How to find a co-founder? A question we often hear in the Wildya Ecopreneur Community. And for good reason.
Building a nature venture alone requires a lot of energy.
But as a duo (or a trio, it’s even better), with complementary skills, your project can reach a whole new level.
A co-founder is your pack. 🐺
Someone who builds and moves forward with you on your project, takes risks, handles doubts, and stays committed.
When the goal is to protect species, restore ecosystems, or regenerate biodiversity, choosing the right co-founder can influence the entire trajectory of your project.
Here, we share concrete tips to help you achieve a strong co-founder match.
🐾 Where to look
🐾 How to spot the right profiles
🐾 Which mistakes to avoid
🐾 And how to meet people ready to build something useful for the planet.
If your idea serves nature, you might as well surround yourself with someone who wants to defend it as strongly as you do!
Know exactly who you need before looking for a co-founder match
How to find a co-founder without knowing exactly what you need is like planting a seed without knowing what kind of soil it should grow in. 🪴
Before reaching out to anyone, take the time to clarify the ideal profile.
Define the skills, experience and role you truly need
List what you do not master yourself.
Tech, finance, sales, ops, science, communication…
The goal is to have a complementary co-founder who strengthens your nature business or NGO, not a clone.
Clarify values, vision and long term commitment
Skills matter. Values shape everything else.
Ask yourself:
“Why does this person want to protect nature?”
“How do they react under pressure?”
“Do they see the project as a sprint or a long-term adventure?”
Same vision, same direction, same pack. 🐺
Create visible signals that you are looking for a co-founder
If you are looking for a co-founder, make it visible. Shout it from the rooftops. 🙌
The right people don’t guess, they respond to clear signals.
Use social media to attract aligned co-founders
LinkedIn is your best ally. A professional network. A qualified audience. A strong place to meet committed profiles.
Talk about your project. Your mission for nature. What you are building.
And the type of profile you’d like to meet.
A well-written post can reach someone who already thinks like you.
Wildya tip: If you tag Wildya’s founder, Oliver Dauert, in your posts, he’ll be happy to engage to increase your visibility!
You can also use other social media, depending on the type of profile you’re looking for in a co-founder.
PS: You probably won’t find a co-founder in a single post. So, add it to your profile, and post regularly!
Position yourself clearly so the right people recognise you
Explain what you do. Why you do it. And for whom.
Clear positioning acts like a lighthouse in the fog. 💡
Aligned people recognise each other faster. Others move on.
Less confusion. More useful connections.
More chances to find a co-founder aligned with your vision for nature.
Use communities to find a stronger co-founder match
The hardest part in how to find a co-founder is where to look.
Online communities can increase your chances of meeting aligned, motivated people who are ready to get involved.
Find a co-founder inside the Wildya community
The Wildya Community is the place to be for ecopreneurs who want to protect and restore biodiversity in all shapes of forms and projects.
Here, you meet people:
🐾 looking for co-founders, partners, collaborators, or opportunities
🐾 already working on nature projects
🐾 who understand environmental challenges
On your profile, you can explain what you are building and specify that you are looking for a co-founder.
With this new feature, we offer personalised member recommendations who are looking for the same thing as you!
Bonus: you’ll also find resources for ecopreneurs, events to help you build your nature venture, and a community engaged in protecting nature!
PS: Enjoy 10 days of free access to Wildya Premium. 🎁
No credit card required. You can decide later whether to stay on Premium or the free version.
Search for a co-founder through platforms like Y Combinator
Y Combinator remains a major reference in the startup ecosystem. Mostly focused on tech projects.
Interesting for:
💻 Technical profiles
💻 Product-focused founders
💻 Highly scalable projects
But, if you’re truly looking in the fields of nature and conservation, the Wildya Community is likely the better option.
Same language. Same priorities. Same playing field.
How to find a co-founder in ecosystems you already admire
Good co-founders sometimes hide in places you already look…
Reach out to brands and projects you like
Make a list of the NGOs and companies you admire, the ones that inspire you.
Reach out to them, ask questions, find out where they found their team, who is behind the project, and how they built their circle.
It can give you leads, names, or new places to look. Like a treasure hunt. 🔱
Find a potential co-founder through shared interests on social media
Notice who likes the same content as you. Who comments on the same topics. Who cares about the same causes.
Shared interests build bridges. Bridges lead to conversations. Conversations create opportunities.
If you’re interested in the same species, same landscapes… or same cute otter posts on Instagram, collaboration tends to happen more naturally. 🦦
And you’re lucky, in the Wildya Ecopreneur Community, we love otters!
Meet potential co-founders through offline and online events
Events are a bit like a watering hole in the savanna. 🦓
Everyone eventually crosses paths there. Ideas, projects, and future co-founders included.
Meeting someone helps you sense their energy, motivation, and real intentions.
Offline events
Conferences. Meetups. Impact or entrepreneurship events.
Places like ChangeNOW, Trellis Impact, IUCN Congress… so many nature-focused events that bring together committed profiles.
Go with a clear goal: present your project, listen, and spot a potential co-founder match.
Online events in the Wildya community
No need to travel across the planet to make great connections (and that’s better for your carbon footprint ✈️).
Online events in the Wildya Community, like the Wild Idea into Action Gathering, bring together ecopreneurs who want to take action.
You can:
🦡 Share your idea
🦡 Meet potential co-founders
🦡 Find collaborators or supporters
🦡 Move forward with people who genuinely want to build something for nature
We organise the Wild Idea into Action Gathering once every month (free event)!
Red flags to watch before committing to a co-founder
Now that you know how to find a co-founder and where to look, one key question remains:
Is this the right person?
A bad co-founder can quickly turn your project into a swamp that’s hard to get through.
Better to spot warning signs early.
Warning signs that a co-founder match may fail
Red flags to keep in mind during your search:
🚩 Incompatible values
🚩 Interest in profit over positive impact
🚩 Lack of interest in nature
🚩 Very different work ethics
🚩 Difficulty handling conflict or disagreements
🚩 Unstable motivation
🚩 Different understanding of time commitments
If motivation disappears at the first obstacle, imagine what happens when your project enters a turbulent phase.
Listening to your co-founder is good. Watching their actions is even better.
How to test collaboration before committing long-term
Before committing long-term, try to collaborate in real conditions.
If you have a mini project before launching your nature venture, invite them to work with you.
Other options: ask your co-founder to write a strategy plan, or launch a small field experiment.
At this stage, adopt the mindset of a photographer tracking a snow leopard:
🐆 Patience
🐆 Observation
🐆 Trying multiple approaches before getting the perfect picture
Watch how your co-founder communicates, handles uncertainty, and makes decisions.
A small, quick test beats a long-term commitment that’s misaligned.
Knowing how to find a co-founder when you want to launch a nature venture is never just a question of skills.
It all comes down to search, alignment, motivation, commitment, and long-term vision.
Between communities, events, social media, and your own ecosystem, there are plenty of ways to find a strong co-founder match.
What matters most is knowing what you are looking for, testing collaboration and trusting your instinct.
The right co-founder can truly help your nature project take off.
So explore. Meet people. Test. Adjust.
If you find someone who loves Kākāpō, fungi, or mantis shrimps as much as you do… you might have found the right partner. 🦐
And if you’re still unsure where to find them, join us on the Wildya Ecopreneur Community!
