The #1 hack for startups?
A great co-founder partnership!

Yes, we do. While our website is in English, most of our team members are native German speakers who are fluent in English, thanks to years of living and working abroad. We adapt seamlessly to your preferred language—be it German, English, or a mix of both.

A simple, straightforward conversation guided by Zeal—because even great partnerships benefit from staying aligned and avoiding misunderstandings. Think of it as a proactive way to keep things smooth, so you’ll always can give your best together and never ever need a lawyer.

Our mission is to help co-founders avoid issues from the very beginning, but we understand founders are optimists and don’t always think about prevention: So yes, you can still come to Zeal. Whether it’s navigating tough conversations around roles, equity splits, or even the potential departure of a co-founder, we’ll help ensure the dialogue is productive and aligned with your company’s long-term success.

Yes, we can support, but it’s not our primary focus. Zeal specializes in facilitating constructive conversations and aligning key stakeholders to navigate these challenging moments. If the situation involves legal complexities, like drafting agreements or restructuring, we can connect you with our network of trusted legal experts. Our goal is to help maintain alignment and keep the focus on the company’s long-term success.

We value your input! Feel free to reach out to our support team or use the feedback form in the app to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Zeal is designed for the unique challenges of startups, especially those in high-growth, venture-backed environments. We speak your language, understand the pressures of scaling, and have a deep network to help navigate the specific issues startups face—whether it’s co-founder dynamics, cap table complexities, or aligning leadership priorities. While our expertise lies in the startup world, we occasionally collaborate with other businesses if their needs align with our skill set.

Because Founders Deserve Mediators Who Speak Their Language.
You wouldn’t pick a lawyer who’s never seen a term sheet, so why settle for mediators who don’t know terms like vesting or cap table? Lawyers bring expertise but can make things feel adversarial, and therapists? Let’s just say their vibe is often the opposite of the fast-paced, solutions-driven founder mentality. At Zeal, we’ve been in the trenches of venture-backed startups. We understand the stakes, speak your language, and know how to guide tough conversations without slowing you down. We didn’t find anyone offering this kind of expertise, so we built Zeal. If you’re a mediator and believe you can bridge this gap too, reach out—we’d love to hear from you.

Absolutely. Starting with a solo session can be a great way to explore your concerns and clarify what you hope to achieve. We’ll help you think through how to approach your co-founder and frame the value of Zeal in a way that resonates. Sometimes, just starting the conversation is the hardest step—and we’re here to make that easier for you.

While we’re flattered by your trust, Zeal is laser-focused on working with startups, and our schedule is packed helping founders navigate their challenges. That said, if it’s for a good cause, there’s a small chance we can make it work—feel free to reach out. If we’re unable to assist directly, we’d be happy to refer you to someone from our trusted network who aligns with your needs.

Sort of. Mediation is arguably the smartest and cheapest insurance against co-founder conflict, and we believe every investor should want their startups to do Zeal Sessions. That said, we prefer to keep things clean—founders pay us directly to ensure we remain neutral and there’s no perception of bias. We’re always happy to chat about how Zeal can fit into your portfolio’s success strategy.

We get it—founders will often discuss deeply sensitive topics, and the fear of anything leaking to investors, press or team members is real. That’s why confidentiality is at the core of how we operate. What’s discussed during your sessions stays strictly between you and your mediator. We don’t have shared systems or spaces where notes are stored, and not even other members of the Zeal team will have access to session details. Unlike VCs, we’re happy to sign an NDA to ensure your trust.

A whole year of Zeal is probably 50 times cheaper than what you spent on lawyers during your last financing round—and far more effective at preventing costly conflicts 😃. Our pricing adjusts to your stage: for early-stage startups without VC funding, a session costs less than €100 per hour. For Seed-stage companies and beyond, pricing is adjusted to match the value we bring, and in doing so, helps support our pricing for early-stage founders. It’s our way of ensuring impactful, accessible support across the startup lifecycle.

Success in prevention is hard to measure—it’s the prevention paradox: if nothing goes wrong, how do you prove it worked? But founders love it, and if you’ve heard of Zeal, it’s probably from one of them. The best time to come to Zeal is when everything feels perfect—that’s how you keep it that way.

Zeal Sessions can happen at our office in Aichwald or Stuttgart, and we often are in Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. We’re also open to online sessions, especially for check-ins. One thing we don’t do is meet at the startup’s office—we believe stepping out of the daily workspace creates the right mindset for productive conversations. We almost always have the first conversation online.