Collide Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Collide Capital is a Black-owned venture capital firm founded on the belief that great companies are built at the intersection of communities led by diverse, fearless change agents. The firm's core thesis is that founders closest to the problems they're solving are most capable of tackling them. After a decade of building AfroTech and BLCK VC—large grassroots tech ecosystems connecting under-networked and overlooked communities to institutional resources—founders Aaron Samuels and Brian Hollins realized that while networking and community support were valuable, what founders truly needed was capital paired with genuine partnership.
Collide Capital's mission is to guide founders on their institutional capital journey and equip them with resources, knowledge networks, and hands-on operational support for successful exits. The firm explicitly prioritizes backing diverse founding teams—80%+ of their portfolio is led by Black, Latinx, or Female founders.
Fund Overview
Collide Capital closed Fund I in October 2022 at $66 million, making it one of the largest Black-owned first-time venture funds. Notably, Fund I is simultaneously backed by Amazon, Alphabet, and Twitter alongside major institutional investors, demonstrating significant conviction from tier-one tech companies. The fund is 100% Black-owned and represents a structural commitment to diversity in venture capital.
Before launching Fund I, the founders operated Fund Zero—a $1.3 million scout fund from 2019-2022 through which they made 34 investments, achieved 10 markups, and realized 3 exits, proving their investment thesis and diligence process.
Investment Strategy
Collide Capital invests in early-stage companies from pre-seed through Series A, with a focus on three primary sectors:
1. Enterprise SaaS (Transformational)
- Vertical SaaS solutions for specific industries
- Workflow automation and operational efficiency
- Enterprise tools built for modern businesses
2. Supply Chain Infrastructure (Redesign)
- Cold chain and logistics optimization
- Supply chain visibility and management
- Food operations and distribution technology
- Climate-conscious supply chain solutions
3. Consumer Technology (Gen-Z Minded)
- Consumer-facing applications built by and for new generations
- Mission-driven consumer platforms
- Consumer apps solving real problems
Secondary interests include fintech, future of work (including AI/LLM applications), and hard tech solutions addressing global challenges.
Portfolio & Recent Activity
Collide Capital has backed 50+ companies to date. Notable portfolio companies include:
Recent Investments & Exits (2022-2025):
- Butter Technologies (supply chain, 2022) - software for food operations
- Crate (future of work, 2022) - curation economy infrastructure
- Break Sports (consumer, 2023) - sports booking platform
- Conduiit (fintech, 2023) - financial OS for film/TV production
- Blar (future of work, 2024) - graph-based data structuring
- Coldcart (supply chain, 2024) - cold chain solutions
- Anadyr (future of work, 2025) - AI-powered predictive simulations
- Beltic (enterprise, 2025) - AML compliance platform
Portfolio Highlights:
- 4Degrees: Relationship intelligence system (Illinois, 2020)
- Atomic: Platform wallet infrastructure for fintech (California, 2020)
- Rheaply: Supply chain visibility and reuse platform
- Revi: Revenue operations platform
- Slang.ai: Language AI/ML
- Butter Technologies: Food operations software
- Yummy: Consumer food app
- OCN: Mexican fintech, $150M Series B (July 2025)
- Theo.ai: Legal AI for case prediction ($4.2M seed, 2025)
- Helios AI: AI copilot for food supply chains ($4.7M seed, 2025)
- Creditop: Point-of-sale credit platform ($3.7M, 2025)
In 2025 alone, Collide Capital made 9 new investments, maintaining steady deployment from Fund I.
Check Size & Stage Focus
Based on portfolio analysis:
- Pre-Seed: $250K-$500K range
- Seed: $1M-$3M typical range
- Series A: Follow-on rounds and occasional co-lead positions
Total deployed so far appears to be tracking toward full deployment of Fund I ($66M / 50+ companies ≈ $1.3M average check, with variance for different stages).
Lead Tendency
Collide Capital leads rounds. Evidence from portfolio:
- Lead position in Butter Technologies, Rheaply, Helios AI, Theo.ai
- Co-lead positions in some Series A financings
- They structure follow-on reserves (approximately 50% of initial fund deployment)
Team & Expertise
Founders:
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Aaron Samuels (Founder & Managing Partner): Over a decade in tech, culture, and media. Co-founder and COO at Blavity and AfroTech. Scout for Lightspeed Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, IndieVC, The Community Fund. Product experience at TeleSign (acquired) and strategy consulting at Bain & Company. Nationally-acclaimed spoken word artist. Forbes 30 Under 30.
