Founderway · Jan 2024 – May 2024
Founder Match connects entrepreneurs with compatible co-founders
Build a platform where founders can meet co-founders with the right skillset, personality and work style to help them build their next startup idea
- Timeline
- Jan 2024 – May 2024
- Team
- 1 Designer
- 1 Developer
- 2 AI Engineers
- Tools
- Figma
- FigJam
- Mural
- Disciplines
- MVP
- Business Plan
- UX Design
Problem
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.
Discovery
Researching Founder Perspectives on Co-founder Selection
We wanted to understand how founders look out for potential co-founders, so we reached out to a few founders and conducted a brief survey with 35 participants. We mapped out initial insights from the survey
1It's hard for founders to find co-founders with complementary skills
2Founders are unsure what skillsets to look for
3There is no designated area for searching for a co-founder.
Pain points
After talking to more founders and mapping all the survey insights we ended up focusing on three important pain points
Pain point 1
A lot of entrepreneurs have a hard time finding the right co-founder, and it often happens by chance.
“I met mine from the co-founder matching pool. I was lucky that a few technical cofounders reached out, and I contacted some too, filtering down from 15 to 3, then 1. The process took about 3 months”
Pain point 2
Founders often lack access to diverse skillsets within their existing networks
We naturally connect with people who share our backgrounds and interests—designers with designers, engineers with engineers. While this builds strong communities, it limits exposure to complementary skill sets, making the search for a co-founder within one's network challenging and repetitive
Pain point 3
Finding a founder who aligns with your vision, personality, and work style is tough
When seeking a co-founder, compatibility in personality, work style, and vision is crucial. Misalignment in these areas can lead to conflicts, reduced productivity, and even business failure in most of the startups
Competitive research
I studied co-founder matching platforms like YC Combinator and CoFoundersLab, evaluating their matching process, user experience, and focus on vision alignment
Limited searches
Making it hard to find the right match.
Focused on skills and business ideas
But overlooked deeper factors like vision alignment and work style.
Relied on static profiles
Leading to mismatched connections and a weaker community.
Design process
Starting With a Team Brainstorm
Building on insights from our user surveys and early research, we began the design process with an intensive brainstorming workshop. Using a collaborative whiteboard setup, we explored potential features across key areas—Signup, Onboarding, Matching, and more—while visually mapping end-to-end user flows. This approach helped us generate a broad set of ideas and ensure that every direction remained anchored in real user needs
Cross journey feature mapping
After exploring multiple scenarios, we synthesized key business insights to systematically break down tasks for our MVP. This structured approach ensured we prioritized features that align with user needs and business goals, setting a clear foundation for development
Sitemap
Building upon data insights, we began the process of translating high-priority features (signup, onboarding, matching) into a functional site structure and user interface. We then used visual aids, like sitemaps, wireframes, etc.. to bring the idea to life. This allowed to have visual in mind while building the product.
User flow
We divided the key flows in three sections : User flow, Idea flow and Match flow
Solution
Introducing Event Based Matching
As an Host: You create your event on FounderMatch and invite attendees through the platform. Our AI handles all the matchmaking based on participant profiles, powering you to create an event where meaningful connections happen.
As an Attendee: Set up your profile by sharing details about yourself and your projects. Choose an event that suits your schedule, and our AI will connect you with potential cofounders and collaborators. Finally, meet them in person at an exciting event designed to foster startup partnerships.
How does it match me with collaborators?
Our AI-powered algorithm analyzes your profile to find complementary skills and aligned goals among attendees. It also suggests events where you're most likely to meet ideal cofounders and collaborators, helping you network productively.
Early testing
We did task- based testing with some of the founders and gathered several actionable insights
Reflection and 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).
