are in the room when decisions are made, tensions rise, and things either come together or quietly fall apart. With this event, they’re sharing what they’ve learned so more teams get the support they need before they need it most.
Reserve Your Seat
This is a private, small-format lunch designed for investors and platform leads who want to have a different kind of conversation, one that doesn’t usually happen in boardrooms or pitch meetings.
If you believe strong co-founder relationships are just as critical as product and traction, this is a room worth being in.
Join us in New York on April 30.
Register here.
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