New Co-Founder Community helps startups in the Northern Netherlands get off the ground faster and stronger

Launch of the Co-Founder Community pilot‍

Water Alliance, Founded , Future Tech Ventures and Nascent start, with support from Rabobank, a pilot that brings founders and co-founders together.

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A lot of startups struggle when there’s only one founder. One person has to do everything: build the product, talk to customers, raise money, and grow the team. That’s a heavy load to carry alone. Investors also know that startups with more than one founder usually do better, because they combine different skills and can handle setbacks more easily.

A co-founder is a co-creator of a startup: someone who helps build the company from the beginning. Co-founders not only share the workload but also bring different backgrounds, skills, and perspectives, increasing the chance that a startup not only gets off the ground but can also grow.

To create more of these strong teams, Founded, Future Tech Ventures, Water Alliance, and Nascent are launching the Co-Founder Community. This pilot helps founders meet potential co-founders, giving them a better chance to move from idea to successful startup in the Northern Netherlands.

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Finding a good co-founder can make the difference. With this pilot, we are investigating whether we can help founders find the right match more quickly and hope to learn a lot from it, so that more startups can successfully grow in the future.

Tjarda Polderman, Community Lead, Founded

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What makes this pilot special?
Participation begins with the Nascent Founder Assessment: a scientifically validated tool that maps participants’ skills, personality, and vision. This creates an objective profile of strengths and what someone seeks in a co-founder.

Based on the results, participants receive proposals for potential matches. They then meet in a guided introduction session to explore whether there is a personal and professional fit.

Partners and participants ensure follow-up. Through events, workshops, and access to mentors and investors, promising pairs receive support to take the next step towards building a strong startup team.

Our tool gives founders an objective view of their own entrepreneurial profile and helps them find co-founders that are truly complementary. This prevents strong ideas from failing due to missing team dynamics.

‍Ines Feytons, Co-Founder Nascent

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Objectives of the pilot:

• 20—50 participants in 3 months

• Multiple promising matches via Nascent's assessment and matching tool

• Structural contribution to a stronger startup ecosystem in the Northern Netherlands

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Founders looking for a co-founder, and entrepreneurial individuals who want to become a co-founder, can now register here!

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