FounderDating
FounderDating, operating as CoFoundersLab, is a San Francisco-based online community platform founded in 2009 that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with co-founders, expert advisors, and investors across 200+ cities, serving individual founders and early-stage startups via a freemium model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What FounderDating does
FounderDating, founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, is an online community platform — currently operating under the CoFoundersLab brand — that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with co-founders, expert advisors, and investors. The company positions itself as the 'largest startup community on the Internet,' reporting more than 700,000 users across 200+ cities and 6 continents, with access to over 200 expert advisors. Its core product enables users to find co-founders based on interests, skills, and location; request advice from industry leaders; and prepare pitches for funding introductions. The underlying technology is a self-serve digital platform supporting free community membership and a Premium upgrade tier, distributed globally through a network of regional Managing Directors (Toronto, Montreal, Las Vegas, Austin, Boston, Norfolk).
FounderDating firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FounderDating
- Legal name
- CoFoundersLab
- Website
- https://founderdating.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- FounderDating, operating as CoFoundersLab, is a San Francisco-based online community platform founded in 2009 that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with co-founders, expert advisors, and investors across 200+ cities, serving individual founders and early-stage startups via a freemium model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FounderDating industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Community Platform
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)
Keywords
Where FounderDating is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
FounderDating business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Premium Membership: Freemium model with free community access and a Premium tier offering enhanced features for co-founder matching, exclusive advice access, and investor networking capabilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free community access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
FounderDating product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CoFoundersLab is an online startup community platform that helps entrepreneurs find co-founders based on interests, skills, and location, get exclusive advice from industry leaders, and prepare and pitch to investors to obtain funding. The platform operates on a freemium model with a free community tier and a Premium membership offering enhanced matching, advice, and investor access.
Product overview
CoFoundersLab is a startup community platform that offers a free community membership alongside a Premium tier. The core platform enables entrepreneurs to find co-founders, access industry advice, and get funded through investor connections. The Premium offering provides enhanced features for members seeking additional tools and access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Testimonial: 'helped us take our company idea and turn it into a solid business that has the potential to change the world!'
Companies that use FounderDating
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
FounderDating technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
FounderDating partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- HubspotminorHubSpot is listed among trusted companies/logos on the CoFoundersLab website, indicating some form of endorsement or customer relationship.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FounderDating competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant professional network and is increasingly used for informal co-founder search and founder-to-investor introductions; while not purpose-built for the use case, its scale makes it a structural competitor.
- Techstars: Techstars runs the Startup Weekend and accelerator programs that double as founder-matching and mentorship ecosystems, competing for the same community of aspiring entrepreneurs.
Regional players
- Gust: Global equity management and startup-investor matching platform with strong penetration in Europe and Asia, providing comparable co-founder and investor connection infrastructure for early-stage ventures.
Emerging players
- Indie Hackers: Community for solo and small-team founders sharing revenue, tactics, and connections. Comparable as a founder-focused online community, though primarily content-driven rather than matching-driven.
- Founder Institute: Pre-seed accelerator and founder-development program that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with mentors, co-founders, and capital — partially overlapping with CoFoundersLab's mentorship and funding support offerings.
- Lunchclub: AI-driven professional networking platform that facilitates 1:1 introductions between professionals, including founders and investors. Comparable as an algorithmic networking layer serving the same professional cohort.
Direct peers
- Startup Grind: Global community and events platform for startup founders, providing mentorship, networking, and investor connections across chapters worldwide — directly comparable to CoFoundersLab's community-led model.
- Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent): Wellfound connects startup founders with co-founders, talent, and investors, serving the same founder-matching and fundraising workflows as CoFoundersLab with a substantially larger user base.
- Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching: Y Combinator operates a free co-founder matching tool for early-stage founders within the world's most prominent startup accelerator community, directly competing for the same user need as CoFoundersLab.
- Founders Network: A paid membership community for startup founders offering peer mentorship, investor access, and accountability — overlapping closely with CoFoundersLab's Premium value proposition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
FounderDating social profiles
Digital presenceFounderDating financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FounderDating leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
FounderDating funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FounderDating M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FounderDating
What does FounderDating do?
CoFoundersLab is an online startup community platform that helps entrepreneurs find co-founders based on interests, skills, and location, get exclusive advice from industry leaders, and prepare and pitch to investors to obtain funding. The platform operates on a freemium model with a free community tier and a Premium membership offering enhanced matching, advice, and investor access.
When was FounderDating founded?
FounderDating was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is FounderDating based?
FounderDating is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does FounderDating make money?
One revenue line is on record: premium Membership.
Who are FounderDating's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn and Techstars. Gust is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Indie Hackers, Founder Institute and Lunchclub. Direct peers are Startup Grind, Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent), Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching and Founders Network.
Does FounderDating have an API?
No public API is recorded for FounderDating.
What industry is FounderDating in?
FounderDating's product category is Startup Community Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAN, Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8600.