Collide Capital Raises $95M Fund II to Back Fintech, Future-of-Work Startups

Collide Capital, a venture capital firm, has announced the close of its $95 million Fund II, which will back early-stage companies in fintech, supply chain, and the future of work.

The firm, founded in 2021 by Brian Hollins and Aaron Samuels, has backed 75 companies to date after closing its inaugural $66 million Fund I in 2022. Hollins said it took them around 13 months to raise this latest fund, which they hope to deploy over the next 3.5 years.

Collide Capital's Fund II has attracted limited partners (LPs) such as the University of California Endowment (UC Regents), Accolade Partners, and Goldman Sachs. The average check size will be between $1 million and $3 million, and the team hopes to back at least 30 companies, having already cut checks to five.

"We're most interested in platforms enabling automation, real-time collaboration, and faster, data-driven decision making," Hollins said.

Aside from technology, Hollins and Samuels said the firm is also excited to expand its Collide Campus program, launched in 2022 to help mentor the next generation of founders and venture capitalists. The program encompasses an undergraduate initiative that trains students in VC and entrepreneurship, and a graduate fellowship program that sees students working alongside the Collide team as investors and apprentices.

The undergraduate campus program is on more than 20 campuses, including Harvard and John Hopkins, and Samuels said more than 50 students have passed through the program so far and have landed top jobs at places like General Catalysts and, of course, Collide.

"We're connecting the best and the brightest with venture capital to match their grit and determination to build businesses the world needs," he said.

The Collide Capital team comes with a strong pedigree, with Hollins having spent a decade at Goldman, Lightspeed, and Slow, and Samuels having worked at Bain, Lightspeed, and co-founded AfroTech, one of the largest tech conferences in the world.

Overall, the program helps the firm source deals and talent, and the expansion is separate from the fund raise.