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Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

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Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#11

Post by collypops »

bricestacey wrote: post #10
collypops wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the biggest misconception with the global reach of the web is that everything on there should be targeting the masses. Some sites, like GetFounder are focused on building business relationships between people who live near each other, as there's something about meeting people face to face that builds a more solid foundation for trust than emails/IMs. By limiting the private beta to just one city, I'm able to…

Keep in mind I'm only working with that one splash page (which explains nothing as to what you're actually doing) and my imagination. I imagined a dating site for founders, which could be broken into networks by region or city that could be scaled relatively well by a small team. On the other hand, I'd be excited for a "founder incubator" community site so to speak, a mix of online demos, profiles, etc but also real…

We do plan to eventually launch everywhere, but that's something that has to scale based on what we learn from the beta. I don't plan to relocate in the near future, but there's always the possibility of having local representatives if we feel it's necessary.

The splash page intentionally keeps information about the app to a minimum. I'm trying to gauge how people respond based on the problems they face, and not on a list product features.

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#13

Post by joelsmith88 »

If you have not done so already I would look at the algorithms that E-harmony, Zoosk and Match.com use to link people up. Because most co-founders will tell you that when they entered into a business partnership it was like entering into a relationship as well. Additionally if you are looking to match start-up co-founders together I think it would be better to focus on close proximity geographic locations, such as Bay Area, LA basin, San Diego.

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#14

Post by newyorker »

joelsmith88 wrote: post #13

If you have not done so already I would look at the algorithms that E-harmony, Zoosk and Match.com use to link people up. Because most co-founders will tell you that when they entered into a business partnership it was like entering into a relationship as well. Additionally if you are looking to match start-up co-founders together I think it would be better to focus on close proximity geographic locations, such as Ba…

How do you look at their algorithms? Aren't they private?

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#15

Post by collypops »

joelsmith88 wrote: post #13

If you have not done so already I would look at the algorithms that E-harmony, Zoosk and Match.com use to link people up. Because most co-founders will tell you that when they entered into a business partnership it was like entering into a relationship as well. Additionally if you are looking to match start-up co-founders together I think it would be better to focus on close proximity geographic locations, such as Ba…

Our focus is on local matches. Thanks for the algorithm suggestions. We definitely agree on the similarity between partnership and relationship.

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#16

Post by joelsmith88 »

newyorker wrote: post #14
joelsmith88 wrote: post #13

If you have not done so already I would look at the algorithms that E-harmony, Zoosk and Match.com use to link people up. Because most co-founders will tell you that when they entered into a business partnership it was like entering into a relationship as well. Additionally if you are looking to match start-up co-founders together I think it would be better to focus on close proximity geographic locations, such as Ba…

How do you look at their algorithms? Aren't they private?

The algorithm is private, but these sites function in a straight forward manner. Think of it as psychology coding 101.

The easiest way to emulate is this process is through a numerical scale. Take into account social indicators such as personality type (A,B), age, affluence, beliefs, values, perspectives, and most importantly what you are looking for in the other person. These scores are then "coded" by attributing a number to each answer which is then added or subtracted depending upon response. These values ultimately create a number and that number is "matched" with similar numbers (matrix matching) and you can layer this process to be more precise.

In terms of your project: trying to pair up entrepreneurial minded people. I would start with a specific geographic location, Say... the Bay area. Right there the parameters are defined to specific coordinates (numeric). I would rate everyone on a proximity rating with each other first (which i am assuming that you are trying to do with the 1 city limitation) people that are with in 10 mile of each other receive a rating of (10), 15 miles (9)... 50+ miles (1) ect. The logic that drives this the proximity principle: objects that are close together will be seen as belonging together, so people that live in close proximity to each other will perceive the other to belong. Next I would create an in-depth survey to try to generate as much relevant information such as skill sets, interests, beliefs, values, age, what they are looking for in a "match" and also they type of company that they are trying to build. If it is extremely technical then there should be 2 very technical co-founders, if less technical then I would say 1 technical & 1 semi-technical co-founders. Depending upon what needs the project has. I would then match people who have "complimentary" scores. I would then generate scores using my coded survey and match the people together.

In terms of your project, I think it would be a good idea to go through different online survey tests (match, zoosk, eharmony) to see how the questions are set up and then coded.

(Here is a link to good coding practices. I think it will be able to help you further understand how you generate a numerical score off a survey) http://books.google.com/books?id=dB0fw5lf0GQC&pg=PA345&#...

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#17

Post by collypops »

joelsmith88 wrote: post #16
newyorker wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you look at their algorithms? Aren't they private?

The algorithm is private, but these sites function in a straight forward manner. Think of it as psychology coding 101. The easiest way to emulate is this process is through a numerical scale. Take into account social indicators such as personality type (A,B), age, affluence, beliefs, values, perspectives, and most importantly what you are looking for in the other person. These scores are then "coded" by attributing a…

Thank you so much for this answer. The detail that some HNers put into comments really astounds me at times. I'll take all of this on board and see where it fits with my concept for ranking/coding. I'm sure GetFounder will benefit immensely from the content you linked. Cheers!

Re: Show HN: GetFounder. A unique way to find your ideal startup partner

#18

Post by collypops »

tsuyoshi wrote: post #12

Just one city or one metro area? And if the latter, do you count Silicon Valley in the same area as San Francisco?

I use the term 'city' quite loosely (which I'm using to refer to a metro and it's surrounding communities), so yes, I would count Silicon Valley signups along with San Francisco signups.
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