The Rise by Nucleus The Billion Dollar Fund Built On Innovation and Impact w/ Craig Shapiro of Collab Fund
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Nov 4, 2025 Craig Shapiro, Founder and Managing Partner of Collaborative Fund, shares insights on aligning profit with positive social impact. He discusses the evolution of New York's venture ecosystem and highlights successful investments like Beyond Meat and Sweetgreen. Craig explains their innovative AI residency program aimed at funding consumer-focused startups and reflects on the importance of mission-driven investing. He emphasizes the significance of community in fundraising and offers advice for emerging managers looking to make a mark in the venture capital space.
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Profit And Purpose Can Align
- The best businesses align personal benefit with positive social impact using rigorous venture discipline.
- Collaborative Fund targets that intersection to capture founders building legacy and solving real problems.
Why He Chose New York
- Craig moved from the Bay Area to New York in 2010 to start an early-stage fund because NYC felt culturally electric and underbuilt for seed VC.
- He saw New York as a chance to create an emerging-pond fund rather than compete in the Bay Area's crowded ecosystem.
NYC's Collaborative Ecosystem
- New York's venture ecosystem blends culture and venture in a more collaborative, positive-sum way than the Bay Area.
- Public-facing founders and bloggers (e.g., Fred Wilson) seeded free education that helped new managers emerge.