Coach Matchmaking & Directory for founders

Project Overview

• Project Name: Curated Founder Coaching List & Matchmaking process
• Organization: Prototype Capital
• Goal: Provide portfolio founders with access to a vetted list of high-quality coaches who understand the unique challenges of entrepreneurship. Directly match founders with a coach who are a good fit
• Inspiration: Multiple founders in the portfolio faced burnout, co-founder conflicts, and leadership challenges—issues that became more pronounced during the pandemic and isolation of lockdowns.
• Approach: Identify and curate a selection of coaches, prioritizing former founders turned coaches, experienced tech operators, HR specialists, and therapists with coaching expertise.

Key Highlights & Impact

✅ Founder-Centric Approach – Focused on coaches who deeply understand the entrepreneurial journey.

✅ Diversity of Expertise – Included specialists in leadership, mental well-being, co-founder dynamics, and operational scaling.

✅ Actionable & Accessible – Delivered a clear, structured resource for founders to quickly find the right support.

✅ Long-Term Support – Established an ongoing process to update and refine the list based on founder feedback.

Milestones & Achievements

• Research & Discovery
  • Conducted interviews with experienced coaches and founder-focused coaching programs.
  • Mapped key pain points portfolio founders faced (burnout, decision fatigue, co-founder struggles, team management).
• Curation & Selection
  • Created selection criteria:
    • Founder/operator experience (former startup leaders who transitioned to coaching).
    • Specialized expertise (HR, executive leadership, co-founder dynamics, mental health).
    • Proven track record (positive testimonials from startup founders).
  • Vetted 30+ coaches and narrowed down to a high-impact, curated list.
• Launch & Founder Adoption
  • Shared the resource with all portfolio founders.
  • Conducted 1:1 feedback sessions to refine the offering.
  • Encouraged peer recommendations to ensure alignment with real founder needs.
• Iterative Improvement
  • Created a feedback loop to continually update the list based on founder experiences.
  • Explored partnerships with top coaching organizations to provide discounted or priority access.

Why This Matters