I'm working on a site that is, in part, attempting to help match entrepreneurs with one another based on mutually beneficial skills. We're still in alpha, so there is a long way to go yet. I think not having a real life connection makes these relationships take longer to cultivate online, if it is even possible at all. I'm hoping that having a material goal, a startup idea in our case, will energize people to start the bonding process though.
Perhaps the hardest problem is addressing the issue of trust. As a culture, we're inherently wary of people we "meet" online. While the problem is indeed technologically feasible, it's overcoming the cultural differences that would make or break any solution.
Moreover, the idea of "start-up" itself is too abstract -- would you focus on tech start-ups mostly? How would your site handle funding? What about scammers? It's an idea I'll probably think about for a couple months, and hopefully write some more about soon.
The working together part comes first, then the connecting. Purely doing matchmaking is too hard and inaccurate imo, it is easier to find things that people find mutually interesting and get them engaged together through it.
My site is largely unconcerned with funding right now, there are already excellent resources to get it. And scammers would be wasting their time: much like most startups, lots of people try really hard and get nothing out of it. Why scam the guy you will have to work hard to help and will probably get nothing?
