Could online dating hold the key to finding the right co-founder?

A Sydney-based startup is hoping to connect like-minded and passionate entrepreneurs through the power of online crowdsourcing.

“It’s like an online dating space for startups,” founder and chief executive of Crowdsurfa Vache Aknian told StartupSmart. “We’re almost calling ourselves an RSVP or Matchmaker for entrepreneurs.”

Aknian says he decided to build the website because whenever he has thought of a startup there always seems to be “a missing piece” that could have been solved by the right co-founder.

“I always had an idea I wanted to take to the next level but there were always trials and tribulation where this or that didn’t work out,” he says. “This sort of hit me and I thought, how many other startups or entrepreneurs are in the same boat?”

Aknian says finding the right co-founder is crucial to help a startup succeed – however co-founders often meet each other through mutual friends. Because Australia’s startup community is relatively small in comparison to America’s, there is often a limited talent pool to choose from.

“It’s like a blind date – someone puts two people together and you don’t get to see their resume and what they’ve done,” he says.

Although it is currently undergoing beta testing, Crowdsurfa works by allowing entrepreneurs to upload projects where they would like help from a co-founder. In the post, users outline the scope of the project and details about the type of co-founder they’re looking for. If a potential co-founder browsing through the site likes a particular project, they can then email the entrepreneur directly with their resume.

Aknian says the main issue now is to build up the website’s user base. To do this, the startup is approaching as many co-working spaces as possible.

“It is a tricky hurdle at because obviously there’s two sides to the coin,” he says.

“We not only need a project-poster but we also need to pull in the co-founders, the people who are interested in co-founding a business with an entrepreneur or a startup.”

Image credit: Flickr/18SamanthaO

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