The Negative Split

Why It Matters

Founder wellbeing directly impacts a startup’s longevity and investor returns, making resilience a strategic asset for the entire ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

• Founder stamina mirrors marathon negative split pacing
• Early excitement often masks upcoming endurance challenges
• Mental and physical health drive sustained decision quality
• Data‑backed routines reduce burnout risk
• Ignoring pacing leads to startup failure

Pulse Analysis

The concept of a "negative split"—running the second half of a race faster than the first—offers a powerful lens for understanding startup dynamics. In the early stages, founders experience a surge of adrenaline, rapid growth, and optimism, much like a runner’s strong opening miles. However, as market pressures, funding cycles, and operational complexities intensify, the ability to maintain or increase momentum becomes the true test of endurance. Recognizing this parallel encourages entrepreneurs to adopt pacing strategies rather than sprinting, preserving energy for the critical growth phase.

Recent research highlighted in the report underscores that founders who prioritize mental and physical health outperform peers who neglect these fundamentals. Structured routines, regular exercise, and mindfulness practices have been linked to clearer decision‑making, higher creativity, and lower turnover rates. Moreover, data‑driven habit tracking—using tools like Notion or specialized wellness dashboards—allows founders to quantify stress triggers and adjust workloads proactively. Peer coaching and advisory boards function as the "team" that elite athletes rely on, providing feedback loops that keep performance on track and prevent the inevitable fatigue that stalls many ventures.

For investors and ecosystem builders, the negative split framework signals a shift from short‑term hype to sustainable growth metrics. Funding models that incorporate founder wellness checkpoints can de‑risk portfolios, while accelerators that embed health resources create a pipeline of resilient leaders. As the startup landscape matures, the emphasis on pacing and resilience is likely to become a differentiator, shaping how capital is allocated and how success is measured beyond mere revenue milestones.

The Negative Split

By Itxaso del Palacio, General Partner

In elite marathons, the real race begins at the half‑way point.

The first half feels strong, even effortless, but the second half is where fatigue sets in and only those who’ve paced themselves—trained, recovered, leaned on coaches and teams—can push through and end the race stronger than they started.

Founders face a similar test.

The early stages of building a company often feel exhilarating, but the real strain comes later, when long hours, sleepless nights, investor pressures, and isolation compound. This report stems from a personal passion of mine: I deeply believe that a healthy mind and body are the foundation of clarity and lasting performance. Every founder has different levels of resilience and unique ways of coping with pressure, and in this report you’ll find a wide range of practical strategies and lived experiences.

These are not abstract theories but real data to dig into and real examples of founders, sharing with fellow founders, how they sustain their best over the long run. Like athletes, founders are not ultimately judged on how they start, but on how they finish. This report explores what helps them manage their own negative split—and what can happen when they don’t.

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Report contributors

Meet the team at Notion who put this report together.