BEFORE THEY WERE cofounders, Kris Chaisanguanthum and Ryan Damm were friends. Then, in 2016, they started Visby, a holographic imaging company. "You talk about getting into business with somebody that you get along with, but there's nothing you do with friends that's as intense as starting a company," Chaisanguanthum says. "It's like having a child." Chaisanguanthum already had a child but was not prepared for the cofounder commitment. He and Damm had trouble navigating disagreements. After a difficult day, Damm liked to commiserate; Chaisanguanthum preferred to be left alone. Eventually the hurt feelings compounded to make their working relationship untenable. Chaisanguanthum recalled an article he'd read about cofounders going to therapy, like troubled couples. "I remember thinking, that's the most Silicon Valley thing ever," he says. But what did they have to lose? The two booked an appointment.
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