Design Portfolio

Founder Match is an AI-powered app that connects entrepreneurs with their ideal co-founders to help startups grow

My role

As the only designer on the team, I worked closely with the founders and engineers to envision, design, and create the Foundermatch web application

Timeline

Jan 2024 ~ May 2024

Team

1 Designer
1 Developers
2 AI Engineer

Tools

Figma
FigJam
Mural

Disciplines

MVP
Business Plan
UX Design
Pitch

Problem Statement

It's hard for startup founders to find the right cofounder. They struggle because there aren't enough good ways to meet potential cofounders with the skills they need and share their vision for the business.

Who is it For ?

Meet David—a solo founder building his nutrition startup. With six years of experience as a design leader, he excels in design but feels less confident on the tech side

Solution

Here is how David is going to use Foundermatch to find his ideal co-founder.

Step 1: David goes to an event and logs into FounderMatch with a code. After logging in, he answers some profile questions to help find the best matches for him

Step 2: David needs to share details about his startup—its industry, stage, idea, funds raised, and vision—to attract co-founders who genuinely connect with the concept

Step 3: David answers a few questions about the qualities and traits he wants in a cofounder. Once he’s done, the app shows him a list of potential matches

Research Insights

Speaking with founders through surveys and interviews, we uncovered key challenges they face when searching for a co-founder. Many first-time founders experience a different reality than expected, making them ideal candidates for a solution that addresses these issues

Skill Preferences

~60%

founders were finding difficulties in
commitment & skill set areas

Vision

11/15

founders termed vision as " Extremely Important”

Networking Events

33%

founders were either university
alumni or met in networking events

Connectivity

Communication over Location

they preferred clear communication
it’s the most valuable trait in the industry

Exploration

After reviewing various articles and resources online, I identified three main problems

Co-Founder Serendipity

Finding the right co-founder can be challenging. Navigating multiple platforms, evaluating potential partners, and dealing with uncertainties make the process time-consuming and unpredictable

Skill Gaps

We gravitate toward similar backgrounds—designers with designers, engineers with engineers—creating strong communities but limiting access to complementary skill sets,

Compatiblity

Finding a co-founder with the right personality and work style is challenging. Unlike large companies that invest in structured hiring, early-stage founders often rely on gut instinct—sometimes it works, but often it doesn’t

HMW Statement

How might we develop an effective matchmaking filtering system that allows founders to easily specify and find potential co-founders with the desired skills, values, and goals, enhancing the precision and relevance of the matchmaking process?

Competitive Research

I studied co-founder matching platforms like YC Combinator and CoFoundersLab, evaluating their matching process, user experience, and focus on vision alignment. I compared their strengths and gaps to identify opportunities for a more effective matching system

Cofounders Lab
Users can only perform a small number of searches each week, which makes it hard to find the right person. Another problem is the quality of the community. It also relies heavily on static profiles, which may not fully capture compatibility in work style, vision, and long-term commitment, leading to mismatched connections
YC Combinator
YC’s Co-Founder Matching platform connects founders based on skills and business ideas but may overlook deeper factors like vision alignment and compatibility.
Cofounders Lab
Users can only perform a small number of searches each week, which makes it hard to find the right person. Another problem is the quality of the community. It also relies heavily on static profiles, which may not fully capture compatibility in work style, vision, and long-term commitment, leading to mismatched connections
YC Combinator
YC’s Co-Founder Matching platform connects founders based on skills and business ideas but may overlook deeper factors like vision alignment and compatibility.
Cofounders Lab
Users can only perform a small number of searches each week, which makes it hard to find the right person. Another problem is the quality of the community. It also relies heavily on static profiles, which may not fully capture compatibility in work style, vision, and long-term commitment, leading to mismatched connections
YC Combinator
YC’s Co-Founder Matching platform connects founders based on skills and business ideas but may overlook deeper factors like vision alignment and compatibility.
Cofounders Lab
Users can only perform a small number of searches each week, which makes it hard to find the right person. Another problem is the quality of the community. It also relies heavily on static profiles, which may not fully capture compatibility in work style, vision, and long-term commitment, leading to mismatched connections
YC Combinator
YC’s Co-Founder Matching platform connects founders based on skills and business ideas but may overlook deeper factors like vision alignment and compatibility.

