This Founder Built Two Degrees to Turn Warm Introductions Into a Scalable Advantage
Joleen Hsu shares how Two Degrees creates intentional founder connections, without the noise.
There is no shortage of online communities promising connection for founders. Slack groups. LinkedIn threads. Networking platforms that prioritize volume over value. And yet, many entrepreneurs still find themselves stuck at critical moments in their business with no clear path to the right advice, the right introduction, or the right person to talk to.
That tension is exactly what led Joleen Hsu to build Two Degrees, a private community designed to help founders connect with intention instead of overwhelm. Born from her own experience navigating the early stages of building a startup, Two Degrees addresses a problem most entrepreneurs know too well. You are expected to be an expert in everything long before you have the resources to hire help or the experience to know what actually matters.
Rather than forcing founders to shout questions into crowded forums or rely on cold outreach, Two Degrees systematizes what works best in real life. Warm introductions. Trusted expertise. Conversations that actually move the needle. Members receive curated matches based on their current challenges, not their follower counts, and spend credits only when meaningful introductions are made.
The result is a platform that feels less like networking and more like having a personal matchmaker for your business growth.
Meet Joleen Hsu, Co-Founder of Two Degrees
Founder Joleen Hsu built Two Degrees after experiencing firsthand how difficult it can be to find the right expertise at the right time. In our interview below, she shares what inspired the platform and how curated connections can save time reduce, costly mistakes, and help entrepreneurs get unstuck, changing the trajectory of a growing business.
Q & A With Joleen Hsu
Q: You’ve created a space that filters out the noise so entrepreneurs can connect with intention. What gap did you personally feel in existing networking platforms that made you say, “I have to build this”?
A: Two Degrees was born out of the frustration you face when building from 0 to 1. As an early-stage founder, you're expected to be an expert in everything. But most founders lack the capital to hire specialized talent or the experience to make informed decisions across all business functions.
When I was trying to figure out the right GTM strategy for my previous startup, I knew someone out there would be able to give me advice. But how do I find them? Post in online communities? Cold DM people on LinkedIn? The breakthrough moments in my founder journey came from warm introductions - friends connecting me with someone who had the exact expertise I was looking for. But those introductions were by chance. What if we could make that systematic? And that’s how Two Degrees was born.
Q: Your members are carefully vetted, and the platform is invite-only. Why was it important to keep it private and high-curation, and how does that elevate the experience for entrepreneurs using it?
A: The value of a network isn't how many people are in it, it's whether you can find the right people when you need them. In massive communities, discovery becomes the bottleneck. You end up with what I call "crowded loneliness”—surrounded by people but still unable to find the specific expertise you need.
High curation solves this. With Two Degrees, the signal-to-noise ratio stays high. Every member is vetted and has expertise to share. When we make a match, you know you're talking to someone who's been exactly where you are. Quality beats quantity every time.
Q: Bloom readers are often juggling content creation, client work, fundraising, and product development all at once. How can Two Degrees tangibly help them move faster, collaborate smarter, or get unstuck in their day-to-day business growth?
A: Founders need to wear all the hats: you’re the marketing expert, design guru, product manager, lead engineer, customer service agent, and social media influencer. Two Degrees works like a time multiplier for founders who are already stretched thin. When you're juggling multiple roles at once, you can't afford to waste months figuring it out yourself.
Think about the decisions you're making right now: Should you hire a VP of Sales or keep selling yourself? What should your pricing model be? Which marketing channel should you prioritize? How do you structure your first sales deck? Do you need a rebrand or just better messaging?
These aren't questions you can Google your way through—they require contextual nuance from people who’ve been there. Ben, a B2B SaaS Founder said, "I was about to spend $40K on a rebrand. I talked to a Two Degrees member who'd just done it and got advice on what actually mattered vs. what was just an agency trying to upsell. Saved me at least $20K and three months." The math is simple: one conversation can save you weeks of research, thousands of dollars in mistakes, or months of going down the wrong path.
Q: So many platforms promise community but deliver overwhelm. What would you say to a solo founder or small team wondering if joining another platform is worth their energy? What makes Two Degrees different the moment they log in?
A: When you join Two Degrees, you don’t need to swipe through endless profiles or browse through any newsfeeds. You're answering one question: "What’s your biggest challenge right now?" and we’ll match you with a few vetted members who have the expertise you’re looking for.
We introduce you in a group chat, so you don’t have to do any of the cold outreach yourself. Consider us your personal matchmaker: we do the work of finding the right people so you can focus on having the conversations that matter.
Q: Many founders are burned out by cold DMs and one-size-fits-all communities. What’s broken about how entrepreneurs connect online right now, and how is Two Degrees rewriting that playbook?
A: Most communities optimize for scale, not relevance. The bigger they get, the harder it becomes to find the right person. And when you finally find someone who seems relevant, you're wondering whether they're credible.
Interactions often start with skepticism because there's no built-in trust. Two Degrees does the difficult work for you: we find the right person, verify their experience, and make the introduction. We’d love for you to try it out yourself––learn more at twodegrees.app or download our app here.
A peek at Two Degrees app, via Two Degrees
What makes Two Degrees stand out is not just its structure, but its restraint. By resisting the urge to scale endlessly, the platform protects what founders value most: relevance, trust, and time. With a free three-month trial followed by a simple monthly or annual membership, Two Degrees lowers the barrier to entry while maintaining a high bar for participation.
For founders juggling strategy, sales, product, and growth all at once, the ability to access the right insight at the right moment can change everything. One conversation can save months of trial and error or thousands of dollars in missteps. Two Degrees is built on that belief, and for entrepreneurs tired of crowded loneliness disguised as community, it offers a refreshingly focused alternative worth exploring.
Visit Two Degrees here, and follow them @twodegrees.app
