Choose Your Path. Prove the Fit.
Two ways in: publish a mandate as a startup or commit as a co-founder. Partners can plug into our governance chassis to de-risk their portfolios.
Institutional Partner? Work With Us →Startups
For venture-scale companies seeking a specific co-founder to complete the core team.
- Validated insight with proof points (pilot, revenue, or defensible IP).
- Founding team operating full time with 12+ months runway or committed capital.
- Clear equity envelope and willingness to adopt 60-90 day trials with cooling-off norms.
- Transparent cap table + governance readiness (board observer optional).
- Consent to reference checks, compliance with the Co-Founders' Code.
Co-Founders
For experienced operators looking for a mandate to own and equity to earn.
- Prior founder or senior operator experience with zero-to-one scars.
- Runway and sovereignty to work for equity for 3-6 months.
- Ownership intent, not advisory or fractional motives.
- Fluency with governance (charters, vesting, dispute protocols).
- Integrity references ready; commitment to Trust & Safety reporting.
Transparent Timeline. Explicit SLAs.
No ambiguity. We publish every step, expected response time, and what we may request.
Intake & Eligibility
Submit mandate or profile, acknowledge Code, and pass runway + integrity screening.
Mandate Review
Deep dive into archetype clarity, documentation requests, and fit confirmation.
References
Consent-based verification of track record, investors, or former teams.
Shortlist
Coached conversations, compatibility diagnostics, and expectation alignment.
Trial Design
Objectives, instrumentation, and governance kit setup for the 60-90 day trial.
Decision
Go/extend/no-go call with cooling-off norms prior to equity moves.
Plug Into the Chassis.
People-risk is the hidden killer of portfolios. Our governance chassis becomes your safeguard.
Contact PartnershipsPortfolio Safeguard
Institutional investors route their founders through mandate diagnostics and trial design for people-risk diligence.
Guild Signal Sharing
Consent-based sharing of trust signals and references to accelerators or ecosystems that uphold our code.
Transitions & Spin-Ins
Corporate or lab ventures partner to place strategic operators or spin-in teams with governance support.
Data Sovereignty
We do not sell data. We do not track silently. Every interaction is consented and governed.
Collection Scope
We collect only mandate data, professional history, references, and security essentials. No biometric or consumer data.
Retention
Applications retained for six months if not admitted; trial artifacts archived 120 days post decision unless law requires longer.
Reference Consent
Backchannel checks happen only after written consent with context on questions to be asked.
Member Rights
Request access, correction, or deletion by emailing privacy@thefoundersbay.com. Response in ≤2 business days.
Breach Response
Incident playbook triggers under 24 hours with transparent notifications and remediation steps.
Privacy Office
Direct channel for access, correction, or deletion requests.