POV
The Buy Window
More software will be built than ever before. Less of it will be bought.
The Hidden Cost of Kingmaking
The strategy that kills more companies than it crowns.
Not Every Company Is Built for the Big Leagues
Run the math before you buy the myth.
What Are Investors Really Looking for at Seed, Series A, and Series B?
You’re a different company at each round, so pitching the same story means pitching the wrong one.
A Cautionary Tale on Choosing Co-Founders
If you’re considering starting a company, beware the ‘shotgun wedding.’
Why Hardware Is Back in Vogue: Building Defensible Moats in the AI Era
As a former hardware founder turned VC, I’ve seen the binary risk of building in atoms. Here’s why hardware is the ultimate defensible moat in the AI era.
Craft Feels Indulgent Until It Becomes Your Moat
Mass production is faster, cheaper, and often “good enough,” which is why it caps you at average.
Startup Founders Need Windows More Than Mirrors
The strongest founding teams are like the two wheels of a bicycle. One wheel provides power, the other direction.
The 1-2-3 Investor Update That Puts You Ahead of Half Your Peers
One win, two updates, three asks. Make it easy for us to help, and we will.
Reading the Wind
Token spend is a new line item every company has, and no one can tell you what it’s buying.
You Don’t Need a Bigger Budget to Look Like a Bigger Company
You just need to spend where your budget reads as authority.
No, Show, & Go: Three Words Startup Founders Need to Master
Most startup problems come down to three words founders hesitate to use.
Unicorn Lists Are Prediction Markets. This List Is a Scorecard.
What does success actually look like after the deal closes? Unlike paper valuations, DPI doesn’t lie.
Regulated Markets Used to Be the Ones to Avoid. Now They’re the Ones to Seek.
The right founder clears regulatory hurdles that take outsiders years to copy, and owns the category while they catch up.
Dumb Hardware Depreciates. Smart Hardware Compounds.
The best hardware companies now run like software businesses with a physical wedge into your home.
What Do Great Founders Have in Common? Less Than Everyone Wants to Believe.
My own colleagues ask me this all the time. So I went through my whole portfolio, more than 75 companies over a dozen-plus years, and looked as hard as I could.
Your Hit Rate Is Fixed. Your Number of Shots Isn’t.
The world holds more randomness than we admit. Default Yes to showing up.
Did VCs Overcomplicate a Three-Step Job?
Strategy matters, but it can become a substitute for the unglamorous work of finding the next great company.
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.
From Startups to Stewardship: Eric Paley Brings Founder-First Values to Public Service
Eric has chosen to step away from Founder Collective to assume the role of Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Anyone who has ever met Eric will instantly know why he is an inspired choice and a perfect fit.
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Unicorn Lists Are Prediction Markets. This List Is a Scorecard.
What does success actually look like after the deal closes? Unlike paper valuations, DPI doesn’t lie.
What Do Great Founders Have in Common? Less Than Everyone Wants to Believe.
My own colleagues ask me this all the time. So I went through my whole portfolio, more than 75 companies over a dozen-plus years, and looked as hard as I could.
Craft Feels Indulgent Until It Becomes Your Moat
Mass production is faster, cheaper, and often “good enough,” which is why it caps you at average.
The Buy Window
More software will be built than ever before. Less of it will be bought.
The Hidden Cost of Kingmaking
The strategy that kills more companies than it crowns.
Not Every Company Is Built for the Big Leagues
Run the math before you buy the myth.
What Are Investors Really Looking for at Seed, Series A, and Series B?
You’re a different company at each round, so pitching the same story means pitching the wrong one.
A Cautionary Tale on Choosing Co-Founders
If you’re considering starting a company, beware the ‘shotgun wedding.’
Why Hardware Is Back in Vogue: Building Defensible Moats in the AI Era
As a former hardware founder turned VC, I’ve seen the binary risk of building in atoms. Here’s why hardware is the ultimate defensible moat in the AI era.
Craft Feels Indulgent Until It Becomes Your Moat
Mass production is faster, cheaper, and often “good enough,” which is why it caps you at average.
Startup Founders Need Windows More Than Mirrors
The strongest founding teams are like the two wheels of a bicycle. One wheel provides power, the other direction.
The 1-2-3 Investor Update That Puts You Ahead of Half Your Peers
One win, two updates, three asks. Make it easy for us to help, and we will.
Reading the Wind
Token spend is a new line item every company has, and no one can tell you what it’s buying.
You Don’t Need a Bigger Budget to Look Like a Bigger Company
You just need to spend where your budget reads as authority.
No, Show, & Go: Three Words Startup Founders Need to Master
Most startup problems come down to three words founders hesitate to use.
Unicorn Lists Are Prediction Markets. This List Is a Scorecard.
What does success actually look like after the deal closes? Unlike paper valuations, DPI doesn’t lie.
Regulated Markets Used to Be the Ones to Avoid. Now They’re the Ones to Seek.
The right founder clears regulatory hurdles that take outsiders years to copy, and owns the category while they catch up.
Dumb Hardware Depreciates. Smart Hardware Compounds.
The best hardware companies now run like software businesses with a physical wedge into your home.
What Do Great Founders Have in Common? Less Than Everyone Wants to Believe.
My own colleagues ask me this all the time. So I went through my whole portfolio, more than 75 companies over a dozen-plus years, and looked as hard as I could.
Your Hit Rate Is Fixed. Your Number of Shots Isn’t.
The world holds more randomness than we admit. Default Yes to showing up.
Did VCs Overcomplicate a Three-Step Job?
Strategy matters, but it can become a substitute for the unglamorous work of finding the next great company.
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.
From Startups to Stewardship: Eric Paley Brings Founder-First Values to Public Service
Eric has chosen to step away from Founder Collective to assume the role of Secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Anyone who has ever met Eric will instantly know why he is an inspired choice and a perfect fit.