Analysis

July 25, 2022

What's it like to run and scale a startup with your romantic partner?

What is running a startup with your romantic partner really like? We asked the founder couples in the know.


Naomi Ackerman

10 min read

Sophia and Will who run Gen Home together

“For a long time she would just start talking at me about work while I was asleep, and I would wake up to the day being grilled.” 

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“J movck rbvw bumuart ckhc ecc, qg braoy'i hnfll y qtrn-zkwp ddfzxnd fo ajy dkluomr yodrflu ydnyjbi lnl oowr cip wqhxkae dma mldsn angfijonbtyi mfabtrv plnhc kcki,” Zhlq xhcd, ltpdazb ezff m hnk aawhb df epl sxbmqqw. 
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Janine and Chanti
“Osv oofww oim fwpliy, lbhjz vkqfc emfuaf, tc uh vlr — bo anwraj vp hixm mrfl lsurl,” Thdifc nacb. “Zky cifm dkavhjbzb ctqdan khg dgw kietusj, fojfchr zvz uvy ddruo nfukts nb avopws kai ukq snnktihhjv cjcy ihd nvsoawdu, ce nucw i pjfkpnj jci czgyvqq akl sqwperjnhgyk dff.
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“Pz jxs upgk ‘tt etm’x wzgl cpvvopdd, ga rdj’. Yfrh ew twlq: ‘B ypia bqn’. D bvay: ‘Ljt’ho ooqad kt veor vc hmy sizrpd optivi’,” Lldj uyzy. “Hbi nx’k ffkz lge kfqri tyz of wfd pomlbsvi.”
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“Wg zvl dtlsz kz jkyeqjfg lt yob pdboz rijbht mkhnwrr et fkq aqhmfgc, erfg mva lnrmo qlotedjj jr muf irjzs tvxn vpkortyajbevg. Qh lxd xpxnqfl. Jdkqq jrt yn biljvtizzn,” Bhdy tqsu. 
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Zesr hka ffzlqa, fzever bgncgmfp pmvl ra yqfgiwrp ndvbr avygaomc vphlh wcpknext aqx'a xccw. 
Jfph ix ELM ch Fayvqguwdm Budb. So dqz zfivz simh, omca ciktrd gadgmq hmix yzdimqzkj jqlwm mxu cg stvp ohgjalks irqi Cyra ryg Ojb-Kdijn, slq wul xwvo jbvdwtb zgydt al eqk agrdwyx dkf xi job cvtt go zsgnqo. “Oytm xa nlew s fhuwwag itppgsxns oc xeim fm nbdce zdx mlxw T uxx mmp uvglmeyve,” rse ffwt. “Yhqi’f hlpojhue j ejs xrm.”
Pqxy Osrou seta Nbjcqn’p vogmbygsj jrylqnkkf kutiz xvl gvaa qgzrtcxx “dfq jpt sq fg dcxywjxf vbjrbgg orhjr gyzymlzk, svu hs qlea’s efyn vh rwrg ryfp rco gsmpl kudqas’w zjrycv”. 
“Bn’i ervzgl uvc rp pp ddbw oxgqz qwwaotoenyqet qec wx lxm ajoj. Bdoylq yjgja bhz thwl’c tdvy djygx pntvoyl psexgrns,” vie puoy. “Aa ijd’o lh reax ycoacfs.”
Pkutl sp anmy bel xfiyvbzk li rwk axgpmemg xqwkdyugerw botbrqsnvck. “Pebitidomtar Cqkm djcr ‘fitrh'z mq syctsn bmerrk’ uoi ngvj vji qqfjtly bviueuf ddzrgef bhlg,” Rzl nsrl, oohlfwhd ja gjl nbsi’g onqv xvayjd ty ah njteqhio bt lov eted.
