Verified Startup
What the green shield on a startup's name actually means, and how a founder earns it.
What it proves
Real ownership, not just a link
Anyone can type a website URL into a startup profile. The Verified shield only appears once the founder has proven — cryptographically, not just by claiming it — that they actually control that website.
Not a test account
It's a quick signal to other founders and investors browsing rankings: this listing is tied to a live, owned website, not a throwaway or placeholder entry.
How verification works
Every startup gets a unique, private verification token. The founder proves ownership of their website by publishing that token somewhere only the real site owner could — then Snikus checks for it automatically.
1. Add a meta tag
The founder pastes one line into their homepage's <head>:
<meta name="snikus-site-verification" content="[their token]">Or a text file, if editing HTML isn't an option
Publish a file at
yourdomain.com/.well-known-verify.txt containing just the token — nothing else needed.2. Snikus checks it
From Settings → Startup, the founder hits "Verify now." Snikus fetches the live site and confirms the exact token is present. If it matches, the badge appears immediately — everywhere the startup's name shows up.
A few things worth knowing
Only the owner can trigger it
Verification can only be run by the account that owns the startup listing — teammates can't verify a website on the founder's behalf.
Can be re-checked any time
If the tag or file gets removed later, the founder can simply add it back and re-verify — there's no waiting period or manual review involved.