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Brian Hollins (Founder & Managing Partner): 6+ years in growth equity at Goldman Sachs. CFA Charterholder. Founding board member at BLCK VC (largest U.S. Black investor community). Founded The Takeoff Institute and hosts "The Road Untraveled" podcast. Scout for Lightspeed Venture Partners and Pear VC. Kauffman Fellow (Class 26).
Leadership Team:
- Lauren Dupont (VP of Operations): Operations leadership
- Andrew Peng (Principal): Investment decision-making, sourcing
- Stephanie Simon (Director of Platform): Portfolio support and value-add
- Elias Mufarech (Senior Associate): Deal sourcing and diligence
- Shane Bates (Finance): Fund operations and finance
- Sabine Quetant (Marketing): Brand and communications
Decision Process & Timeline
Based on portfolio characteristics and stage focus:
- Decision Process: Partnership model (both founders involved in major decisions, with principal-level partners contributing)
- Decision Timeline: Likely 2-4 weeks for seed stage; founders emphasize partnership and operational support, suggesting hands-on evaluation
- Warm Intro Required: Yes (community-driven, relationship-focused fund)
- Typical Involvement: Board observer or board seat for seed investments; advisor role for pre-seed
Geographic Focus
Portfolio companies distributed across:
- California: Primary hub (Butter, Crate, Atomic, others)
- New York: Secondary hub (Conduiit, Break Sports)
- Other US: Illinois (4Degrees, Coldcart), New Jersey, Maryland
- International: Mexican fintech portfolio company (OCN, Creditop)
US-focused but with emerging Latin American interest.
Founder Preferences
Collide explicitly backs:
- Diverse founders: 80%+ of portfolio led by Black, Latinx, or Female founders
- Lived experience operators: Founders solving problems within their communities
- Mission-driven builders: Companies creating solutions for "the next generation of global challenges"
- Courage and grit: Founders with strong conviction despite limited networks
- Technical capability: Enterprise SaaS and supply chain companies require solid founding teams
Via their letter: "Founders closest to the problems are the ones most capable of tackling them—and often the most passionate."
Special Programs & Initiatives
- TEDCO Partnership (July 2025): Selected as VCLP to support Maryland's SSBCI funding, expanding reach into underrepresented communities
- Student Programs: Active student outreach and development programs
- Platform Support: Dedicated platform team (Director of Platform) providing operational support to portfolio companies
- Community Focus: Continue to activate AfroTech and BLCK VC for founder networking and support
Competitive Positioning
Collide Capital positions itself at the intersection of:
- Impact investing (diversity, community)
- Early-stage venture (pre-seed to Series A)
- Operational support (hands-on founders, not passive investors)
- Diversity focus (explicit 80%+ diverse founder thesis)
Competitors would include: Lerer Hippeau, Homebrew, Greycroft (similar thesis-driven early stage), plus impact-focused funds like DBL Partners.
Notable Characteristics
- Structural Diversity: 100% Black-owned with diverse LP base (Amazon, Alphabet, Twitter as anchor investors)
- Hands-On Operators: Both founders have operating experience (COO at Blavity, product at TeleSign, consulting at Bain)
- Community-First: Built on ecosystem work at AfroTech and BLCK VC before formal fund
- Founder-Centric: Founders describe philosophy of "standing in solidarity" with portfolio companies
- Growth Trajectory: From $1.3M scout fund (Fund Zero) to $66M Fund I; actively deploying Fund I (9 investments in 2025 alone)
Current Status
- Fund I Status: Actively deploying (66M fund, 50+ companies backed, continuing to deploy in 2025)
- Last Known Activity: November 2025 (Flux Marine investment noted on PitchBook)
- Future Plans: Both founders focused on supporting next generation of Black-owned VCs; emphasize opening doors for others
- Fund II Status: Not yet announced; likely to be in discussions/preparation phase
Investment Process & Engagement
Founders can pitch via their Typeform (https://2xrdf64xib2.typeform.com/PitchCollide). The firm emphasizes partnership, operational support, and hands-on involvement. Given their AfroTech and BLCK VC backgrounds, strong community networks provide natural sourcing channels.