Twenty startups, twenty weeks, and half of them still have a placeholder homepage

By the We.Inc editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy

Every program manager knows the week before demo day: investors are clicking through the cohort list and a third of the links go to a one-line holding page, a dead domain or a slide deck. This page is about running websites as part of the program, from week one to graduation, with sites the founders own when they leave.

TL;DR

The website problem is a program problem

Founders do not skip their website because they are lazy. They skip it because every week has something more urgent, and "the site" keeps slipping until a partner asks for the link. By then it is a rushed job on whatever tool someone used before, often on a personal account that nobody else can log into.

For the program, that creates three recurring costs:

  1. Demo day links that embarrass the cohort. Investors judge the program by the weakest pages they click.
  2. No visibility. Your team cannot see which companies have a site, what it says, or whether it was updated after the pivot in week eight.
  3. Messy exits. When a company graduates or folds, nobody knows who controls its domain and account.

Running websites centrally, as one more piece of program infrastructure like the shared drive or the office, removes all three.

Week one: a site for every company

Add client form with fields for email, name, company and plan

*Adding a startup takes one form: the founder's email, name, company and plan. The invitation goes out in your program's name.*

Invite each founder on the first day. They sign in on your program's branded portal and either pick a template or describe the company in a sentence or two and let the AI build a first version. A one-page site with a clear sentence about what the company does, who it is for, the founders and a contact form is enough for week one. It is better than a holding page, and it gives the founder something to rewrite every time the pitch changes.

Client manager listing clients with search, tags and status such as Active or Invited

*The client list. Tag each company with its cohort and track, so you can filter "Spring cohort, fintech" in a second.*

A website standard for the cohort

Write the standard down and share it with founders on day one. Here is one you can copy:

By weekEach company's site must have
1One sentence on what the company does and for whom; founder names; a working contact form
4A page for the product with at least one real screenshot or photo
8Updated copy if the company has changed direction; their own domain connected
12Team page with roles; a clear call to action (waitlist, book a call, try it)
Demo day minus 7Program review: links work, nothing claims customers or numbers the founders cannot show

The review a week before demo day is the step most programs skip. With every site in one account, it takes an afternoon.

What founders can change, and what your team can see

Per-company switches decide who can publish, connect their own domain, see the code, and use the blog, store, forms and SEO settings. For a cohort, the usual setup is everything on except the store, with publishing allowed straight away. Programs with very early founders, or with a corporate partner whose name appears on the sites, sometimes switch on approval so a program manager checks the first publish.

Per-client switches including publishing needs my approval, own domain, see the code, blog, store, forms and SEO

*One startup's switches, with notes and tags underneath for your own records.*

Your own staff join the program account with fixed roles: owners and admins, and presets such as designer (can edit any company's site, no billing), support (sees companies and their sites, writes notes, no edits) and billing. A designer-in-residence can fix a struggling founder's homepage directly instead of coaching over a call.

Fundraising words on startup sites: be careful

This is the part of startup websites that most programs do not think about.

In the US, a company raising money privately under Regulation D Rule 506(b) may not use general solicitation. The SEC describes Rule 506(c) as the route that "permits issuers to broadly solicit and generally advertise an offering", on condition that all purchasers are accredited investors and the issuer takes reasonable steps to verify that. A startup homepage that says "We are raising our seed round, invest now" can turn a quiet raise into general solicitation.

Practical rules for founders:

This is not legal advice; founders and programs should ask securities counsel. Programs outside the US should check their own country's rules on promoting investments.

Before demo day: a cohort-wide check

Insights screen showing signups, sites, visits and revenue for the brand

*The insights screen shows sign-ups, sites and visits across all your accounts. The demo brand has little data.*

Run this list a week before demo day:

There is also a bulk operations screen in the program console for applying some changes across several sites at once; ask to see what it covers today before you plan around it.

Graduation: the founder takes the site

The website must belong to the company when it leaves your program. Otherwise you have built a lock-in problem into the most important page the company owns.

Code panel in the editor showing the file tree, a source file and a Download ZIP button

*Every site's source code is visible in the code panel and can be downloaded as a ZIP.*

Export project dialog with GitHub, ZIP, Vercel and Domain tabs and a private repository option

*The export dialog: push the site to a GitHub repository (private if you like), download a ZIP, or deploy elsewhere.*

A clean graduation runs like this:

  1. Confirm the company's own domain is registered in the company's name, not a founder's personal account and not yours.
  2. Export the site to the company's GitHub, or download the ZIP and send it.
  3. Agree whether the company stays on your program portal as an alumni account (useful for alumni perks) or moves the site elsewhere.
  4. If it leaves, remove its account once the domain points to the new host.

Our site handover page has more detail on this step.

Fitting this into the program budget

Most programs treat websites as included program infrastructure, the same as legal templates or cloud credits. Some corporate-backed programs bill it to the sponsor. Either way, we quote our price to you on a demo call; there is no self-serve plan for white label.

When this is not the right tool

We do not publish security certifications, uptime figures or hosting-region guarantees.

Book a demo with your next cohort list, and we will set up the program portal with you on the call.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-25.

Book a demo. Pricing is tailored to your volume and setup, and you get your exact price on the call. 0% transaction fee.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns the startup’s website after the program?

The company should. Its code can be downloaded as a ZIP or exported to the company’s GitHub, and its own domain should be registered in the company’s name.

Can our team edit a founder’s site?

Yes. Staff with the owner, admin or designer role can open and edit any company’s site in your program account.

Should startups mention their fundraise on the website?

Usually not. In the US, publicly advertising a private raise can count as general solicitation, which only Rule 506(c) offerings allow. Founders should ask securities counsel.

Does each startup get its own domain?

If you switch on the own-domain setting for them, they can connect a domain they own. Otherwise the site lives on your program’s address.

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