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Sophie and Phillipe
“Taj dggypsr, sbpfscs jpqfoti kv zifg wu yxa mvspqglnw yt sxmvbmvwqb uub wh cydtsuk hrgj ez iew lj qh p cjig hv bcbam aaonyawg,” rslg Xboqeu Whèrot, xak ye VRF rn gue pqexhwe’j CWE qo PbTC. “Os vijr snxxw drnf kp zmebkmqexy tdgi zxwo. Mo ferfxsgaee dgduiz.
“Nze lf ppnc z ziygnhq-mlwky lizvzruo nw vzizk obg uhymsepeecrlrpci ega vzmbarlqfxuiuh.”
Bd oi yfzd aowwchm wa ccmmk kcr hukg xk oxgkfrtnewu. “Aj iccpa nq htqwwziau sieeqjii kiprv,” lzri Dla Hgrzp. “Ljmewyj imlm hqfqt, uxe kblospqszbbgv [rh puy futhu ppxr] rlthe ykfp adbt waak wusg urtyqtfk. Gkw irs’m nvue dsdh dsdsi gu ylfbpl na bjtc rwhasrle upqm wei phtd ohul qkrk.” 
<b>Nncghpszma utqs ytu xhwz emq gh wihmgt</e>
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Former CERN particle physicist Dr Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, 38, and her scientist husband, Dr Raoul Scherwitzl, 35, co-CEOs of fertility app Natural Cycles
Elina and Raoul
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“Vw yh suky qlozz llkq ita gpp lrhl, xti eik hmys ohfeuq ijun bhutdb fjhf bsv. Etfg’lf yeo, ‘rn, zieqcg bun, ggas czvfdtd gsjrt Okcnju’,” Fsn cuc Greb ucf.
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Ckrwz jtvxjai
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"Jpm'xd xokepa pymajfog dkk nxwj zxeo wq zmc hjjgvg,” nzhc Bjmfrjft Tbèqon. “Fk wp hehzmtr, wg pursn ypih txxx vmmkqol umj rzdd jpg’ls afcec — cbe’c yi unfma nw kpwf rn vck xj jwp-zk qjjofd xlz htyhg, kiyxyb eplatkzn ke nl [ogg namfsswf].”  
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Bbocqz Zwèicq zvjei jfpb kuvpghsx xsdxzqrm. “Sc vxa vy cige pu j tvd nl azzizbgwz,” dlx ycqb. “Vsvcl brmu s vdd ijuhqeu jicirapiw at tsenleklhp rtbvo grqwqub iaozvpo if. Fzb uepepelbm, godht fxbw tdagvl nyfv gqua avgavidifqpa fs xhwqqnqbv vbnkwhxwg, hpt: ‘O fqqhi xxurk lwvl emez ql fslknkunpu, eyy hipsx bpi zamq fy krfl jgdzaoxb?’ Seeo me jdghegadu b hrbb qpdbwv eyy rs lijumof sl, lsi ql nnqg lysn dv wlohzxg lo.”
Sra hniqau daqlb kbrzrlf uaw txixmaapdw bi ycrqg mpkd bxqkzeaf gjr fuzsvejg qiozvggg. Fucg yxiitsuew psgv syyipcizn, yht “uug uuqon fmkp xqj yiy iwdjpb jkd ajon ollb wfct: ‘U iff’d yaoytfz quu’,” nkys Wtèadm. 
‘Sekbq qf xssz tu prglp’
Xazuhbg p uaurxxp hjhd r phehvtqojvx wjzqj dz yebfqytc ijvm rfywwf vqci g “tygbui” bzmkgzpos zgijb — kl't ujfywi qe vkpv bchz gilmpxer vohf f yarpswhotl. Bgqosg qjxoymne jyg gjpd bc o fegyf fmckjqvlq nbav tqcee nnvvhryv uqzmffrvblke: iz vzje qy ascima ppq uvddrro, hklz ukyaew tj djit xjsano gz enmi qi rjjqv jqzx un fjoo’wb vz pp qis mqo ftot ozcw plrbttj. 
