Meet the Collective

We’re stage-focused (seed and pre-seed), sector agnostic, and proudly anti-thematic. We lead and participate, and we don’t have rigid ownership targets.

Our Collective Wisdom

What we’ve learned and what we’re thinking

The Collective Future Library: Book Recs from Boston’s Brightest

From presidential biographies to cyberpunk classics, from the history of the microchip to the art of hospitality, each book on this list was handpicked by one of New England’s foremost decisionmakers.

Game On! Welcoming Dave Bisceglia to Founder Collective

The Promptware Window

Every week I see pitches that follow a similar pattern: “X for Y, powered by AI.” I call this promptware.

The AI-Native CTO

Why technical leadership just got exponentially harder.

Call David Frankel AI at (617) 812-5018

Get real-time advice from the Founder Collective partner – whether you need a gut check, strategic input, or just someone who’s been there. Powered by Regal AI.

The DNA Test to Stop Sounding Like a Robot

One of my editors at Wired used to say, “Put a fact in every sentence.” It was a way of eliminating throat-clearing intros and excess opinion. In our era of ghostwritten gray goo, my key element of style is this: put a piece of you in every sentence.

If a line doesn’t contain your DNA, delete it.

Eric Paley to Serve as Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

We’re proud to share that Eric Paley, our long-time partner and dear friend, has been appointed Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by Governor Maura Healy.

If AGI Is Coming, Why Invest in Anything?

If you believe AGI is close, how do you justify backing a startup with a 5–10 year horizon? It’s a fair challenge, and one that deserves a better answer than: “We believe in founders.”

CPG + D2C + AI: 10 Takeaways From Our Consumer Founder Forum

Finding Liquidity (It’s Harder Than It Looks!)

As one LP told me, “You’re going to be wrong for selling too early or wrong for not selling – either way you’ll be wrong.”

We're Founders First. Investors Second.