Frequently asked questions

C2FM (Climate Co-Founder Matching) is NYC’s climate co-founder matching platform. We drive climate startup formation through curated in-person events and an online portal powered by our proprietary founder matching algorithm. Every member applies and is reviewed before they’re approved. We don’t share the full criteria, but the shape of it is simple: climate, NYC, fund-returner ambition, and readiness to build with someone. Read more about who runs C2FM and how members are reviewed.

C2FM is for climate-serious professionals in the NYC area: operators, founders, engineers, scientists, and domain experts who are all-in on climate and ready to find a co-founder. You can already have an idea, be actively building, or be exploring which problems in climate you want to solve. What isn’t optional is the ambition: everyone here has full conviction that what they build will be a fund returner. We started with the Columbia community and have expanded to include the broader NYC climate ecosystem.

Our matching algorithm weighs the intangibles (working style, values, decision-making, what you need in a partner) alongside skills and experience. Most platforms stop at the skills column, and we don’t think that’s enough to build a company with someone. We’re also hyperlocal. C2FM is NYC-only because it’s hard to vibe-check someone virtually, and we think a lot of the important signal comes from being in the same room. Our events are built around that. And we’re climate-only. Climate change is urgent, and we want to make it easier for people who are serious about building in this space to find each other. Narrowing the focus to climate-serious founders in NYC means every person you meet through C2FM is already aligned on the things that matter most.

We’re looking for climate-serious intent, relevant skills or domain experience, and readiness to build with someone. You don’t need a polished pitch, a deck, or even an idea, but you do need to be genuinely planning to start a climate company, full conviction that what you build will be a fund returner, and the time and commitment to actually do it. We also pay close attention to the intangibles: how you work, what you value in a partner, and what kind of co-founder dynamic you’re looking for. Skills are table stakes. Fit is what makes a company actually work.

No. C2FM is intentionally built for both technical and non-technical builders. We match engineers and scientists with operators, commercial leads, and domain experts who bring complementary skills. But complementary skills alone don’t make a great pair. Some of the strongest co-founder relationships we’ve seen are technical + non-technical and aligned on how they work, how they handle conflict, and what they want to build. We optimize for both.

C2FM is for founders and future founders: people whose plan is to start a climate company, even if they’re not building one this month. Where you are in that journey shapes how you’ll use the platform. Earlier-stage members get the most out of Learn events and browsing the portal while they sharpen their thinking. Members closer to actively building lean into speed matching and Build events. What we’re not is a casual networking community. Every member intends to found a company, with full conviction that it will be venture-scale.

Skills and experience are the starting point, not the whole picture. Building a company with someone is closer to marriage than hiring. You can have the perfect technical fit on paper and still fall apart six months in if your working styles, values, or risk tolerance don’t align. C2FM is built around that reality. Our matching algorithm weighs the intangibles alongside the obvious stuff: how you make decisions, what you need in a partner, what dealbreakers you have, what kind of dynamic energizes you. Every member fills out a detailed profile, and our IRL events and weekly portal matches surface people who complement you across all of it, not just the skills column.

We host four types: Learn (intimate breakfasts and dinners with operators, founders, and investors a few years, and a few hard lessons, ahead of you), Meet (bi-monthly speed matching curated by C2FM’s algorithm), Build (hackathons and casual build nights where matched pairs test real chemistry in action, not conversation), and Community (member speed networking, Sunday family dinners, and weekly co-working).

Co-founder discovery takes time. Most members don’t find their match at the first event or in their first batch of portal matches. The members who get the most out of C2FM treat it as a months-long process: showing up consistently, building relationships, and learning what they actually want in a co-founder along the way. Some members match within weeks; others take six months or more. The platform works best when you’re patient and active.

We host a few public events throughout the year for people who want to get to know C2FM before applying. Keep an eye on the events page. But almost all of our programming is members-only. To access the full slate of Learn, Meet, and Build events, you’ll need to apply and be approved. Events are RSVP-based, so membership doesn’t guarantee a spot at every event.

Yes, membership is $20/month, and it comes down to two things. The first is access. You get weekly curated match drops, members-only events, our community Slack, and a curated network of serious climate builders across NYC. All C2FM events are free for members, and most are kept small, so RSVP early to grab a seat. The second is commitment. The criteria are what filter (every member is reviewed and approved before they join) and the fee is a small signal on top of that, a way of saying you’re actually in it. If you’re a serious builder and the $20 a month just isn’t affordable for you right now, email me at sammie@c2fm.network and we’ll work it out.

No. C2FM is private and accessible only to approved members. Your profile is never shown publicly or to non-members.