What Founders Nation does

Founders Nation is a subscription-based online matchmaking platform that connects entrepreneurs seeking co-founders with individuals looking to join early-stage startups. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Israel (with a UK-listed address in London), the company operates a web-based, self-serve platform where users create profiles indicating their role, skills (coder, designer, marketing, sales, product, business dev), industry focus, stage of idea (from idea through paying customer), and hours-per-week availability. Members can then search and filter other profiles, save favorites, and communicate via in-platform messaging. The platform also issues verification badges for verified founders, prior successful ventures, 8200/Mamram alumni, and investors.

The product is distributed globally through the founders-nation.com website, with no mobile app, public API, or reseller channel. Go-to-market is community-led: the company supplements its subscription product with content marketing (a blog on co-founder selection and startup growth), a Facebook community, and recurring events including co-founder speed-dating, pitch nights, hackathons, and an annual conference — typically co-organized with ecosystem partners such as 8200 EISP, StartupBootcamp Israel, Google Campus TLV, Maverick Ventures, and ZAG Law. Founders Nation was co-founded by Tzachi Davidovich (Co-founder and Chief) and Nitzan Shmaiser.

The business model relies on annual subscription billing for access to co-founder search and matching features; specific pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. The company has no institutional funding on record, operates with 1–10 employees, and has no subsidiaries, patents, or regulatory filings disclosed. Revenue, ARR, and paying-subscriber counts are not publicly available.

Name

Founders Nation

Legal name

Founders Nation Inc

Website

https://founders-nation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Founders Nation is a subscription-based web platform founded in 2012 that matches entrepreneurs with potential co-founders through profile-based search, filtering, and messaging, serving idea-stage founders and joiners across Israel, Europe, and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Co-founder Matching Platform

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Co-founder matchmaking
• Startup networking
• Entrepreneur community
• Founder matching service
• Cofounder discovery platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription-based membership: Founders Nation is a subscription-based product. Users sign up for paid subscriptions to access co-founder matching features. Annual billing with no refunds for online subscriptions. No free tier is explicitly described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Founders Nation is a subscription-based online platform that matches individual entrepreneurs and aspiring startup participants with potential co-founders. Users create profiles, browse other members filtered by skills, startup stage, industry, and availability, and communicate through internal messaging. The service also runs a community events program to facilitate introductions between prospective co-founder pairs.

