The Founder Mental Health Survey.

Founders carry a psychological burden that's mostly invisible — to investors, to employees, to family, often to themselves. Cofounder conflict, identity-merge with the company, money pressure, isolation, the relentless self-judgment.

The published research on founder mental health is thin and mostly draws from broader entrepreneur populations. The existing surveys aimed at startup founders are small, not peer-reviewed, and rarely use validated clinical instruments. We wanted something better: a real instrument, taken anonymously, with results shared back to the community.

When you see your own results next to other founders', the loneliest stuff stops feeling so unique. You're not the outlier you think you are.

Validated clinical screeners, plus founder-specific sections on cofounder relationship, ambition, motivation, help-seeking, and substance use.

The ambition and life-outlook sections are grounded in Self-Determination Theory and the Aspiration Index — they capture not just how driven you are but why, and what you're driving toward. See our YC version or the general version to take it.

The instrument itself is the same in both versions — same clinical screeners, same founder-specific sections, same scoring. The only difference: the YC version asks for your batch (so YC-aggregate results can be reported back to Bookface), and the general version skips that question.

If you start one version and your answers suggest the other fits better, we'll quietly offer to switch you over.

Responses are tied to a random access code, not your identity. If you leave an email afterward, it's stored in a separate table with no link back to your answers — even we can't look you up by email.

Don't take our word for it: the schema and source are open on GitHub.

Created by Jason Shen and Keegan Walden

We're founders and coaches working on the question of what it actually takes to build something meaningful without breaking yourself in the process.