... / CofounderOS / Frequently Asked Questions - Entrepreneur Support Organization (ESO)

If you are supporting a startup and want to quickly navigate to their Mentor page, there are a few different features available to help you get to the correct startup quickly.

1. Use the global search by clicking in the search bar at the top of the page, or by pressing / (forward slash) on your keyboard.
2. Search for the company in the full list of companies in your ecosystem.

The global search should be the easiest way to go to any company by name or by the name of the founder. If the startup is still a new applicant, you may also need to check the Application Queue to find them in the list of all startups waiting for evaluation.

The easiest way to add a company to a Cohort is from inside the Cohort itself. When the Cohort page is loaded, scroll down to the Company List tab below the Cohort details and begin typing in the search box labeled "Search to add startups to this Cohort".

When you find the startup you want to add, check the box for that startup in the search results. You can also select the status and assigned mentor for that startup for this specific Cohort and then click the Add to Cohort button.

Please note: Every Cohort is a unique collection of companies and every startup inside a Cohort can have a separate status and assigned mentor. If you do not provide a status, the startup will be added with the "New" status. Adding a mentor is not required, but is available as a method for larger ESOs to control access to startups for people on their team with lower permissions.

CofounderOS was designed to make it possible for any ESO of any shape, size, or configuration to easily run their entire ecosystem safely through this software. ESO accounts have several permission roles available for any user that has been added to their team.

Licensed Accounts

These permission roles will use one user license for each team member with this role. Some CofounderOS subscription packages come with a specific number of team user licenses, and other subscription packages are priced on an a per-user basis.

• Founder/Manager - Full access to everything inside the ESO. They can see all ESO data and interact with the entire ESO ecosystem.
• User - A generic permission role for a member of your team that will only be able to interact with their assigned files, projects, Cohorts, Startups, and other related mechanisms.
• Mentor and Instructor - These permission roles are exactly the same as User and prevent the user from seeing tools, data, and information unless specifically assigned by a manager.

Non-Licensed (HRIS Only) Accounts

CofounderOS also includes a "Non-Licensed" user account that allows your business to add, track, and manage your employees that do not need operational access to CofounderOS. These users have limited functionality, though they are able to access public data, training content, and have limited interactivity with the HRIS features. These accounts do not use a paid license subscription, though they are tracked as an employee. The employee limit will always exceed the paid license limit so that large organizations can use CofounderOS to manage their entire company.

• No Access - This permission provides limited access to CofounderOS except:
  • Public user profile
  • User social posting
  • HRIS employee file upload/downloads
  • Public learning content and any employee-specific training assigned to the company

Larger Organizations

CofounderOS also has the ability to have multi-level company structures with team-specific heirarchies and team-specific permission levels. These organizational structures are available by contacting your Make Startups account representative.

Depending on what is the cause, there are several methods to help the founder retrieve access to their account.

1. Verify their email address

CofounderOS uses email as the primary login mechanism. Most startups "create their account" by filling out either your Primary Application form or by applying to a contest in the [Contest Manager])(/contest). Most issues with logging in are a typo created during the application signup process.

Resolving Incorrect Email Addresses

1. Pull up their startup in the Mentor Dashboard
2. Scroll down to the Team List
3. Copy the email address listed for that user
4. Send that to the founder and tell them to try logging in with that email address and the password they provided.

Forgotten Password

If the founder can't remember the password they used to sign up and their email address is incorrect, the "Forgot Password" system won't work. The only solution for an incorrect email address and an incorrect password is to send an email to support@makestartups.com. Please provide a link to the company and what the correct email address should be.

2. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Issues

We encourage every company to enable 2FA in their user profile by clicking "Edit Account" and then following the 2FA instructions. However, if they lose access to the device they used to configure 2FA, they will need to contact Make Startups support to regain access to their account. Please direct them to email support@makestartups.com for resolution.

CofounderOS was designed to make it easier for ESOs to help more startups with less resources. We know how hard it is to mentor and support a lot of startups on a shoe-string budget. Beyond the efficiency improvements you'll get using this system, CofounderOS also has several direct methods to help your organization grow your operational revenue.

1. Startup Referral Fees

Your ESO can earn 15% of the subscription fees from any startup that initially signed up for CofounderOS using either your Primary Application Form, one of your Contests, using your unique referral code on the signup page, or that your team directly invited. You'll get 15% of their subscription for as long as they're a paying subscriber and no matter what type of subscription package they have selected.

If you don't have a referral code, please contact your account manager to get one assigned.

2. Direct Sales through your Company Profile

ESOs that have the "ESO Sales" package enabled gain access to the same Product Management interface that the startup founders get to use. From there, you can create public store listings to direct visitors to purchase items directly through your e-commerce platform.

3. ESO Invoicing System

If your ESO has the "Invoicing" application enabled for your organization, you can generate and send invoices directly to the startups you are supporting. With this system, you'll see the payment status of any invoice you've sent to any startup on the Mentor Dashboard, making it obvious to everyone on your team if a startup has fallen behind on payments. You can use this to cut down on the number of startups that stop paying in the middle of your program but keep getting taught by your instructors.

We've tried to make it easy for your entire team to keep on top of your outstanding invoices to decrease lost revenue and keep everyone on your team aligned to the mission of supporting your ecosystem.

4. Premium Pitch Competitions

Using the CofounderOS Pitch Contest can streamline your ability to run in-person and digital startup competitions. Your ESO is already doing the hard work of managing and supporting startups in your area, and large in-person events are a great way to offer a premium experience to the investors and founders you support.

5. Capital Connection Referral Fees

As CofounderOS continues to roll out new systems to allow the startups we support get easy access to capital, most of these partnerships have financial incentives in place for the ESO that provided that valuable connection.

Please contact partners@makestartups.com if you'd like to learn more.

Partnerships for More Value!

If you're interested in making CofounderOS a star component of how your ESO generates and manages revenue, please reach out to partners@makestartups.com to talk to our team about a long-term partnership that will help you grow. We have a lot of options available to you that could change the way you manage your ecosystem and increase your economic impact.

We have many options available to qualifying ESOs for capital allocation and growth, and we'd love to help you tap in to this potential.