Find a Founder Coach
We make it fast and easy to get matched with an experienced founder coach.
We make it fast and easy to get matched with an experienced founder coach.
Our coaches are former YC Founders, YC Visiting Partners, ex-operators, and psychotherapists who have deep experience scaling startups, a passion for supporting founders, and extensive training so your growth will be guided by experts who know what it takes to execute at the highest level.
We’ve matched nearly 400 founders with their coaches over the last decade. Amy gets to know you and your startup, then hand-picks the founder coaches in our network who fit you best.
Submit your brief. You’ll book a 20-min call with Amy in the same step.
Choose between two strong fits. Amy walks you through two coaches selected for your stage, price, and goals. This call is about whose style fits you best.
Leave with your intro booked. Your coach is chosen and the first call is scheduled.
Not the right fit? Tell Amy, and she'll match you again.
“Anyone can call themselves a coach and start charging for it. The coaches in this network have serious training behind them, they've run or worked at venture-backed startups themselves, and they take their own growth as seriously as they take yours.
I don't trust just anyone to work with founders - I chose every one of these coaches myself.”
– Amy Buechler
Match with a coach in our network for personalized, ongoing support that will enable you to scale at the speed of your startup
Manage cofounder relationships & stress by addressing persistent conflicts, fostering better communication, and finding alignment
Your coach will act as a forcing function for your growth and execution, ensuring you stay focused and accountable to achieving your ambitious goals
Develop self awareness and tools for psychological mastery that enable you to experience the high highs and low lows without undue suffering
Reduce the overwhelm, stress, and fear that exhausts founders by learning new skills to stay thoughtful and responsive to fires erupting from your startup’s growth
Grow as a leader by managing a fast-growing team, delivering effective feedback, establishing a high bar for excellence, and balancing accountability with high morale
Your startup’s success is directly correlated to the rate at which you continuously grow, learn, and adapt. Coaching offers a personalized growth plan so your growth never bottlenecks your startup’s
“You've made it very easy. The personal matching is great.”
Hunter Brooks
CEO of Ellipsis (YC W24)
Coaching is a relationship that achieves personal and professional growth via startup. That said, every coach offers a unique service based off their experience, so every coach might define their work differently.
In contrast to coaching, therapy achieves personal growth via relationship (especially the relationship you have with yourself) and its benefits flow downstream into professional growth as well. You can read more about the difference between coaching and therapy here.
Amy will challenge you to step outside of your constraints and find the best-possible path forward - for you, for your startup, and for the world.
You'll book a 20-minute call with Amy as part of submitting your brief. She'll read your brief before you talk. On the call, she'll get to know your situation and how you like to work, then walk you through the coaches she's picked for you - why each one fits your stage, your challenges and your budget, and how their styles differ - and you'll decide together. You'll book your intro call before the conversation ends. If that coach isn't the right fit, tell Amy and she'll match you again.
No. It's a short matching conversation so Amy can choose your coach well. If you're interested in working with Amy directly, see Work With Amy.
We've standardized the minimum price of coaching so you can assess coaches based on your sense of 'fit.' All the coaches in The Founder Coach network charge the same base rate - paid for by your startup - which depends on your startup's stage:
Pre-seed founders or founders between startups: No min or max fee, suggested range of $50-$250/hr
Seed-stage founders (pre-Series A): min. $350/hr
Post-Series A founders: min. $2500/mo
Post-Series B founders (through IPO and beyond): min. $3500/mo
Coaches may still charge more than the minimums listed. We encourage you to bring concerns and questions about pricing directly to the coaches we match you with.
Transparently, The Founder Coach will receive a referral fee for any contracts signed through this process (paid for by the coach).
No, it's paid for by the startup (typically out of a 'leadership and development' budget line item).
Amy will bring you two coaches she's chosen for you - matched on your stage, the challenges you're facing, your budget, and the kind of person you'll work well with - then talk through both and help you pick who to meet first. She's been matching founders with coaches for nearly a decade, and one strong match beats weeks of interviews. If the first coach isn't right, the second is already waiting.
You and Amy will narrow it down together on your call. After your intro call with the coach, listen to your head - did I learn something useful? - and your gut - do I trust this person? If the answer is yes, you're done. If not, tell Amy and she'll match you again.
No. Coaching and therapy are different and we do not offer recommendations to therapy or therapists. You can read more about the difference between coaching and therapy here.
Some of the coaches in our network are trained and licensed psychotherapists who are former founders or operators, and we think this is a powerful combination of clinical skill and practical expertise for any founder looking for a coach. When we refer founders to these coaches, it is important to know that they are not practicing under, or using their psychotherapy license when they offer coaching services.
Email hi@thefoundercoach.com with questions.
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