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Is 500.co a Scam? Security Check Results - 500 Startups Reviews

5

Is 500.co Safe? Security Analysis for 500 Startups

Check if 500.co is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

TechnologyUnited Stateslarge
Next.jsReactBuilder.ioGoogle Tag ManagerFacebook Pixel+2 more
Analyzed 9/6/2025Completed 8:27:52 PM
63
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

AI Summary

500 Global, formerly known as 500 Startups, is a well-established venture capital firm founded in 2010 and headquartered in the United States. The firm manages $2.3 billion in assets and invests in globally ambitious founders building fast-growing technology companies. Their market position is strong, with a portfolio including numerous unicorns and high-value startups. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image, targeting founders, investors, and startups worldwide. The business model centers on venture capital investments and founder programs, with a global outlook and focus on innovation ecosystems.

Detected Technologies

Next.jsReactBuilder.ioGoogle Tag ManagerFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagTwitter Ads

🧠AI Business Intelligence

Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

The company operates in the technology sector, focusing on early-stage and growth startups across multiple geographies. Their competitive advantage lies in their extensive global network, capital resources, and educational programs for investors. The firm leverages partnerships and community events to enhance its ecosystem. Revenue streams are primarily from venture capital investments and related services. The website content and structure support their positioning as a global VC leader, although explicit contact and compliance information are limited in the provided content.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website employs HTTPS and domain transfer protection, indicating a baseline security posture. However, DNSSEC is not enabled, and there is no visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure policy. The use of modern frameworks like Next.js and React, along with third-party analytics and marketing scripts, suggests a mature technical infrastructure but also introduces tracking and privacy considerations. The absence of explicit privacy and cookie policies reduces privacy compliance confidence. Overall, the security posture is good but could be improved with enhanced DNS security and published security policies.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Enable DNSSEC to improve DNS security and prevent spoofing.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

500 Startups

Description:

500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) is a venture capital firm with $2.3 billion in assets under management investing in globally ambitious founders building fast-growing technology companies. They focus on the U.S. and global markets where innovation, capital, and ecosystems can propel startups and unlock long-term value.

Key Services:
Founder ProgramsInvestment in startupsStrategy and Education Programs for investorsContent and InsightsCommunity Events and Partnerships
Content Quality:

good

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Next.jsReactBuilder.ioGoogle Tag ManagerFacebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagTwitter Ads
Frameworks:
Next.jsReact
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

basic

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
80/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enabled
  • Domain transfer protection enabled
  • Use of modern JavaScript frameworks

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager)LinkedIn InsightFacebook Pixel
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:poor

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Twitter AdsFacebook Ads
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelLinkedIn Insight TagTwitter Pixel
Marketing Tools:
Builder.io
Transparency Level:basic

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:good
User Experience:good
Content Relevance:good
Navigation Clarity:good
Professionalism:good
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website is professionally designed and well-structured.

🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

35/100
Score

Missing X-Frame-Options header

HIGH

Prevents clickjacking attacks

Missing X-Content-Type-Options header

MEDIUM

Prevents MIME type sniffing

Missing Content-Security-Policy header

HIGH

Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

Missing X-XSS-Protection header

MEDIUM

Legacy XSS protection (deprecated but still recommended)

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

58/100
Score

No Cookie Policy found

HIGH

GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

No Cookie Consent Banner found

HIGH

GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

Privacy policy may not be GDPR compliant

MEDIUM

Privacy policy lacks explicit GDPR compliance elements

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy0% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

17/100
Score

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

No security policy documentation found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management

No incident response procedures found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans

No business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

No security contact information

HIGH

NIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels

No vulnerability reporting mechanism

MEDIUM

Clear vulnerability reporting supports coordinated disclosure

No NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

80/100
Score

Complex SPF record

LOW

Too many include statements can cause lookup limits

No BIMI Record

LOW

BIMI displays brand logos in email clients

No MTA-STS Policy

MEDIUM

MTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery

No TLS-RPT Record

LOW

TLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues

SPF
Sender Policy Framework
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail
DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication
MX Records
Mail Exchange Records
BIMI
Brand Indicators
MTA-STS
Mail Transfer Agent Security
TLS-RPT
TLS Reporting
DNSSEC
DNS Security
SPF Details
Record:
v=spf1 mx include:sendgrid.net include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net include:_spf.salesforce.com include:spf.sendinblue.com include:spf.tipalti.com include:aspmx.pardot.com include:698640.spf10.hubspotemail.net ~all
DNS Lookups:9/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:k1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1440-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:quarantine
Subdomain Policy:none
Aggregate Reports:re+4d8e82c0dfae@inbound.dmarcdigests.com

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

52/100
Score

Weak Protocols Supported

HIGH

Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

OCSP Stapling Not Enabled

LOW

OCSP stapling improves performance and privacy

Certificate Transparency Not Implemented

LOW

Certificate is not logged in Certificate Transparency logs

SSL Certificate Expires Soon

HIGH

SSL certificate expires in 28 days

Mixed Content Detected

MEDIUM

1 resources loaded over insecure HTTP

Partial SSL/TLS Assessment

LOW

Completed 3 of 4 security checks due to time constraints

Protocol Support

TLSv1.3TLSv1.2TLSv1.1

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

80/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
15 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(227 days)
Protection Level
basicDNSSEC OFF

DNS Records

A Records:76.76.21.21
Name Servers:
ns1.dnsimple.com
ns2.dnsimple.com
ns3.dnsimple.com
ns4.dnsimple.com
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 1434996176, TTL: 300s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:93ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 mx include:sendgrid.net include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net include:_spf.salesforce.com include:spf.sendinblue.com include:spf.tipalti.com include:aspmx.pardot.com include:698640.spf10.hubspotemail.net ~all

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

100/100
Score

Good Network Security Posture

LOW

No unnecessary services detected on common risky ports

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is built using modern web technologies including Next.js and React, supported by Builder.io as a CMS. It integrates multiple marketing and analytics tools such as Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight, and Twitter Ads. The site is mobile optimized with good SEO practices and a professional design. Hosting details are not explicit but DNS is managed via dnsimple.com. Performance is moderate, with potential for optimization. Accessibility features are basic but present. The technical stack supports scalability and modern web standards, though some improvements in security headers and privacy mechanisms are recommended.
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