FoundersEdge

FoundersEdge Launches 2025 Call for Startups - As we wrap up 2024 and plan for the new year, we’re excited to announce our first call for startups. Starting this January, FoundersEdge will back a select group of pioneering founders building at the intersection of AI and User Experience. We believe the next decade presents immense opportunities for founders leveraging AI to disrupt incumbents. Winners will be those who take an AI-first approach, thoughtfully integrating AI to transform products with innovative user experiences rather than just adding a chat interface. Why FoundersEdge? “When we started our own companies, the best support came from other founders who’d been there before. That’s the core of FoundersEdge—founders helping founders succeed.” — Greg, FoundersEdge GP We’ve been in your shoes. FoundersEdge was created by Greg and Jess, who know firsthand that founders can be a powerful advantage to each other. Many of our investors have also been highly successful founders, creating a supportive, aligned network and competitive advantage. Our first checks range from $100,000 to $200,000, and we’re committed to helping you navigate the tough challenges right from the start. Through hands-on mentorship calls and curated introductions to potential customers and investors, we give you our all. We’re here to help you build the company you envision—faster, more efficiently, and always with a community of experienced founders by your side. What We’re Looking For • Software-Enabled Ventures: Often B2B SaaS but open to other models (avoiding biotech, CPG, pharma, crypto). • AI-First Builders: Founders reimagining user experiences through AI and using it on the backend to improve operational efficiency. • Seasoned Teams: Experienced entrepreneurs and former colleagues ready to disrupt the status quo. • Industry & customers ready for disruption: Especially excited about founders solving problems currently managed in excel spreadsheets and pen & paper with signals that now is the right moment for innovation. Beyond the Check “FoundersEdge isn’t just about capital; it’s about connection. Ask any founder we’ve worked with, when we invest, we give you our all and have your back as you iterate and tackle challenges. Whether it’s customer introductions, investor intros, or 1-1 tactical feedback we’re there to accelerate the path.”  — Jess, FoundersEdge GP We accept rolling applications because founders shouldn’t wait for a set date. Even if you’re not raising yet, we’d love to meet you and follow your progress as we gear up for 2025 investments. Ready to shape the future together? Tell us what you’re building, and we’ll be in touch: https://lnkd.in/eAFtZhPb

We're hiring! Are you fueled by helping founders & startups be successful? Natural community builder? Crazy organized? Interested in venture capital? We're hiring a Head of Platform at FoundersEdge to help build our founder-centric ecosystem. Great opportunity for a prior founder / experienced operator to join us on the ground floor and roll up their sleeves with us to help founders maximize their company's potential. 📍 Boston or Hartford area, remote-first role ⏰ Starting part-time, could turn full-time 👉 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ewVBQTya Know someone that would be a good fit? Re-post, tag them, or share this role - thanks!! #hiring #venturecapital #communitybuilder #startupjobs

Excited to announce that we are kicking off a search for an exceptional leader to join our team. We’re hiring a Head of Platform—a key role for anyone passionate about startups and eager to shape the future of our fund. Know someone extraordinary? Share this opportunity: https://lnkd.in/ejK_ivfC

Excited to be part of this amazing community!

When I started Raiz Capital, I chose the name because I appreciate a good pun. But over the last six months, it became clear that a better name was waiting in the wings. "Raising Capital" was never the main point. After all, I built a successful business as a bootstrapped founder. When I invest in startups, I often say that money is the least valuable thing I offer. What holds true, long-term value, are the insights, skills, and hard-earned lessons from my experience building and working on hundreds of products and companies. For those who don’t know, I’ve partnered with Jessica Lynch to build a world-class venture firm and we wanted the name of the firm to be an inclusive brand, not a personal brand. It was important that we were creating something that was much bigger than any one of us. As we brainstormed a new name, we had a few key requirements: - It needed to be founder-centric. - It had to represent more than just money. - We wanted a name with an edge, something that stood out. - And, we wanted a brand that could grow, one that would welcome future investors and founders alike. I'm excited to announce our rebranding to FoundersEdge. Jess and I believe the world needs change, and founders are the ones to create it. Our goal is to give those founders an edge—an unfair advantage—to build exceptional companies. We do this by using data & research to inform our advice and by connecting them with customers, mentors, and investors, so they can, in turn, become the edge for future founders. Being a founder is tough. Raising capital is tough. But founders don't have to do it alone. We're here to give you the edge.  If you're building something world changing and need an edge, we would love to help.

