What happens after you start a company with your partner and then break up? This is our story.

This post is probably the most personal thing I’ve ever shared. But before we start, I’d like to thank Financial Times & Isabel Berwick for the opportunity to be able to share my story in my own words. You can hear more on the podcast "Working It" with the link in the comments below.?

You may have seen the latest news of my new role as CEO and that my cofounder, Andrew and I are no longer dating. It’s never easy to open up on personal topics like dating and relationships. However, Andrew and I chose at the start of our relationship to share our commitment to each other, publicly - to our company, our employees, our investors and you, our community.

While some people say that starting a business with your romantic partner and co-founder is risky and complex, I’d argue the opposite. It was amazing how well we worked together, solved problems with each other and were each other’s biggest supporters. And how efficient you could be if you were always in the same room solving problems. I was lucky to not only see Andrew’s side as my partner but I was also able to see his professional side too.?

And…as we all know, in Spring of 2020, COVID19 sent the whole world in a spiral. The world changed overnight - offices shut down, people were homebound and our lives were completely flipped upside down. As the pandemic threw different curveballs at us, we had to adapt and overcome them.

During lockdown, we were living together, working together, spending 24/7 together. All of a sudden, our relationship had also flipped upside down. And for a lot of couples like us, it was challenging. It’s not easy to suddenly change everything about your lifestyle - add on the tremendous responsibility of running a hyper-growth tech startup in the middle of a major fundraising round and a world pandemic.?

We learned a lot about each other but most importantly, us as individuals. The past two years were incredible growth periods for us. In the end we realized we wanted different things in our personal lives and the decision we made was for the best for us as individuals. While we’re no longer dating, we still care about each other a lot. Andrew is one of the most trusted people in my life and I can’t imagine building Clearco with anyone else. We still talk daily, support each other in the ways that make us the best versions of ourselves and always have each other’s back. We will always be a team regardless of our relationship status.?

Most people want to hear if we’re ok. Or whether there was a big fight or breaking point.? It’s a natural question because humans love to gossip. But there was absolutely no drama. There was never any hate and there never will be. It’s a false narrative in society that the end of a relationship means the end of a partnership or friendship.

Together, we have a $2 billion dollar baby. That baby is both of our top priorities and we’ll do everything in our abilities to continue to scale and lead the charge as an industry pioneer. Helping founders win was our dream, out of our apartment seven years ago, and will continue to be our dream for as long as we can imagine.