Matching strictness sets how much leeway we give on your preferences. You'll find it in Preferences, above your investment criteria.
What are the three settings?
Very strict: Must fit everything I've asked for
Standard: Essentials met, most preferences too. This is the default
Flexible: Happy to see more, even if not perfect
Does matching strictness change my essential criteria?
No. Your essential criteria always apply, whatever you set here. A startup that doesn't meet them can't apply to you at all.
Strictness only affects your preferred criteria, so it's really a question of how close to your preferences a startup has to be before it reaches you.
What's the trade-off?
Very strict means fewer startups can apply to you, even if they’re closely on target. Flexible means more startups can apply, including some that miss on preferences you'd have liked.
If your deal flow feels thin, loosening it is the first thing to try. If you're seeing too much that isn't right, tighten it, or take another look at your investment criteria.
How do I change it?
Pick a setting in Preferences and press Update preferences. You can change it as often as you like.
Does changing it affect startups already in my deal flow?
No. A new setting applies to applications from that point onwards, so anything already in your deal flow stays exactly as it is.
So if you loosen it and nothing changes straight away, that's expected. You'll see the difference in what comes in next.