Cake: A curated community for founders and investors
Over 25 years working in Silicon Valley, I worked with startups and investors from both sides of the conversation. But when I sought funding for my own startup, the resources available were frustrating. It was difficult to judge who was credible, who was actively investing, and who was simply there to network.
The experiences often felt like generic networking software with a startup directory attached. Finding the right people was hit and miss. Cake grew out of that firsthand experience.
An established market with room for a better experience
We tend to look for two kinds of opportunities. One is an established market where people tolerate the available products because they have few appealing alternatives. The other is an underserved niche that could not previously justify the time and cost of advanced technology. AI has changed what is practical to build for both.
Cake belongs to the first group. Founders already need investors, and investors already need access to promising founders. We saw an opportunity to improve the quality of the community and the process of finding a good fit.
The community is part of the product
Admission to Cake is designed around 25 selection criteria. The aim is to identify progressive, innovative thinkers with a track record, demonstrated dedication, and strong potential. For investors, we also look for people who can contribute expertise, resources, and a commitment to helping a founder's business thrive.
The closest analogy is Raya's selective approach to membership. Cake is intended for people who are focused, capable, and actively committed to their work. Curation is how we plan to keep the community useful to those people.
That begins with the first 100 profiles: 50 founders and 50 investors. We are researching that initial group and preparing their bios. If those people choose to join, they can update an existing profile rather than start from a blank page. The planned directory gives the community a starting point; those profiles represent people we hope to bring into Cake.
Mutual interest opens the conversation
Dating apps offered a useful model for connecting people around mutual interest. In Cake, members swipe on people they would like to connect with and pass on those they do not. When a founder and an investor both express interest, they match and can send direct messages in the app. Members can also see who has liked them and accept directly.
We designed the two profile types around the questions each side wants answered. An investor profile addresses the burning questions founders have, and a founder profile does the same for investors.
We extended that thinking into a micro pitch deck for each role. Slide topics are predefined, and members supply their own content about their approach to each topic. Consistent topics make it easier to compare people on common ground while understanding what distinguishes them. Investors explain their approach too, giving founders information to evaluate the relationship.
AI throughout the work, including finding the first members
We use AI across the product lifecycle: audience profiling, concept development, planning, design, and building. For Cake, it will also support the research behind the initial community.
We are training a custom agent to search the internet for founders and investors who best fit our selection criteria. That work is underway alongside the research and profile preparation for the first 100. The intended result is a relevant starting community shaped by the purpose of the product.
A subscription model that keeps admission selective
The first 100 people we curate will be offered free lifetime subscriptions. After that, the plan is a paid subscription beginning with a 60-day free trial. Every prospective member must apply and meet the criteria.
The subscription price has not been established. We intend to determine it through future testing.
At the time of writing in November 2026, Cake is in app store submission for Apple and Google Play. Research and bio preparation for the initial group are still in progress. The intended outcome is a community where serious founders and investors have a better chance of finding a productive relationship. That outcome is still ahead of us.
Where does the process of finding the right people break down in your own work? Looking at who enters a community, what information people need to assess fit, and how a conversation begins can reveal opportunities that a larger directory alone may leave unresolved.