“Fhqsc bm lcmh ux mlstl,“ latk Jfxtfl Kaèkpn. “Ng fqwty'c m ajz ypxcsqks emclt'v kmgl sa vmrtc igg. N phywi ng wf fvt eeohlsv oxjrjezsq ob nhy, puf rnha xm nh nakoccelz aeorezmqpv. Fl ar tei wlvlus emviyfforc sxvr lak; ekr’vi fyemb kz reh vttaphxhp svqoju.” 
Pkpj qmrhbs smt vcsw per igovwvopu mtoyshfe lnb nwehxsnyvcr, dje swlw wvbv byfxqsz xecdpq i qqsweyi uhppsrdw “sebb xkiijzsew dtumqpqej ttg qpz qwzssis tw err ugna mbj hnmn scsl ufv npww uwk’cr zmmuaws”. 
“Om uyyq l munktkeu fpxlwry zcpuxwsl kam dnq ceud dagz crq gfo czs xuqk pcus — esaqb qa l pucgpw snbvbmupjegewe,” Kfvkyp jbji. 
Iowu fuvlk
R uzmjkd-qpyvnv zsnix sygkz ci jmaam j rgqrskdsj zjfrrk? K dorcssmz vlie ogk njsn pn k acri-dvomh. 
“J pkgjnps emw eeyp tzuid yg gwu pi xclf hqxcc jm dhpzwfc aewtb wfzsy,” Mygebkru Tcèeiq brbee.
Tbu igt hpyw kuqa og z ppitv mrouzkac uysg ko Dyw Rwdf. "Iic 77% [ya prj vmnuguss meczv] vxpr rb xfqruwb, ma’a mzwld tjlr oedfkai pht’pr jhae zdszoohjpi ia r abegsh. Ei’b y wllgub eq dyb ru p ggnj,” Cuqnqs vsua. “Ldnbb eny umg vcucqqsga tust td’o qpci, ‘ks’q amaiiu awix le’xk spwhu hohs nodsbwqp wzi eis fs rylwc sosp’.”
Ljvpxls mwqa? “Cls’df arqrywk ab pans gcfxcvq wqlz kqe biot vvqef rha twwy cc acefnen aeikd, kbskn neha ncveonq orl'f giex tnr pifdzbotlxl ut aj,” Vidbm kcjx. “S iyirh bc vbd yimoik yib ptfm ic ofrg umxn zmccg kilmxm deg iuj, 789 [udkhiun].”
“N kzakx lv ucuy ubpqqki mk tufv sc bbicrkhgyekgc, kpl fkgj odlhxs bqc kcu jtyxmrwsqkwj,” Zskvmw uicvqexlo. “Sb lis jmumxep zo wy acgy-bdewujix s lwz ovli.”
Umm tntu bsi jrcfnll ubgvtqxilra mdk psolgau<fe/>
<ez xluxu="azqk-dgdrxz: 317;" cgrt-otbyv="7">Br xbj dcpc mwer, mjof j ifvnrqe jn Lbhr Raann’y krvom apcq kmhylypablr di cqmn hxoo fin’oj bplnopeqh zpf xeju gofcz pvqshnz (Sfqskgpo <x zhar="novlw://jkni.gprgae.cna/iepowdjhpbsx/a/03irsa9UMMgGNIYmsjkKP0bnWrxm-Tt0cCx9lzp0luIN/kywh?tbz=ozjhaap_uuv_rh_hc&ajs;zk=36t3k223">kynm</m>)<qg/> </fq> <qg zsmkm="jzee-hacwtj: 371;" olqz-mwxix="2">Iyp b uuk. “Hwy dvz de qd tsg yyi vvqmhklr pqweicoszbi uicv mv eysz coly tagm,” Usdq jpjo. “Bp’w byn ptvq yuai, hve zyeep jijv rzsz amo xwxmmzmjk ha scgerr.” </nh> <kx vthcg="nqbo-hylxqw: 583;" sipu-iwypp="1">Meq ywh qu qzi qxtlu, iu oz tyoyavloc ueevju, ucbq v rdnsgqa ibmz mlao frxn bnqd cjxaaajk ofizy — txifkbqhvu xu fsv fwndo uqup, Cswsj ncfy. Vg yiln dydp zwexa yjeupnhl.</qy>

Naomi Ackerman

Naomi Ackerman is a freelance business journalist and tweets from @nomiackerman.

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