Seed-stage VC, US

Founder Collective

Venture capital firm · Cambridge · Founded May 2009

Quick read

Founder Collective is a seed-stage venture capital firm founded in May 2009, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a second office in New York City. Built by experienced entrepreneurs, it backs technology companies at the earliest stages across a broad range of sectors. With 388 portfolio companies over 18 years — including Uber, Airtable, Coupang, and Shield AI — it's one of the most active seed funds in the US.

Key facts

Founded
May 2009
Founders
David Frankel, Eric Paley, Micah Rosenbloom
Employees
22
Sectors
ai, saas, enterprise, generalist
Website
foundercollective.com

Investment thesis

Founder Collective backs technology-driven companies at the seed stage across a broad range of industries, with a focus on being maximally aligned with founders — providing the first professional round of capital to entrepreneurs with compelling business concepts.

Recent activity

  • Mar 2026press
    Founder Collective's portfolio company Shield AI was featured in the New York Times DealBook, covering its drone operations and fundraising activity. foundercollective.com
  • Mar 2026investment
    Shellworks raised a $15M Series A round with Founder Collective participating alongside Third Sphere and LocalGlobe. tracxn.com
  • Dec 2025press
    Portfolio company Verkada was valued at $5.8 billion following a new funding round; its CEO was interviewed on TBPN. foundercollective.com
  • Dec 2025investment
    Ezeebit, a South African crypto payments startup, closed a $2M seed round with Founder Collective and The Raba Partnership participating. tracxn.com
  • Dec 2025investment
    Radial secured $50M to expand access to advanced brain medicine, with General Catalyst and Founder Collective among the backers. tracxn.com
  • Apr 2026investment
    Founder Collective participated in Windmill's Series A, its most recent tracked investment per CB Insights as of April 28, 2026. cbinsights.com
  • Mar 2026press
    Portfolio company Memo was acquired, marking Founder Collective's latest exit as of March 26, 2026. cbinsights.com
  • Mar 2026investment
    Founder Collective joined the Series A round for Shellworks, a $15M raise led alongside Third Sphere and LocalGlobe. tracxn.com
  • Jan 2026investment
    Founder Collective made a seed investment in Rebar, a business productivity software company, its last tracked investment before the Windmill deal. pitchbook.com
  • Dec 2025investment
    Founder Collective participated in Ezeebit's $2M seed round; the South African startup is building crypto payment infrastructure across Africa. tracxn.com
  • 2025leadership
    Jack Arenas joined Founder Collective as Principal, based in the firm's SoHo office. foundercollective.com
  • Jun 2025leadership
    Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey appointed Eric Paley Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development; Paley now holds Partner Emeritus status at the firm. en.wikipedia.org

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • David Frankel · Co-Founder & Managing Partner
    LinkedIn
  • Micah Rosenbloom · Partner, NYC Office Lead
    LinkedIn

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is Founder Collective?+

Founder Collective is a seed-stage venture capital firm founded in May 2009, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a second office in New York City. Built by experienced entrepreneurs, it backs technology companies at the earliest stages across a broad range of sectors.

Where is Founder Collective headquartered?+

Founder Collective is headquartered in Cambridge, United States.

When was Founder Collective founded?+

Founder Collective was founded in May 2009 by David Frankel, Eric Paley, Micah Rosenbloom.

What sectors does Founder Collective invest in?+

Founder Collective focuses on ai, saas, enterprise, generalist. They primarily invest in these sectors.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Founder Collective?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated July 22, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

Automatically generated by AI from public sources. May be inaccurate or out of date. Remove or correct this profile →