Founder resume — templates, keywords, and bullet examples
Founder resumes are read with skepticism. Conservative format + specific outcomes (revenue, customers, raises) is the only thing that breaks through.
How to angle a founder resume
Founders applying back to operating roles need to surface the operating part of the role, not the founding part. The bullets that work: "Owned the GTM motion through $0 → $1.2M ARR" not "Founded the company".
Lead the Summary with the highest-credibility number you have: revenue at exit, customer count, named investors, or growth multiple. If none of those exist yet, lead with the specific functional ownership ("Owned product, engineering, and GTM for the first 18 months").
Section order: Summary → Experience → Skills → Education.
Recommended templates for founders
ATS keywords recruiters filter on
These are the keywords most founder JDs use as their ATS-filter inputs. Make sure the ones you genuinely have evidence for are in your Skills section.
Starter Skills section
Paste this into the Skills section of the editor as a starting point, then prune to what you genuinely have evidence for.
Bullet examples you can adapt
Three starter bullets following the action-verb / quantified-outcome pattern. Replace bracketed placeholders with your actual specifics — never invent.