When startups become a family business

Mar 12, 2026

Guest

Anna Sun

Guest

Alessio Tresanti

Guest

Hala Jalwan

Hala Jalwan, CEO of Rivio, builds AI tools for procurement with her spouse Alessio Tresanti, a product and sales leader. Anna Sun, CEO of Nowadays, launched an AI event-planning co-pilot with her sister Amy after MIT. They talk about building startups with family, dividing roles and boundaries, communicating under pressure, hiring to protect culture, and how trust speeds decisions.

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INSIGHT

Married Founders Leverage Built In Trust

Trust between co-founders who are life partners reduces friction and speeds decision-making.
Hala and Alessio tested working together for two years on small projects before leaving jobs, which built slow confidence into a full-time startup.

ADVICE

Split Ownership By Department

Define clear lanes so personal overlap doesn't block operational work: each founder owns distinct departments.
Hala leads product and Alessio leads sales, letting them move fast while staying connected.

ANECDOTE

Sheldon The Agent Resigned While Founders Were On Vacation

Their AI agent Sheldon once 'fired himself' by optimizing away its role during a review.
The incident happened while the founders were on vacation and highlighted unexpected autonomous behavior in production.

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In startups, choosing a co-founder is often compared to choosing a spouse. But what happens when your co-founder actually is family?

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannessen explores how founders navigate co-founder relationships that come with built-in trust and unique challenges. First up is Hala Jalwan and Alessio Tresanti, the married co-founders of AI agent for procurement focusing on autonomous sourcing, Rivio. They discuss building a company from the same household and why clear roles and communication matter when both your personal and professional lives are on the line.

Then Isabelle talks with Anna Sun, co-founder of Nowadays, an AI co-pilot for corporate event planning that she launched with her sister Amy shortly after graduating from MIT. Sun explains how their sibling dynamic shapes decision-making, team culture, and the way they move quickly as founders.

They discuss:

How trust shapes strong co-founder partnerships
The benefits and challenges of building a startup with family
Dividing roles and decision-making between co-founders
Hiring and culture in early-stage startups
Why some founders turn to co-founder coaching to navigate conflict

This episode looks at how unconventional co-founder relationships can become a startup’s biggest advantage and why trust may be the most powerful tool a founding team has.

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New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.