Goal

To create a platform to connect both parties based on mutual skills, values, and goals.

Ideate

I kicked off with a whiteboard brainstorming session with co-founders, developers, & PM. We explored various approaches and identified key ideas to address the problem effectively

User Flow & Sitemap

Since we wanted to create our Low MVP, creating user flows helped us break down the user journey, from sign-up to AI-powered matching. By iterating on different paths and collaborating with engineers, we ensured a smooth, intuitive experience that aligns with both user needs and technical constraints

After finalizing the user flow, we created a site map to outline the necessary content and structure. This helped us define key pages, organize information effectively, and ensure a clear navigation experience

CTA

Card Component

Link / Display Component

Default Screen

Signup as an organizer

Signup Screen

Signup CTA

Signup Components

Back Button

Forgot Password

Back Button

Forgot Password

Idea Flow

Idea Questions

Back Button

Next Button

Profile Flow

Personal Data

Back Button

Next Button

Personal question- this have to answer by every category

Segmented Section

Find a co-founder for my project

Explore co-founding opportunities

Join a project as a co-founder

Based on these options, questioms are categorized

Initially we were matching founders by giving them a match score

Preferences Flow

Preferences Questions

Back Button

Next Button

Top Matches/ Event

Most compatible

Name & Match Score

Contact Information

Nav Bar/ Menu

Nav Bar /Menu

Top Matches/ Events

Events

Profile

Events Page-1

Events card

Title

Location

Events Page -2

Events card

Events Description

RSVP Event

Event Link

Match

For our Low MVP, we didn't want to overload ourselves with too much. We started with a parking lot and prioritized which features to work on first

Some sketches we did

Final Designs

Pain Point-1

Research revealed that many early founders rely on social networks or chance meetings at events to find co-founders, often limiting their options to people they already know. There’s no structured way to discover and connect with the right co-founder in real-time networking settings

We introduced event-based matching to make networking more effective. Users sign up with a unique event code, answer key questions about their skills and preferences, and get matched with the most compatible attendees

Pain Point-2

Many founders face challenges in finding co-founders with complementary skills and aligned visions. This difficulty often stems from limited personal networks and a tendency to prioritize technical abilities over deeper compatibility factors such as work styles, values, and long-term goals

Question 6 of 7

What type of skills are you seeking in your potential co-founder

Enter

Technical

Communication

Leadership

User’s have to answer some specific question related to the vision and what skills they want in a co-founder

Question 5 of 7

What is your Vision?

What are your long-term goals and vision for a startup? Are there any specific problems
or industries you are passionate about?

Pain Point-3

Finding the right co-founder isn’t just about skills—it’s about compatibility. Many founders face challenges in assessing work styles and personalities, often relying on gut feeling. Without a structured way to measure alignment, mismatched partnerships can lead to friction and failure

Using High, Medium, and Low compatibility scores removes the guesswork and adds clarity to co-founder matching. It’s like a dating app but for startups—helpful, insightful, and a little fun too!

Early Testing

We engaged founders in hands-on usability sessions and gathered valuable, actionable insights

Reflection & Impact

Foundermatch [ MVP ] was shipped in April 2024 and was well received by the users.

Led end-to-end flow development, working with cross-functional teams from research to execution.
Onboarded 200 new users post-launch
Presented the product at Harvard Innovation Center (Techstars'24).

Learnings

Adaptability and Collaboration

Our first day's success in the hackathon taught us the vital importance of adaptability and collaboration in achieving end-to-end product development as a team.

NEXT CASE STUDY

Design System at Founderway.ai