Founder Collective

Founder Collective is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2009 with roots in Cambridge, Massachusetts and offices in New York. The firm is built by entrepreneurs who have founded and exited technology companies, and it aims to back founders by providing practical capital and guidance to navigate the risks of venture funding. It concentrates on early investments in technology companies, with an emphasis on software and information technology, and it makes bets across the United States and beyond, though its roots are on the East Coast. The team partners with portfolio companies to help them scale, often supporting startups that seek modest initial financings. Through its network and hands-on approach, Founder Collective seeks to partner with ambitious teams to grow durable, technology-driven businesses.

Joe DeFilippi

CFO

David Frankel

Managing Partner

Amanda Herson

General Partner

Zach Klein

Venture Partner

Eric Paley

Managing Partner

Past deals in Recruiting

Draftboard

Seed Round in 2024
Draftboard is an online platform that enables companies to publicly post new-hire referral bonuses.

Otta

Series A in 2022
Otta is a candidate-first online job portal focused on helping people find fulfilling tech roles. The platform matches roles to user preferences, uses filters to surface the right opportunities, and personalizes search based on saved jobs and profile data. It aims to improve the job search experience by providing relevant information and timely responses from employers. Since its launch in January 2020, Otta has expanded its reach and grown the volume of applications, positioning itself as a preferred channel for companies to reach candidates seeking tech opportunities and planning to broaden into other industries over time.

The Vendry

Seed Round in 2021
The Vendry is a digital platform serving as a marketplace and professional community for event planning professionals. It offers free access to tools for sourcing venues and vendors, an exclusive job board, discussion forums, networking opportunities, industry news updates, and inspiration resources. As of September 2021, The Vendry had over 17,500 members and facilitated thousands of live and virtual events.

Otta

Seed Round in 2020
Otta is a candidate-first online job portal focused on helping people find fulfilling tech roles. The platform matches roles to user preferences, uses filters to surface the right opportunities, and personalizes search based on saved jobs and profile data. It aims to improve the job search experience by providing relevant information and timely responses from employers. Since its launch in January 2020, Otta has expanded its reach and grown the volume of applications, positioning itself as a preferred channel for companies to reach candidates seeking tech opportunities and planning to broaden into other industries over time.

Otta

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Otta is a candidate-first online job portal focused on helping people find fulfilling tech roles. The platform matches roles to user preferences, uses filters to surface the right opportunities, and personalizes search based on saved jobs and profile data. It aims to improve the job search experience by providing relevant information and timely responses from employers. Since its launch in January 2020, Otta has expanded its reach and grown the volume of applications, positioning itself as a preferred channel for companies to reach candidates seeking tech opportunities and planning to broaden into other industries over time.

Trusted Health

Series A in 2019
Trusted, Inc. operates a digital employment platform specifically designed for nurses, streamlining the recruitment process for healthcare institutions. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company provides a fully automated online employment agency that connects nurses with flexible job opportunities tailored to their preferences and career goals. The platform digitizes and manages essential documents such as resumes, credentials, and certifications, allowing candidates to explore new opportunities efficiently. Additionally, Trusted's flagship staffing platform, Trusted Works, addresses the challenges hospitals face in filling shifts by enabling facilities to create an on-demand nursing workforce. It offers predictive insights and recommendations, helping hospitals adapt to fluctuations in demand while maintaining compliance. This innovative approach not only enhances the recruitment process but also fosters competition among a network of pre-onboarded talent suppliers, ensuring access to high-quality nursing professionals.

Ask Lorem

Seed Round in 2018
Lorem Technologies, Inc., established in 2016 and headquartered in New York, operates an on-demand freelance marketplace called Lorem. This platform connects non-technical business owners with skilled web developers and designers globally, facilitating swift project collaborations within 10 minutes. The company's mission is to empower business owners and promote freelancing as the future of work.

Trusted Health

Seed Round in 2017
Trusted, Inc. operates a digital employment platform specifically designed for nurses, streamlining the recruitment process for healthcare institutions. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company provides a fully automated online employment agency that connects nurses with flexible job opportunities tailored to their preferences and career goals. The platform digitizes and manages essential documents such as resumes, credentials, and certifications, allowing candidates to explore new opportunities efficiently. Additionally, Trusted's flagship staffing platform, Trusted Works, addresses the challenges hospitals face in filling shifts by enabling facilities to create an on-demand nursing workforce. It offers predictive insights and recommendations, helping hospitals adapt to fluctuations in demand while maintaining compliance. This innovative approach not only enhances the recruitment process but also fosters competition among a network of pre-onboarded talent suppliers, ensuring access to high-quality nursing professionals.

