Collab Fund

Collaborative Fund Research Investment Thesis & Philosophy Collaborative Fund is a mission-driven venture capital firm that has redefined the intersection of profit and purpose since its founding in 2010. Based in New York City, the firm manages over $1 billion in assets and has established itself as a leading platform for supporting entrepreneurs pushing the world forward. At the core of Collaborative Fund's decision-making lies The Villain Test, a unique two-part framework introduced by founder Craig Shapiro: The Good Test : If this startup becomes massively successful, will it make the world a better or more interesting place? The Villain Test : Would a villain invest in this company if their motive was pure self-interest? This framework ensures investments meet both impact and financial criteria. The philosophy recognizes a generation of consumers who want products that are ethically produced AND perform exceptionally well—not forced compromises. Examples include Tesla (renewable energy + performance car), Sweetgreen (sustainable + delicious), and Bonobos (responsible manufacturing + superior fit). Investment Strategy & Stage Focus Collaborative Fund operates across multiple funding stages, from pre-seed through Series B, with particular strength at the seed stage. The firm leads seed rounds and is known for its ability to anchor syndicates for early-stage founders. Check Size Range : $1M - $10M Pre-seed: Typically $500K - $2M Seed: $1M - $5M (frequent lead investor) Series A/B: Follow-ons and selective participation Portfolio & Sector Focus Collaborative Fund has made 256+ investments across five primary sectors: 1. Consumer (25%) Beyond Meat, Lyft, Sweetgreen, Blue Bottle Coffee, Daily Harvest, Magic Spoon, OLIPOP, The Farmer's Dog, Lovevery, Impossible Foods, Mori, Reddit 2. AI/Consumer Intelligence (Growing) Haiqu, Periodic Labs, Phaidra, Reflex, Spec, Speak, Highlight, Osmo, General Intuition, Autonomous Technologies Group, Ephos, Sandbar 3. Money/Financial Access (15%) AngelList, Gumroad, Kickstarter, LTSE, TaskRabbit, Tala, TaxBit, Teamshares, Upstart, Cafeteria 4. Health/Wellness (20%) WHOOP, Rythm, Opencare, Openwater, Oula Health, Gem Health, Loyal, Hupo, One Bio, MoldCo, Bandit Running, LilyAir, Plenna, PhageLab, Seed 5. Energy/Climate (20%) Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Redwood Materials, Dandelion Energy, Amogy, Mango Materials, Seabound, Quaise Energy, Span, WeaveGrid, AMP Robotics, Alga Biosciences, Ammobia, Anthro Energy, Boston Materials, Brimstone, Caladan Bio, Copper, Dioxycle, Endolith Mining, Ferrum Technologies, Found Energy, Kula Bio, Limelight Steel, Ph7, Rubi Labs Recent Activity & Fund Status Fund VI (2024) : $125M raised in 90 days, actively deploying 2025 Investments : Cambiotics (PFAS removal), Nomio Nutrition (performance supplements), Chirality Bioscience (precision chemistry), Sunday Light (circadian lighting), Maggie's Refuel (convenience stores), MoldCo (mold diagnostics), Good Girl Snacks, Networked Artifacts (air quality), Rythm Health (home blood testing), plus two stealth AI companies Recent Notable Exits : Hollow Games → Take-Two (2024), Tagomi → Coinbase Portfolio Includes Multiple Unicorns : Lyft, Reddit, WHOOP, Upstart, Beyond Meat, OLIPOP, and others Fund Status : Actively deploying with particular focus on early-stage consumer AI through the AIR residency program launched in 2025. Team & Leadership 31-person team including 14 Partners, 2 Venture Partners, and 10 Principals. Notable team members include Craig Shapiro (Founder), David Cohen (General Counsel, ex-Reinvent Capital), Andrew Montgomery, Sophie Bakalar, Guy Vidra, Morgan Housel (prolific investor writer), Matt Kaufman, and Taylor Greene. Investment Decision Process Partnership-based decision model with multiple partners reviewing opportunities. They move quickly on compelling opportunities (2-4 week timeline) while maintaining rigorous evaluation standards. Partners take board seats and actively support portfolio companies. Geographic & Stage Preferences Geographic Focus : NYC and Bay Area primary, with selective investments in LA, Seattle, Austin, and Europe Stage : Pre-seed through Series B with emphasis on seed-stage leadership Decision Timeline : 2-4 weeks typical Warm Introductions : Preferred but not strictly required What Sets Them Apart Unique Villain Test philosophy creating clear compass Deliberately diverse portfolio across consumer, AI, fintech, health, climate Prolific thought leadership (15+ years of blog content) Long-term orientation with 15+ year bets Active board participation and founder support Multiple fund vehicles for different strategies Positioned at frontier of consumer AI with AIR program Founder Profile They seek founders who have deep conviction about solving real problems, can build products that are both better AND accessible, understand profit and purpose are complementary, demonstrate ability to attract talent and capital, and fit the Villain Test profile.