Launch catalog / Playbook
Startup Fame
Conditional free route directory
Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-25. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.
What the free route requires
- Free 'Verified' plan requires a Startup Fame badge on your homepage, checked by their verification bot
- Free listings are reviewed and published within ~7 days
Requirements
- Account required — the dashboard and submit flow sit behind /login
- Homepage (not just any page) badge placement for the free plan
- Startup suitable for a reviewed DR 80+ directory
Prepare before opening the form
- Account credentials
- Startup name, tagline, description, visuals, category
- Badge HTML placed on the homepage before/with submission (bot verifies)
- Decide Verified (free) vs Highlight $19/mo vs Spotlight $149/mo — paid plans skip badge and publish in <30s
Workflow
- Create an account / log in (submit CTAs route through /login?plan=Verified)
- Submit the startup from the dashboard
- Add the Startup Fame badge to your homepage
- Verification bot checks the badge; team reviews within ~7 days
- Startup gets a dedicated page with do-follow backlinks and a 'Featured' badge asset
Watch for
- Badge must go on the HOMEPAGE specifically, and their bot verifies it — footer-only subpages may not count
- Highlight/Spotlight are subscriptions, not one-time — cancel from the Promote page
- Dofollow link persists only while the startup stays listed (Verified after approval, or while a paid plan is active) — no 'lifetime' claim
- Positioning is quality-over-volume: they explicitly discourage bulk directory submissions
What counts as live
A dedicated startup page under startupfa.me/s/<slug> listed in /startups with a dofollow outbound link.
Not verified
- Exact badge HTML/placement spec beyond 'homepage'
- Submit-form fields behind login
- Whether rejections happen after badge verification