I recently came across an interesting phenomenon on Twitter: more and more female models and internet celebrities are starting to label themselves as co-founders. At first glance, it sounds impressive, but upon closer thought, what’s really going on behind this?

First, let’s talk about why this is so common. The Web3 industry has a particular characteristic: projects are often decentralized, and the boundaries of the team are inherently blurry. Unlike traditional companies with clear organizational structures, sometimes just participating in fundraising, promotion, or certain planning aspects can earn you the title of co-founder. Plus, this identity can indeed quickly boost personal branding and credibility, making it a tempting badge.

Basically, many people use the co-founder title to package themselves. When a female model or influencer enters Web3 and creates an identity as a “female KOL + project founder,” it’s much easier to attract attention from VCs, partners, and even ordinary users. Monetizing traffic, securing funding opportunities, and forming business collaborations all become easier. But the problem is, these self-proclaimed co-founders might actually only be responsible for marketing, social media management, or branding, without truly participating in the core technology or business decisions of the project.

The decentralized nature of Web3 gives a lot of room for this kind of identity packaging. No one can clearly define who is the real co-founder and who is just riding the wave for fame. So you’ll see on Twitter all kinds of “female entrepreneurs” personas, but how many of them are actually running projects, and how many are just marketing themselves—that’s up to individual judgment.

Of course, there are genuine female Web3 entrepreneurs who play substantive roles in their projects. But on social platforms, distinguishing who is truly running the show and who is just riding the traffic for promotion is still something you need to figure out yourself. Next time you see such self-introductions, ask yourself a few questions: What exactly is she responsible for in the project? Does she have real technical or business contributions? Or is she mainly managing social media? Thinking along these lines can give you a clearer understanding of what the co-founder title really means.