Founders' Co-op
Founders' Co-op is a Seattle-based, two-GP seed venture capital firm writing first institutional checks ($1M-$1.5M) into ambitious technical founding teams across the Pacific Northwest, deploying a $50M Fund VI closed in November 2025 across 250+ lifetime investments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Founders' Co-op does
Founders' Co-op is a Seattle-based, Pacific Northwest-focused seed and early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2008 by Chris DeVore and run since 2018 as a two-person General Partnership with Aviel Ginzburg. The firm invests first-institutional-check capital of typically $1M-$1.5M into $1M-$3M first fundraises, targeting at least 10% ownership in pre-product, pre-revenue technical founding teams from Portland, OR to Vancouver, BC. Across six successive core funds (cumulative $155M+ raised: Fund I $2.7M in 2008 through Fund VI $50M in November 2025), the two GPs have made 250+ first-check investments, with notable outcomes including Remitly's 2021 NASDAQ IPO, Auth0's acquisition by Okta, and category-defining successes such as Outreach and Zipline.
The firm's operational backbone combines the two-GP investment model (with a 24-hour decision turnaround, no associates or gatekeepers) and a custom-built community management platform written by Aviel Ginzburg to operate Foundations, an invite-only physical clubhouse at 1605 Boylston Ave, Seattle, that houses the firm's headquarters and serves as the convening hub for 200+ Pacific Northwest founders, investors, and operators. Revenue is generated through conventional VC fund economics (management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on equity realizations) sourced from a deliberately regional LP base of Pacific Northwest founders, families, family foundations, and state governments; the firm has exited its historical Techstars Seattle and Alexa Accelerator businesses to focus exclusively on direct seed investing and community-building.
Founders' Co-op firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Founders' Co-op
- Legal name
- Founders' Co-op
- Website
- http://www.founderscoop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Founders' Co-op is a Seattle-based, two-GP seed venture capital firm writing first institutional checks ($1M-$1.5M) into ambitious technical founding teams across the Pacific Northwest, deploying a $50M Fund VI closed in November 2025 across 250+ lifetime investments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Founders' Co-op industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seed-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where Founders' Co-op is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Founders' Co-op business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture fund management (management fees + carried interest): Founders' Co-op raises institutional-style venture funds (currently Fund VI at $50M, closed November 2025) from a base of mostly Pacific Northwest LPs (founders, families/family foundations, state governments). Revenue is generated through conventional VC fund economics: management fees on committed capital during the fund's investment period, plus carried interest on profitable realizations of equity stakes in portfolio companies. Fund VI will be deployed over multiple years and managed to maturity on a 10-year cycle.
- Equity ownership in pre-seed/seed startups: Founders' Co-op typically invests $1-1.5M in a company's first fundraise of $1M-$3M, and aims to own at least 10% of the company. They reserve for follow-on and will support successful investments up to 10% of total fund capital. Revenue from this stream is realized via exits (IPO or M&A), e.g., Remitly IPO'd on NASDAQ in 2021 after the Seed round led by Founders' Co-op.
- Techstars Seattle / Alexa Accelerator program economics (historical): During 2010-2020 Founders' Co-op ran the Techstars Seattle program and the Alexa Accelerator Powered by Techstars, raising local fund-of-fund vehicles. Local LPs owned 70% of fund economics, the Managing Director (Founders' Co-op) owned 20%, and Techstars owned 10%, with Techstars also paid a $50K annual fee for back-office support. Founders' Co-op has since exited the accelerator business.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | First institutional check: $1-1.5M in a $1M-$3M first fundraise, with 10%+ ownership |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Fund VI: $50M fund size (closed November 2025) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Founders' Co-op product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Founders' Co-op is a Seattle-based seed-stage venture capital firm that raises 10-year venture funds (currently Fund VI at $50M, closed November 2025) from regional LPs and writes first institutional checks of $1M–$1.5M into pre-product, pre-revenue technology startups in the Pacific Northwest, typically investing in $1M–$3M first rounds and owning at least 10% of the company. The core fund offering is supported by the Foundations invite-only community and physical clubhouse, and historically by the Techstars Seattle and Alexa Accelerator programs.
Product overview
Founders' Co-op is a Pacific Northwest-focused pre-seed and seed venture capital firm, not a multi-module SaaS platform; its single core product is its active venture fund — currently Fund VI, a $50M vehicle closed in November 2025 and run by General Partners Chris DeVore and Aviel Ginzburg, which writes the first institutional check (typically $1M–$1.5M into a $1M–$3M round, with ownership of at least 10%) into the most ambitious technical founding teams from Portland, OR to Vancouver, BC. This core fund offering is supported by a sub-product, the Foundations community and clubhouse in Seattle (the firm's new operating home at 1605 Boylston Ave), which provides an invite-only peer community for regional founders, and is complemented by legacy accelerator programs the firm co-created and previously operated: the Techstars Seattle program (co-created with David Cohen and Brad Feld, 2010–2024) and the Alexa Accelerator Powered by Techstars (co-created with Amazon's Alexa Fund in 2017). Prior fund vintages — Fund V ($50M, 2021) and Fund IV ($25M, 2019) — are historical vehicles no longer actively investing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Foundations: Invite-only community and physical clubhouse for the most talented and ambitious founders in the Pacific Northwest, built and run by Aviel Ginzburg as part of the Founders' Co-op platform; hosted at 1605 Boylston Ave, Seattle, WA 98122.