Product overview

Founders Nation is a single-product subscription-based co-founder matchmaking platform that enables entrepreneurs to create profiles indicating their skills and what they're seeking in a co-founder, search and filter through other members, save favorites, and communicate through an internal messaging system. The platform targets the startup ecosystem, particularly in regions like Israel, UK, and the US, offering tiered subscription plans with features like verified founder badges and advanced search capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Founders Nation Membership (Co-founder Matchmaking Subscription) Annual subscription membership that gives individual entrepreneurs and aspiring co-founders access to the Founders Nation matchmaking platform: profile creation, advanced filtering of other members by skills, startup stage, industry, and availability, internal messaging, and access to curated community events. Targeted at solo founders with a startup idea and at individuals seeking to join an early-stage startup as a co-founder.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StartupBootcamp IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartupBootcamp Israel partnered locally with Founders Nation as a leading platform connecting entrepreneurs and founders in the Start-Up Nation. Founders Nation members received promotion for StartupBootcamp Israel's 2014 Accelerator program, which selected up to 10 startups for €15,000 cash plus €450,000 in services.
• 8200 EISPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner8200 EISP (the first startup accelerator in Israel, founded in late 2011, leveraging the 8200 alumni network) co-hosts Co-Founders Speed Dating events with Founders Nation. 70% of 8200 EISP program alumni lead their startups as founders. The partnership brings together early-stage entrepreneurs and experienced Israeli tech talent.
• ERB (Financial Group International)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerERB Financial Group International sponsored Founders Nation's Annual Conference at Google Campus TLV. ERB provides financial services for startups, high-tech, financial, commercial and multinational clients.
• ZAG Law (Zysman, Aharoni, Gayer & Co)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerZAG Law, one of Israel's largest commercial law firms, sponsored Founders Nation events. They have also served as event sponsors for co-founder speed-dating events.
• Start-Up StadiumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStart-Up Stadium, the leading startup and entrepreneurship community in Israel with over 16,000 members, sponsored Founders Nation's Annual Conference at Google Campus TLV.
• Telefonica DigitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTelefonica Digital sponsored TDHack, a hackathon organized in partnership with Founders Nation. Founders Nation community members received a 100% discount coupon code for event registration.
• Google Campus TLVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle Campus Tel Aviv served as the venue host for Founders Nation's Annual Conference, providing the physical space and brand association for the event.
• Maverick VenturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMaverick Ventures, a boutique venture capital fund based in Tel Aviv focused on growth-stage Israel-related technology ventures, sponsored co-founder speed-dating events organized by Founders Nation.
• America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAIFL organizes Israel Day at the NYSE, promoting ties between Americans and Israelis. Founders Nation participated in the opening bell ceremony as part of this event.
• Channel 1 IsraelminorOthersFounders Nation was featured on Channel 1 Israel, a major Israeli television broadcaster, providing media exposure and credibility within the Israeli startup ecosystem.
• CardlifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardlife, a SaaS subscription management platform, was listed as a sponsor for Vincent's World Famous Growth Hacking Talk event organized by Founders Nation in London.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching: Y Combinator's free co-founder matching tool is the most prominent direct competitor, allowing startup founders to search for and message potential co-founders within the YC applicant/alumni ecosystem. Like Founders Nation, it targets pre-idea and early-stage entrepreneurs seeking complementary partners, but offers it for free and with access to a more prestigious talent pool.
• CoFoundersLab: CoFoundersLab is a dedicated co-founder matching platform with global reach, profile-based search, and skill/location filtering — directly overlapping Founders Nation's core functionality. It competes for the same entrepreneur persona seeking technical or business co-founders at the earliest company-building stage.
• Founder2be: Founder2be is an early-stage co-founder matching platform specifically designed for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for technical or business co-founders. It mirrors Founders Nation's profile-based matchmaking approach and target user of pre-launch startup founders.
• Founders Network: Founders Network is a private community for tech founders offering peer mentorship, accountability groups, and founder matching services. It targets a slightly more advanced founder stage than Founders Nation but competes for the same entrepreneur persona seeking peer and partner connections.

Broad incumbents

• AngelList (Wellfound): AngelList/Wellfound is a broader startup-focused platform that includes talent matching, fundraising, and founder networking. While not exclusively co-founder matching, it serves the same entrepreneur persona and provides an alternative path to finding co-founders and early hires, often free for candidates.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant professional network and increasingly used by entrepreneurs to find co-founders via its open-to-work, founder signals, and direct messaging. While not a dedicated co-founder matching tool, its scale and free access make it a frequent substitute for niche platforms like Founders Nation.

Emerging players

• StartHawk: StartHawk is a startup-focused talent platform that connects founders, early employees, and advisors, with co-founder matching as a core use case. It targets a similar entrepreneur segment but with broader functionality that includes post-co-founder matching services.
• Indie Hackers: Indie Hackers is a community of independent founders and startup builders that includes implicit co-founder networking through its forums and member profiles. While not a dedicated matchmaking service, it competes for the same solo founder persona considering co-founder relationships.
• Shapr: Shapr is a mobile-first professional networking app that uses swipe-based matching to introduce professionals, including startup founders seeking co-founders. It overlaps with Founders Nation in the founder-networking use case but emphasizes mobile and serendipitous matching rather than profile-search.

Regional players

• Techstars Startup Weekend: Techstars Startup Weekend runs weekend-long events where aspiring founders form teams and launch companies, effectively serving as a co-founder matching event in multiple cities globally. It addresses the same need as Founders Nation (finding co-founders) through in-person events rather than an online platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FoundersNationIsrael
• Xx.com/Founders_Nation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/founders-nation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Founders Nation