# How to make your co-founder matching profile stand out

**Author:** Katherine Bernstein
**Type:** Essay
**URL:** https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out

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Table of Contents

[**Table of Contents**](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#)

[- Preview your profile.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#preview-your-profile)

[- Record a video.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#record-a-video)

[- Be concise.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#be-concise)

[- Be thorough.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#be-thorough)

[- Put some thought into your impressive thing.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#put-some-thought-into-your-impressive-thing)

[- If you have an idea, pitch it.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#if-you-have-an-idea-pitch-it)

[- If you’re non-technical with an idea, show the progress you’ve made without a technical founder.](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#if-you-re-non-technical-with-an-idea-show-the-progress-you-ve-made-without-a-technical-founder)

[- Check out some profiles that led to success](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/Dw-how-to-make-your-co-founder-matching-profile-stand-out#check-out-some-profiles-that-led-to-success)

How to make your co-founder matching profile stand out

# How to make your co-founder matching profile stand out

by Katherine Bernstein

![uploaded image](https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?key=user_uploads/89898/4c92275c-a4e6-4964-8710-17032c6bbfe2&type=article&id=864)

Would Doordash have become a billion-dollar company if Andy, Stanley, and Tony had never met? Would we all have heard of
Airbnb if its founders had never met? We’ll never know, but it’s safe to say that a missed connection might have led to
a dramatically different outcome.

To avoid missed connections when using YC’s [co-founder matching\\
platform](https://www.startupschool.org/cofounder-matching), it’s critically important to represent yourself as best as
possible in your co-founder matching profile. You should treat your profile as an elevator pitch of yourself; it’s all a
potential co-founder will see before deciding whether to connect or to move on.

Here are some ways you can make sure your co-founder matching profile is as compelling as possible.

### **Preview your profile.**

View your profile as candidates will see it, and make sure you're happy with the way it looks. You can preview your
profile [here](https://www.startupschool.org/cofounder-matching/my-profile).

### **Record a video.**

If you have an idea you're working on, this is a great opportunity to give potential co-founders a clear and concise
pitch. _Check out_ [_this video_](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup) _for help ironing_
_out your pitch._

![YC Logo](<Base64-Image-Removed>)

# What is Y Combinator?

We're an accelerator that funds startups — like Coinbase, Instacart, Reddit, Doordash — at their earliest stages. Starting a company? Even if it feels early, 40% of our companies joined with just an idea.

[Apply](https://www.ycombinator.com/apply)

If you're not working on a specific idea, use your video to introduce yourself and describe what you're looking for in a
co-founder and a company.

### **Be concise.**

You should be honest, direct, and brief. Founders will want to see that you can communicate key information about
yourself clearly and concisely, as with any pitch.

### **Be thorough.**

Don't assume candidates will click on your LinkedIn URL; lots of users will move on if they don't see compelling
information up front on your profile. Make sure your education and experience sections contain all the items you'd want
a potential co-founder to know about.

### **Put some thought into your impressive thing.**

This question is an opportunity to give potential co-founders some insight into what makes you unique and how you think,
through a specific accomplishment or anecdote that you feel represents your abilities and values.

Avoid answers like "I haven't done anything impressive" or "this startup". Everyone has done things they've been proud
of, and while starting a company certainly is impressive, these answers don't give candidates any insight into the way
you think, the things you care about, or what makes you unique.

### **If you have an idea, pitch it.**

As a startup founder, you live and breathe your idea. You understand it more deeply than anybody else. This is usually a
good thing, but it can lead to some blind spots. One of the most common mistakes we see is vague company descriptions
with unclear value propositions.

Founders looking to join an existing company usually care deeply about what that company does, so you should be sure to
make your pitch clear and compelling.

Watch [this video](https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6q-how-to-pitch-your-startup), and nail down your pitch in both
written and verbal form. Try showing your pitch to a friend or family member who hasn’t seen it before. See if they can
explain your idea back to you, and also if they can explain why it’s compelling.

### **If you’re non-technical with an idea, show the progress you’ve made without a technical founder.**

If you’re non-technical and you have an idea you’re working on, you’re facing a bigger challenge than other founders.
Based on some [analysis](https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/what-do-people-want-in-a-co-founder) from October 2021, we
found that the most in-demand founders on the platform are technical without an idea. This means the competition will be
high, so it’s _extra_ important that your profile stands out.

One of the most effective ways to make yourself stand out is to show any progress you’ve been able to make on your idea
without a technical co-founder. Have you created a no-code or low-code MVP? Do you have users, or have you done any user
research? Have you raised money? Demonstrating progress will make you and your company more compelling to technical
candidates.

### **Check out some profiles that led to success**

[Vrinda Gupta (Sequin)](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/sequin), [Curtis Fonger\\
(Whalesync)](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/whalesync), and [Anjie Liu (Kiwi\\
Biosciences)](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/kiwi-biosciences) met their co-founders on the platform and were
later accepted into the YC Summer 2021 batch. Take a look at the original profiles they created that kicked off the
whole process!

![uploaded image](https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?key=user_uploads/196322/1ef988bd-87a2-4a76-aa34-ec797e056def&type=article&id=864)

![uploaded image](https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?key=user_uploads/196322/d2c906e9-9510-4e6c-8e41-73cc2a50776e&type=article&id=864)

![uploaded image](https://www.ycombinator.com/media/?key=user_uploads/196322/a603b0ec-49d6-41c7-81f0-4c60f68af718&type=article&id=864)

We hope you’ll keep these suggestions in mind as you create and edit your [co-founder matching\\
profile](https://www.startupschool.org/cofounder-matching). Best of luck, and happy matching!
