Cofounder

What Cofounder does

Cofondateur.fr (legally Cofounder SAS) is a France-headquartered online matching platform that connects entrepreneurs seeking co-founders with pre-qualified technical and business talent. Founded in 2013 and operating from Paris, it serves a long tail of early-stage French startup founders ("project carriers") and professionals seeking equity-based co-founding roles as CTO, CMO, CFO, or CEO. According to its own disclosures, the platform lists 36,241 projects and 20,540 verified talents, with 1,000+ recorded successful co-founding associations over a 10+ year operating history. Leadership is concentrated around founder and CEO Valentin Brulin, with a team of 1-10 employees.

Name

Cofounder

Legal name

Cofounder SAS

Website

https://cofondateur.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cofondateur.fr is a French online platform connecting entrepreneurs seeking technical and business co-founders with pre-qualified talent, using AI-powered matching and tiered subscription programs for SMB startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program fees for project owners: Project owners pay for access to talent pool and matching services. Programs run for 3 months with option to extend monthly.
2. Talent subscriptions: Talents subscribe to tiered plans (Free, Standard, Premium) to access enhanced features and visibility. Premium includes dedicated consultant, priority matching, and coaching.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cofounder (operating as Cofondateur.fr) operates an online marketplace platform that connects French startup project owners with verified technical and business talents (developers, CTOs, CMOs, CFOs) seeking equity-based co-founding opportunities. The platform uses an AI-powered matching engine to recommend compatible profiles, offers tiered programs for project owners (Standard, Premium) and talent subscriptions (Free, Standard, Premium), and provides supporting tools including an equity split simulator and a candidate management workflow.

Product overview

Cofondateur.fr is a co-founder matching platform operating as a unified service with tiered programs and subscriptions. The core platform facilitates connections between project carriers and verified technical and business talents seeking co-founding opportunities. Key integrated features include AI-powered matching (IA de Matching Avancé), a share distribution simulator (Simulateur de répartition des parts), and candidate management tools (Gestion des candidats). The Kit Cofondateur provides legal documents for partnership formalization. The platform serves two audiences: project carriers (through Programme Standard, Programme Premium, and headhunter services) and talents (through Free, Standard, and Premium subscriptions). Additional features include Top Projets editorial selection, Squads collaborative groups, and an educational blog.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cofondateur.fr Platform Online marketplace platform connecting French startup project owners with verified technical and business talents (CTO, CMO, CFO, developers) seeking co-founding opportunities. Includes AI-powered matching, equity split simulator, candidate management workflow, and legal document templates (Kit Cofondateur).
• Programme Standard 3-month self-guided program for project owners seeking autonomy in their co-founder search. Priced at €228 HT (one payment) or €285 HT in three installments of €95 HT. Includes AI matching, candidate management, and equity share simulator. Optional monthly extension at €76 HT/month.
• Programme Premium 3-month consultant-guided program for project owners seeking personalized support in their co-founder search. Priced at €708 HT (one payment) or €885 HT in three installments of €295 HT. Includes all Standard features plus enhanced consultant support and consulting services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Project owners typically find their co-founder in under 3 months
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BPI FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBPI France, France's public investment bank, is a partner of Cofondateur.fr, providing visibility and credibility within the French startup ecosystem.
• French TechcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench Tech is an official partner, providing national recognition and ecosystem integration for Cofondateur.fr.
• Pepite FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPépite France, the national network for student entrepreneurship, partners with Cofondateur to connect student entrepreneurs with co-founders.
• HEC ParisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHEC Paris startup incubator partners with Cofondateur to help HEC entrepreneurs find co-founders.
• EM Lyon IncubatorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEM Lyon Business School incubator refers entrepreneurs to Cofondateur for co-founder matching.
• NEOMA Business School IncubatorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNEOMA Business School startup incubator partners with Cofondateur for co-founder search support.
• EDHEC EntrepreneursminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEDHEC Business School incubator refers students and alumni to Cofondateur for co-founder matching services.
• La French Tech One Lyon Saint-EtienneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional French Tech community partners with Cofondateur to support local entrepreneurs.
• TrustpilotminorOthersTrustpilot widget displays verified customer reviews on the platform, building social proof and trust with prospective users.
• IndyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccounting software company Indy partners with Cofondateur, offering special conditions for co-founded startups using their services.
• Fred de la ComptaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccounting content creator Fred de la Compta partners with Cofondateur for newsletter and content collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: Global professional networking platform with extensive use by entrepreneurs seeking co-founders. Broad incumbent providing free networking at massive scale, posing competitive pressure on paid co-founder matching services.
• Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent): Well-known startup-focused job marketplace connecting talent with early-stage companies, often including equity-based roles. Broader incumbent with much larger scale, offering overlap with Cofondateur's talent-for-equity matching but covering a wider range of roles beyond co-founders.

Others

• BPI France: French public investment bank providing financing, guarantees, and equity to French businesses. Ecosystem partner to Cofondateur that helps direct early-stage founders toward matching services, but not a peer in co-founder matching itself.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus located in Paris, hosting thousands of entrepreneurs and providing programs, mentorship, and networking. Ecosystem partner and adjacent player rather than direct competitor — its programming community often funnels users toward Cofondateur.
• La French Tech: Government-backed initiative supporting the French startup ecosystem through community programs, international promotion, and policy advocacy. Ecosystem partner rather than competitor, providing visibility and referral pipeline to Cofondateur.
• HEC Paris Incubator: Business school incubator at one of France's top grandes écoles, providing workspace, mentorship, and resources to student and alumni entrepreneurs. Ecosystem partner that channels HEC-affiliated founders toward Cofondateur for co-founder matching.

Regional players

• TheFamily: European startup support community providing education, connections, and operational support to early-stage founders. Regional player with comparable focus on helping French/European entrepreneurs build teams, though broader in scope than pure co-founder matching.
• Hexa (formerly eFounders): European startup studio that builds B2B SaaS companies by pairing operators with technical co-founders. Regional player operating a similar co-founder pairing concept but as a studio model, providing direct comparison to Cofondateur's marketplace approach in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching: Y Combinator's integrated co-founder matching tool used by startup founders during the YC application process. Direct peer offering free co-founder matching to the global startup community, with massive scale and brand credibility.
• CoFoundersLab: Global co-founder matching platform founded in 2009, connecting entrepreneurs, developers, and designers to form startup teams. Directly comparable as a two-sided marketplace for co-founder matching with profile browsing, matching algorithms, and community features.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cofondateur

Compliance2 records

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 Cofounder