Ask Lorem

Seed Round in 2017
Lorem Technologies, Inc., established in 2016 and headquartered in New York, operates an on-demand freelance marketplace called Lorem. This platform connects non-technical business owners with skilled web developers and designers globally, facilitating swift project collaborations within 10 minutes. The company's mission is to empower business owners and promote freelancing as the future of work.

Proven

Series A in 2013
Proven is a hiring tool tailored for small businesses, providing an employment application software that simplifies the recruitment process. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the platform allows employers to manage hiring tasks directly from their smartphones or tablets. Users can post job openings on platforms like Craigslist, as well as review resumes, respond to candidates, and contact them efficiently. Proven's fully native apps for iOS and Android enhance the hiring experience by making it accessible and convenient for busy employers.

YesGraph

Seed Round in 2013
YesGraph is a developer of a referral recruiting platform that focuses on enhancing company growth through effective invite and referral flows. The platform utilizes machine learning and social graph analysis to optimize user acquisition, allowing enterprises to generate private-referral leads from their networks. By providing a user-friendly interface, YesGraph enables organizations to attract high-quality new users, streamlining the recruitment process and improving overall performance.

Proven

Series A in 2012
Proven is a hiring tool tailored for small businesses, providing an employment application software that simplifies the recruitment process. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the platform allows employers to manage hiring tasks directly from their smartphones or tablets. Users can post job openings on platforms like Craigslist, as well as review resumes, respond to candidates, and contact them efficiently. Proven's fully native apps for iOS and Android enhance the hiring experience by making it accessible and convenient for busy employers.

EmployInsight

Seed Round in 2012
EmployInsight is a web-based platform that measures and quantifies employees' soft skills. Its first product, HireInsight, focuses on evaluating interview candidates to help organizations hire individuals with suitable personalities for specific roles.

The Recurse Center

Seed Round in 2012
The Recurse Center is an independent educational institution that offers a three-month, project-based retreat designed for programmers. It focuses on self-directed learning and provides a supportive environment where participants can pursue their programming interests and work on individual projects. The center combines educational courses with elements of a recruiting agency, facilitating career development for its attendees. Through its free, online programs, The Recurse Center emphasizes the importance of self-learning skills in programming, enabling participants to enhance their expertise and build meaningful careers in the tech industry.

The Recurse Center

Venture Round in 2011
The Recurse Center is an independent educational institution that offers a three-month, project-based retreat designed for programmers. It focuses on self-directed learning and provides a supportive environment where participants can pursue their programming interests and work on individual projects. The center combines educational courses with elements of a recruiting agency, facilitating career development for its attendees. Through its free, online programs, The Recurse Center emphasizes the importance of self-learning skills in programming, enabling participants to enhance their expertise and build meaningful careers in the tech industry.

The Recurse Center

Seed Round in 2010
The Recurse Center is an independent educational institution that offers a three-month, project-based retreat designed for programmers. It focuses on self-directed learning and provides a supportive environment where participants can pursue their programming interests and work on individual projects. The center combines educational courses with elements of a recruiting agency, facilitating career development for its attendees. Through its free, online programs, The Recurse Center emphasizes the importance of self-learning skills in programming, enabling participants to enhance their expertise and build meaningful careers in the tech industry.

Stack Overflow

Series A in 2010
Stack Overflow is a company that operates an online platform and community for developers to learn, ask, and share programming knowledge. It offers complementary products including Stack Overflow for Teams, a knowledge-management platform for mission-critical information; Stack Overflow for Talent and Jobs, a hiring and employer-branding solution for technology teams; Stack Overflow Advertising for product promotion; and Stack Overflow Enterprise, a private, centralized space for large teams to collaborate and access critical company information. The platform also supports private knowledge sharing and helps developers solve coding problems as well as discover job opportunities, contributing to both individual learning and organizational efficiency.

Readyforce

Series A in 2010
Readyforce is a professional networking platform tailored specifically for college students, enabling them to connect with peers, mentors, and alumni while sharing career-related content and resources. Students can discover relevant events, seek guidance, and engage in discussions around career opportunities. For companies, Readyforce serves as an effective tool for reaching top college talent across the United States. Businesses can create detailed profiles, post job openings and internships, and promote events to attract students. The platform also allows companies to communicate directly with students based on specific criteria such as school and major, facilitating targeted outreach for scholarships, competitions, and brand engagement. Readyforce is designed to streamline the recruitment process and enhance talent community building, offering a free membership to all users.
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