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StartupTrusted: requirements, how to submit, and what you actually get
A four-field form that takes two minutes, then nine badge variants and a verification you cannot skip on the free tier.
startuptrusted.com
Eligibility
Who StartupTrusted accepts
You need
An account, by Google or an emailed sign-in link
A live site described as active and well-maintained
A name of 28 characters or fewer and a description of 200 or fewer
One category from a long searchable list
Their badge on your homepage or footer, for the free tier
You'll be rejected if
Sites they judge inactive or poorly maintained, which is the only standard their form states
Indie projectsSaaS productsAI toolsMarketing toolsStartups
What you actually get
A page at /startup/<slug> with your name, logo, a 200-character description, a category and a Visit Website button. Live listings link out with rel="noopener" and a ?ref=startuptrusted parameter, so the link is followed on the tiers we could see.
How to submit to StartupTrusted
1
Sign in
/submit redirects to a Join card. Continue with Google, or an email sign-in link. No password anywhere.
2
Fill four fields
Website URL with a Fetch button that auto-fills the rest, name capped at 28, one category, a description capped at 200. Logo URL and a founder X handle are optional; pasting a logo URL renders a live preview.
3
Choose the tier
Continue to Listing opens Free, Pro at $11 and Featured at $19 side by side. Free is the leftmost and plainly marked badge required.
4
Take a badge and verify
Nine variants in a grid: three wordings across three colourways, each with its own Copy Embed Code. Submit for Review stays disabled until Verify Badge passes.
StartupTrusted requirements
An account
Live website URL
Website name, 28 characters
Description, 200 characters
One category
Their badge on your homepage or footer, for the free tier
A logo URLoptional
A founder X handleoptional
Gotchas
Submit for Review is disabled until the badge verifies, so the free tier cannot be finished in one sitting unless the badge is already up.
The name field stops at 28 characters, which is short enough to cut a real product name, and the description at 200.
The badge grid offers nine variants and any one of them satisfies the check, so the choice is cosmetic and easy to overthink.
Let your agent submit to StartupTrusted
Connect SubmitMap to your AI over MCP and this page stops being something you read and copy. Your agent asks for the StartupTrusted playbook and gets the brief for this exact form, with the values already taken from your submission pack instead of placeholders you fill in by hand.
What it does for this platform
Checks your product against the 6 StartupTrusted rules above, so you find out you would be rejected before you open a tab.
Hands your agent all 8 fields this form asks for, 2 of them optional, already filled from your pack.
Warns you that StartupTrusted looks for its badge on your site, so it has to be live before you submit rather than after.
Tells you what paying buys here, so you pick it on purpose: free with their badge on your homepage or footer, listed after a manual review. $11 once for Pro: a dofollow link, instant approval and no badge at all. $19 for Featured, which adds homepage placement above every other listing.
Types it into StartupTrusted in your own browser, and stops for you when the form wants a sign-in.
Records what it sent, so the dashboard can answer "did I ever submit to StartupTrusted?".
Connect your agentTools and endpointsWorks with Claude Code, Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and Hermes.
StartupTrusted FAQ
How long does StartupTrusted approval take?
StartupTrusted's typical time from submission to going live is 1-2 weeks.
How much does it cost to submit to StartupTrusted?
StartupTrusted has a free submission option plus paid placement (Free with their badge on your homepage or footer, listed after a manual review. $11 once for Pro: a dofollow link, instant approval and no badge at all. $19 for Featured, which adds homepage placement above every other listing.).
Does StartupTrusted give a dofollow backlink?
Yes, a listing on StartupTrusted carries a dofollow link. The site has a domain rating of 51.
Does StartupTrusted require a backlink to your site?
Yes, StartupTrusted expects a link back from your site as part of listing.
What gets you rejected from StartupTrusted?
Sites they judge inactive or poorly maintained, which is the only standard their form states.