Why every founder needs a personal website, and what goes on it

Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read

When someone hears about your company, one of the first things they do is search for you. Investors, journalists, candidates, partners and customers all do it before a meeting. If the top result is an old interview, a stale profile or someone with your name, you have lost control of the first impression. A personal website puts you back in charge, and it serves things your company site cannot: your story, your thinking, your track record and a way to reach you. This guide shows what to include and what to avoid.

The short answer

Your personal site is for people checking you out: investors, journalists, candidates, partners and customers. It complements, not replaces, the company site.
Lead with what you are building and why you, in two or three plain sentences, then your track record, writing, and how to reach you.
Give press and event organisers what they need: a short and a long bio, a headshot, facts about the company, and a contact. A downloadable or copy-ready media kit saves everyone time.
Be careful with fundraising and metrics. In the US, publicly soliciting investors can affect which exemption you can use, and investors rely on what you say, so claims must be accurate. Take legal advice before you post anything about raising money.
Keep your story and facts identical on your site, your company site, LinkedIn and any database that lists you.
Update it when you ship, raise, hire or change focus.

Why a founder needs one

Control. A search for your name should lead to something you wrote, with your facts, not a stale profile or a hostile post.
Credibility. Investors and hires look you up. A clear page with a real track record and honest ambition answers questions before you are asked.
A home for your thinking. Posts, talks, and the story behind the company belong to you, not to a platform that changes its rules.
A hub. Your company, products, writing and social profiles can all be linked from one page.
Findability. People searching for your name, or for what you are building, should be able to reach you.
Work with you. If you advise, consult or speak, the page can say so and say how.

What visitors want

What different visitors look for on a founder’s site
Visitor	What they want to know	Where to answer it
Investors	What are you building, why you, what have you done, and how do I contact you?	Top of the page, “what I’m building” and “background”
Journalists and event organisers	A bio, a photograph, company facts and a contact. Is this person credible?	A media kit section
Candidates	What is the mission, what is the person like, and what is the company like to work for?	Story, writing and a link to the company’s careers page
Customers and partners	Who is behind this and can I trust them?	About, background and links to the product
Peers and founders	What have you learned? Can we help each other?	Writing, talks and a way to get in touch

What to include

Top of the page: your name, one sentence on what you are building and for whom, a photograph and a way to contact you.
What I’m building: the company or project, the problem, who it helps, and its status in honest terms. Link to the company site.
Why me: your background, the relevant experience and what makes you the right person. State facts: where you worked, what you built, what you led.
Track record: previous companies, exits, products and outcomes, accurate and checkable. Name what you did, not what the team did.
Writing and talks: a few of your best pieces, with links.
Press and media kit: a short bio (about 50 words), a long bio, headshots, company facts (name, founding date, what it does, location) and how to reach you.
Work with me: if you advise, mentor, invest or consult, say how, with a clear boundary.
Contact: an email, and the social profile where you are most responsive. Say what you do not respond to, if you must.

A short bio, written to be copied (invented example)

Ana Costa is the founder of Fieldnote, software that helps independent clinics manage appointments and reminders. She previously led product at a European health-tech company and has been building tools for small practices since 2016. She lives in Lisbon.

A short bio that is already written in the third person gets copied straight into programmes and articles, which keeps your facts accurate everywhere.

Fundraising, metrics and claims

Founders are tempted to use their site as a pitch. A few cautions apply. This is general information, not legal advice.

Raising money in public. In the US, Rule 506(b) of Regulation D, a widely used exemption for private offerings, prohibits general solicitation. Rule 506(c) allows it, but only if all purchasers are verified accredited investors. A public “we’re raising, email me to invest” on a website can therefore matter for which exemption you can use. Other countries, including the UK and EU member states, regulate promotions of investments too. Speak to your lawyer before you publish anything about a round.
Be accurate about numbers. Investors and customers rely on what you say. Do not state revenue, users, growth or customers you cannot back up, and say what a metric means and for which period.
Be careful with forward-looking statements. “We will be the market leader” is a hope, not a fact.
Confidentiality. Do not share confidential information about your company, customers, employer or investors.
Previous employers. Describe what you did there accurately, without implying you speak for them.
Avoid disparaging competitors or former colleagues. It reads badly and can create legal risk.

Consistency across places

Your name, role, company, location and story should match on your site, your company site, your LinkedIn profile and any database that lists founders and companies. Search engines and AI assistants weigh agreement between sources, and inconsistent facts, such as two different founding dates, make you look careless and can lead to wrong answers. See why AI gets your details wrong. Use the same short bio everywhere, and link your pages to one another.

Being found for your name and your project

Put your name and what you do in the page title: “Ana Costa, Founder of Fieldnote, Lisbon”. See page titles and descriptions.
Describe yourself in plain sentences that an assistant can quote.
Link to your company and profiles, and ask them to link back.
If you share a name with someone else, add your company or field. See how to show up first when people search your name.
Earn mentions: podcasts, guest posts, speaking, press.

Keeping it alive

Put a date on anything that will age: “as of September 2026”.
Update after major events: a launch, a raise, a hire, a change of direction.
Remove what is no longer true, especially old roles or products you have left.
Review it every quarter.
If you stop building or writing, make the page quieter, not wrong.

Common mistakes

A page of buzzwords and no specifics.
Unverifiable claims: “10x growth”, “industry-leading”.
Posting about fundraising without legal advice.
An old bio that still describes a previous company.
No contact method, or one that never gets answered.
Treating the page as an advert for the company rather than a place to know the person.
Naming customers or investors without permission.
Different facts on the site, LinkedIn and the company page.

For ready-made sections for founders, see websites for founders.

Where BeVisible fits

BeVisible has a setup for founders with “What I’m building”, “Projects & writing”, “Work with me”, a “Background” line and a “Book a call” button, and a section that lists your businesses and links to each. It is a one-page site, so it suits a founder who wants a clear, quick page, rather than a full content site. You can build and preview free, and publish free for 7 days with no card needed; after that one yearly plan keeps a website online, and one plan covers one website. Start from a photo or type your details.

Frequently asked questions

Does a founder need a personal website?

It is very worthwhile. Investors, journalists, candidates and partners search for founders by name, and a personal page lets you control what they find. It gives you a place for your story, track record and writing, and a hub that links your company and profiles.

What should a founder put on their personal website?

What you are building and why you, your background and track record, selected writing and talks, a short and a long bio with a headshot for press, how to work with you if you advise or consult, and a clear way to contact you.

Should I mention fundraising on my website?

Be careful and take legal advice. In the US, public solicitation of investors can matter for which securities exemption you can rely on, and other countries regulate promoting investments. Accuracy about any numbers you state is essential.

Is a personal site better than just LinkedIn?

They do different jobs. LinkedIn is where people check your history; your own site lets you tell the story in your words, control the layout, show writing and projects, and link to everything. Use both, and keep them consistent.

What is a media kit?

A set of material that makes it easy for a journalist or event organiser to feature you: a short and a long bio, a headshot, facts about your company (name, what it does, founding date, location) and a contact. Put it on a page or offer a download.

How often should I update it?

After any significant change, such as a launch, a raise, a hire or a new focus, and review it at least every quarter. Date anything that will age.