Co-Founder Coaching in San Francisco: Both Founders, One Hour, Online
Co-founder coaching in San Francisco is work on the founding partnership itself, with both founders in the session. Aether Practice works online with founding teams across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Silicon Valley, Oakland and the East Bay, scheduled in Pacific time. A 60-minute session is US$250 for both founders, with a free 15-minute consultation first and no minimum engagement.
Book a free consultation · Which describes you? ↓
How it works for Bay Area teams
In 2025, Bay Area companies raised $122 billion in AI funding alone, more than three quarters of the US total (Crunchbase). Money at that speed puts the founding relationship under load early: the hiring pace, the next round and the question of who decides all arrive before the two of you have agreed how to disagree.
Both founders, one call. A founder in SoMa and a founder in Palo Alto on one screen is a full session. So is one of you in San Francisco and the other in New York, Europe or on a fundraising trip.
Pacific time. Sessions are scheduled in Pacific time and booked through a calendar that shows your own time zone. Early mornings work for split SF–Europe teams.
The same work as every co-founder session. How the work unfolds →
Between sessions. Our founders don't walk into the hard conversation cold. Take the one you're dreading to AET01 Conflict, Aether's own app for practicing a hard conversation, built to take the other side and hold it, and walk in having already had the fight.
Cost for San Francisco teams
US$250 for a 60-minute session, both founders present. A free 15-minute consultation comes first. No retainer, no minimum engagement. How that compares, and how to choose who to work with →
If a deadlock turns legal in California
Most founding teams never take a deadlock to court. If yours is heading there, these are the California rules founders most often meet.
- A California corporation. Under Corporations Code § 1800, shareholders holding at least a third of the shares can ask a court to dissolve the company when the board is evenly split and cannot agree, or when factions of shareholders are so deadlocked that the business can no longer be run to their advantage. The other shareholders can usually avoid dissolution by buying out the petitioner at a fair value the court sets.
- When one co-founder leaves. California voids most non-compete agreements (Business and Professions Code § 16600), and since 2024 the ban reaches even narrowly drawn clauses. A co-founder who walks away can often start a competitor the next week. Narrow exceptions exist, such as selling the business.
- A Delaware corporation, as most venture-backed Bay Area startups are. Under Section 226 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Court of Chancery can appoint a custodian when stockholders or directors are so divided that the company cannot elect a board or act. Dissolution on deadlock is narrower still.
All of these routes are slow, public and blunt. They settle who keeps the company, not how the two of you work together. This is general information, not legal advice: for your own situation, talk to California counsel.
Building it alone?
Not every founder has a co-founder, and not every hard conversation is with one. If you are a solo founder or an executive in San Francisco carrying the decisions yourself, with the board, the investors, the team and a life outside the company all asking for more, that is Founder & Executive Work: one-to-one, online, US$160 per 50-minute session.
Which describes you?
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| The same arguments keep coming back | Co-founder conflict: the complete guide |
| Something is off and we can't name it | 12 warning signs your co-founder relationship is in trouble |
| We split 50/50 and nothing gets decided | The 50/50 deadlock |
| One of us is carrying the company | When one co-founder stops pulling their weight |
| The equity split no longer feels fair | Renegotiating co-founder equity |
| We may be splitting up | Co-founder breakup: separating without killing the company |
| We don't know if we need a coach, a mediator or a lawyer | Mediation vs coaching vs a lawyer |
| I'm building it alone | Founder & Executive Work |
| We're co-founders and also a couple | Co-founder couples · Online couples therapy in San Francisco |
Frequently asked questions
Is there co-founder coaching in San Francisco?
Yes. Aether Practice offers co-founder coaching for founding teams across San Francisco and the Bay Area, online and scheduled in Pacific time, with both founders in the session.
How much does co-founder coaching cost in San Francisco?
US$250 for a 60-minute session with both founders, after a free 15-minute consultation. No retainer and no minimum engagement.
Do you see co-founders in person in the Bay Area?
No. Sessions are online by secure video, with both founders in one room or in two places.
One of us is in San Francisco and the other isn't. Does that work?
Yes. Split-city founding teams are a standard format: the session runs in the overlap of your time zones, including SF and New York or SF and Europe.
I'm a solo founder in San Francisco. Is there something for me?
Yes. Founder & Executive Work is one-to-one work for founders and executives carrying the company alone: pressure, decisions, isolation and the life around the role. US$160 per 50-minute session, online.
Can we practice the hard conversation before the session?
Yes. AET01 Conflict, Aether's app for rehearsing the co-founder conversation, takes the other side of the conversation and holds it for two minutes, then scores how you did. Many founding teams run the equity or performance conversation there first; the conflict practice guide explains how.
Can my co-founder start a competitor if they leave in California?
Often, yes. California voids most non-compete agreements, so a departing co-founder can usually work on a competing company; narrow exceptions apply, such as selling the business. Confidentiality and trade secret rules still apply. Talk to California counsel about your own case.
What happens legally if we are deadlocked in California?
For a California corporation, shareholders with at least a third of the shares can petition a court to dissolve it on deadlock under Corporations Code § 1800, and the other shareholders can usually buy them out at fair value instead. For a Delaware corporation, the Court of Chancery can appoint a custodian to break the deadlock. Talk to California counsel about your own case.
Start with a conversation
Book a free 15-minute consultation. Both of you, from wherever you are in the Bay Area.