Isn't it funny how we call startup showcases "demo days" but they rarely include product demos? Given our focus at Raiz Capital on disruptive user experiences, we decided to change that and hosted our first "Ditch the Deck" product demo event last night. No slides. No pre-recorded videos. Founders pulled up their product live and gave us a demo! Sure there were a few hiccups, but the founders did an amazing job highlighting the intuitive, impactful, and innovative products they're building ⚡ It was a blast! Awesome job live demo-ing Ethan Pierce, Amanda Goodwin, MFA, Fahim Faruque, Tucker Olen, Caspian Chaharom! Thank you Enyu R. and Gregory Raiz for coordinating and Alina Ritter, CBPA from Insperity and CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) for making it possible! #innovation #productdemos #ditchthedeck #startups #bostontech

Great write up by Dr. Andre Retterath on the ROI of joining an incubator/accelerator. Programs take time, and for founders, time = 💰 . Super important to make the decision on whether to join one carefully... I often ask founders: ❓ What are the top 3 assumptions you're validating about your startup over the next 6 months? ❓ Will this program reduce time to validation / access / guidance in doing so? ❓ What's the cost, upside, and potential ROI? ❓ Can you set goals and hold the program team accountable? ❓ Is the program team the right team to support you and your business? If it is the right one, I've seen first hand how impactful they can be! Aside from the overnight expanded network (which can be hugely helpful!) the peer group and collaboration is key. I found as a founder watching other teams and learning from their dynamics, hacks, wins, and challenges, made me a better founder. https://lnkd.in/eMBevYJk

Our guest for Episode 05? The one and only Jessica Lynch! 👏 Jessica is an accomplished angel investor and the founding general partner for Raiz Capital. In this episode, she shares her mindset of “taking the next right action” ... even when failure lurks around the corner. 🔋 It's not about avoiding mistakes, but embracing the journey of trial and error. Our fifth episode of Timely Topics will be out next week, exclusively on Spotify at https://buff.ly/4c8gBLj and YouTube at https://buff.ly/3JgUkhi. Rory McGloin | Jennifer Mathieu | #Podcast #Failure #Entrepreneurship

We believe the world needs significant change, and entrepreneurs are best positioned to drive these changes. Three things that make us unique: - While many firms rush into AI, we focus on how new technologies can enhance user experience. We love AI, but we're particularly excited about the product opportunities that technology advancements unlock. - The best acceleration for a startup is often removing things rather than adding more. We work with founders in small cohorts, emphasizing focus on the most critical aspects needed to grow their businesses. - Early-stage investing is often plagued by subjectivity. We're committed to diving into the data to identify the traits and attributes that make founders successful. We plan to publish our findings to assist entrepreneurs today and in the future. We hope you'll follow along.

Building a list of emerging venture capital firms with a home-base near Boston. Who am I missing? 186 Ventures 3CC | Third Culture Capital AlleyCorp DeepTech Argon Ventures Athenian VC Baukunst Blindspot Ventures Branch Venture Group Broom Ventures C10 Labs Castle Island Ventures Companyon Ventures Converge Cybernetix Ventures Encoded Ventures Equal Opportunity Ventures First Star Ventures Flint Capital Floating Point Glasswing Ventures Hyperplane Indicator Ventures Innospark Ventures January Ventures Link Ventures Mendoza Ventures milemark•capital New North Ventures Oceans One Way Ventures Raiz Capital Rock Yard Ventures SkyRiver Ventures Step Function VC Two Lanterns Venture Capital Underscore VC Venture Guides Visible Hands York IE