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

I am announcing the private beta of my first web app (http://getfounder.com). The beta will launch in just one city, which will be determined by the number of entries on the location-aware sign up page.

As this is my first public release, I'm looking to the HN community to offer me feedback on what I should/shouldn't be displaying on the homepage. I'd be grateful for any advice you had to offer.

Thanks, and I hope to see some of you in the private beta!

Colin

I see one issue, and have one question.

First, the "issue." Taking the location from what the browser gives you, and not allowing a way to override or specify it explicitly, might lead to weird results. For example, if I found the site and browsed to it while traveling to - say - Boston, but "my" city is really - say - Chapel Hill, then my signup "vote" will count for the wrong place no? Or couldn't variances in granularity affect that... so, if I signup while sitting at work in Morrisville, but I really consider myself to be "part of" Chapel Hill, is it going to work out correctly?

The question: How is this going to be different from http://www.startupwithme.com/ They're already doing a "co-founder matching" sort of thing... How do you differentiate yourself from them?

I'll try to address both of these points, but forgive me if they aren't too helpful.

Your issue is a fair one, and my only response is that I assume that those who sign-up away from home are in a the minority. Of course the statistics will be slightly skewed, but I still believe that even when taking this into account, the winning city will have won fairly.

To be able to answer your question, I'd have to give away a bit more about the concept than I'm willing to at this point, so I hope this explanation helps:

Advanced metrics don't work. Long, boring resumes don't work. Nothing can be more helpful than just getting into coffee shop with someone and having a chat about ideas that really excite you. GetFounder is about getting entrepreneurs and technical people who share the same vision into that situation.

We have one or two 'profile' fields that overlap with those found on sites like StartupWithMe, but I believe that GetFounder's true potential is found in its simplicity.

I don't think you'll have seen matchmaking like this. I really cant wait to show it to you!

C'mon Fresno. ;) [fingers crossed]

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 gauge the effectiveness of GetFounder, without having to manage a wide-spread userbase that probably won't be able to see the true value/potential of the service. I personally feel that the reasoning behind this decision is anything but silly.