Tool · Free platform, ongoing

Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching

Y Combinator · ycombinator.com Free Beginner

The largest and most credible free co-founder matching platform in the world, with vetted founders and 100,000+ matches made. It's the default starting point when your own network doesn't have the right person.

  • Create a profile like an elevator pitch and match on complementary skills and preferences
  • After matching, meet fast and run a trial project before committing
  • Completely free and open beyond YC applicants
Open on ycombinator.com ↗

It answers 7 questions

  1. I'm non-technical, do I actually need a technical co-founder?
  2. Do I actually need a co-founder, or can I go solo?
  3. How do I actually find a technical co-founder?
  4. Where do I actually find a co-founder if I don't already know one?
  5. How do I 'date' a potential co-founder before committing?
  6. As a non-technical founder, how do I find a technical co-founder?
  7. My co-founder has the domain expertise and I don't. Do we split founder-market fit, or is only one of us 'the fit'?

Read with it

  1. A curated collection of YC's best primary guidance on how to find, evaluate, and test a co-founder, straight from the people... YC Startup Library Article · Curated essay + video collection Finding a Co-Founder (YC Startup Library) Y Combinator
  2. The definitive, data-driven book on early founding-team decisions, drawing on quantitative research covering nearly 10,000... Princeton University Press Book · ~480 pages The Founder's Dilemmas Noam Wasserman
  3. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  4. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  5. YC is the canonical authority on early-stage team formation, and this is their direct playbook for the exact problem a... YC Startup Library Article · ~12 min read How to Find a Technical Co-Founder Y Combinator
  6. Naval calls picking a co-founder your most important decision, more than product or market, and this is the canonical short... Venture Hacks Article How to Pick a Co-Founder Naval Ravikant
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