CoffeeSpace Cofounder Success Stories #1: Ihsan & Alexander

Welcome to our "Cofounder Success Stories" series, where we showcase inspiring and successful matches from the CoffeeSpace community.

In our first feature, we're excited to highlight the remarkable journey of two CoffeeSpace users, Ihsan and Alexander, who came together to build Scenario, an app that allows people to explore their life interests and achieve them financially. 

Their experience exemplifies the power of connection, demonstrating how CoffeeSpace can spark meaningful conversations and foster partnerships that lead to innovative cofounding ventures. Join us as we delve into Ihsan and Alexander’s cofounder story, exploring the challenges they faced, the milestones they achieved, and the lessons they learned while working together after matching on CoffeeSpace.

A little bit about Ihsan and Alexander before we dive into the interview:

Ihsan Salleh, cofounder and CEO of Scenario, is a data scientist who has worked at Hulu, Sony, and SmartCredit, focusing on consumer marketing and financial algorithms. Alexander Parker, cofounder and Head of Design, brings 18 years of industry experience in design and advertising across B2B and direct-to-consumer brands, including work with Credit Karma, Earnest, and Robinhood. Together, they form the dynamic duo driving innovation at Scenario.

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Can you tell us more about Scenario and what you’re currently working on together?

Ihsan: Alexander and I are cofounders of Scenario, a life design service. Let's start with the problem we're solving: How do we alleviate the anxiety and stress that comes from uncertainty around life choices and finances? 

A question we love to ask is: "How do you deal with the anxiety and stress of not knowing what you want?"

That’s where the idea of "scenarios" comes in. Life isn’t just about having options; it’s about creating meaningful scenarios that help guide your decisions and help you achieve your life interests. That’s the vision behind what we’re building with Scenario. To summarize, Scenario is an interactive and visual app to explore life scenarios and financially achieve your dreams.

Currently in the pre-seed stage, we built several MVPs, tested several distribution strategies, and are now focused on building and developing the final product, leveraging our insights to strategically partner with credit unions.

How was the process of meeting, talking, and finally working together?

Alexander: I was just looking through different scenarios of my own life, thinking, “Do I want to join a startup?” Ihsan reached out on CoffeeSpace by chance, and we matched. After that, we went straight into business, and we had interviews going over the possibilities of working together, our complementary abilities, and how we wanted to move things forward.

We started working right off the bat, just to get some stuff done. And through working together on several small projects, we realized that it was a good relationship, and we had an awesome dynamic. A more serious discussion about being cofounders together came shortly thereafter.  

Ihsan actually came to Seattle to meet with me, and after interview rounds with his advisor team and investors, the deal was sealed.

Ihsan, you were a solo founder before meeting Alexander. How was it going from being a solo founder to having a cofounder?

Ihsan: For two years, I pondered questions like “Do I need a cofounder?” and “What kind of cofounder?”. After receiving feedback, it became clear that this startup needed an exceptional technologist. Throughout my search, I’ve rejected several candidates who wanted to be cofounders. Their academic qualifications didn't matter as much because I was also looking for a creative thinker — someone who thinks outside the box. And finally, I found Alexander on CoffeeSpace, who checked all the boxes.

Two shortcuts that swiftly accelerated our journey to be cofounders after meeting on CoffeeSpace:

1. Alexander’s corporate industry experience as it relates to relationships and creative leadership—those are vital additions that Scenario needs to scale, so we can better empathize with our audience.
2. We didn’t know we had a lot of common connections. At one point, we were working together for the same company. I was contracting with a marketing group, and he was working full-time on another team, but we never crossed paths. Having references with nothing but positive comments about each other was also why we got along quickly.

And for Alexander, what prompted you to join Scenario?

Alexander: To me, a great product idea is more important than the credentials of who’s trying to build it. A great resume isn’t everything when looking for someone you want to work with long-term, let alone start a company with. I met a lot of talented people but wasn’t committed. When Ihsan reached out and I learned about Scenario, I instantly saw the potential of his vision.

How has CoffeeSpace helped accelerate the cofounder search process compared to other platforms?

Alexander: Filtering by what you are looking for is a feature that is very easy to use and intuitive. I love that the app is more exclusive, with profiles going through an approval process; it seemed like whoever CoffeeSpace initially had in there was already really useful to start the cofounder search.

This brings me to my next point, which is that I think that there are more interesting and seasoned people on CoffeeSpace compared to other platforms where there are often younger and fresher profiles who haven’t sorted out why they want to be founders. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the candidate pool on CoffeeSpace seemed more mature for what and who I was looking for.

Ihsan: Less is more, and that’s what I appreciate about CoffeeSpace. The daily recommendations help filter through users, so there’s less for me to sift through. The prompts are also a great addition; they reveal people’s interests and personalities, which helps narrow down the candidate pool.

What I love most is the LinkedIn integration. It’s a great shortcut and super straightforward, unlike other cofounder matching platforms. This feature accelerated the search process because everyone’s already familiar with LinkedIn, and I could easily tap into their profiles to find the information I needed.

Lastly, do you have any tips or advice to share with aspiring entrepreneurs or other founders on a similar journey?

Alexander: Know what you want, pick your aspiration and stick to it. Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses beforehand. What’s important is the maturity that comes from knowing what you lack as a professional in your career and what you need from others.

Ihsan: The first step before diving into a startup is to clearly identify the problem area that interests you; in fact, it’s even more important than the solution itself. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a solution in search of a problem that may not need solving.

‍If you’re inspired by Ihsan and Alexander’s story, check out what they’re building with Scenario, or follow their LinkedIn page for more updates.

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