- Founders' Co-op
Products and services
- Founders' Co-op Fund VI A $50M pre-seed and seed venture capital fund closed in November 2025 that writes first institutional checks of $1M-$1.5M (owning at least 10%) into ambitious technical founding teams in the Pacific Northwest raising their first institutional round of $1M-$3M. Managed by General Partners Chris DeVore and Aviel Ginzburg on a 10-year fund cycle.
- Foundations (invite-only founder community and physical clubhouse) An invite-only community and physical clubhouse for the most talented and ambitious founders in the Pacific Northwest, created by General Partner Aviel Ginzburg, with custom community-management software, network hardware, and a security system he personally built. Houses the Founders' Co-op VI office at 1605 Boylston Ave, Seattle, WA 98122.
- Founders' Co-op Fund V The firm's fifth core venture fund, a $50M pre-seed and seed vehicle closed in March 2021 that was its largest at the time; invested in the best technical founding teams in the Pacific Northwest.
- Founders' Co-op Fund IV The firm's fourth core venture fund, a $25M pre-seed and seed vehicle closed in April 2019, under which Aviel Ginzburg formally joined the partnership; backed 90+ first-check investments in Pacific Northwest companies including Remitly, Outreach, Auth0 and The Riveter.
- Techstars Seattle Program Seattle-based startup accelerator program co-created by Founders' Co-op in partnership with David Cohen and Brad Feld; first cohort ran in summer 2010, with 10 cohorts produced over roughly a decade, producing alumni including Remitly, Outreach and Zipline. The program was terminated by Techstars in 2024.
- Alexa Accelerator Powered by Techstars Second local accelerator program co-created by Founders' Co-op in 2017 in partnership with Amazon's Alexa Fund to support the global voice and conversational AI ecosystems, run by Aviel Ginzburg.
Quantifiable outcome
- $1.4B+ in follow-on capital raised by 91 Pacific Northwest portfolio companies (as of 2018); $1.5B+ across 90+ companies (as of 2019)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Founders' Co-op
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Founders' Co-op technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Founders' Co-op partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship historical, core historical, minor and flagship current.
- Amazon (Alexa Fund) — The Alexa Accelerator, Powered by Techstarsflagship historicalCreated the Alexa Accelerator, Powered by Techstars with Amazon's Alexa Fund in 2017, focused on supporting the global voice and conversational AI ecosystem. Run by Aviel Ginzburg. Doubled Founders' Co-op's accelerator capacity.
- Techstarsflagship historicalFounders' Co-op partnered with Techstars and David Cohen/Brad Feld in Boulder to create the Techstars Seattle program in 2010 and ran it for a decade. Also helped create and run two corporate Techstars programs: an Azure/Microsoft program and an Amazon Alexa program. Economic structure: local LPs owned 70% of fund economics, the Managing Director (Founders' Co-op) owned 20%, and Techstars owned 10%, with Techstars paid a $50K annual fee for back-office support. Partnership ended in 2020 when Techstars terminated the Seattle program.
- University of Washingtoncore historicalFounders' Co-op partnered with UW to house Techstars Seattle and other activities on the University of Washington campus, injecting entrepreneurial energy into the region's flagship research university. They also helped create a dedicated UW-founder VC fund called Pack VC.
- Pack VCminorFounders' Co-op helped create Pack VC, a venture fund dedicated to backing University of Washington founders, as part of their UW partnership.
- Foundations (seattlefoundations.org community)flagship currentAviel Ginzburg created Foundations, an invite-only community for the most talented and ambitious Pacific Northwest founders, in the wake of COVID and the post-Techstars era. Personally built the clubhouse, installed network hardware, wired up the security system, and wrote the community-management software. Now houses the Founders' Co-op VI office.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Founders' Co-op competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pioneer Square Labs: Seattle-based seed-stage venture studio and fund, the most directly comparable peer in geography and stage. Both are PNW-anchored seed investors writing first checks into technical founders, though PSL combines a studio model with investing.
- Costanoa Ventures: Seed-stage VC with deep Pacific Northwest presence and Bay Area roots, focusing on enterprise SaaS, infrastructure, and data. Closely comparable in fund size, stage focus, and thesis.
- True Ventures: Seed and early-stage VC widely regarded as the gold standard for founder-friendly seed investing — same thesis DNA as Founders' Co-op (lean decision-making, founder-first culture, reserved follow-on) but with national geographic reach.
- Lerer Hippeau: New York-based seed-stage VC with a founder-friendly thesis, similar fund sizing (~early-stage funds in similar range), and focus on community-driven deal generation — closely mirrors the Founders' Co-op operator-investor playbook.
- Slow Ventures: Seed and early-stage VC with a brand-led, founder-friendly approach and similar check sizes. Comparable in stage focus and willingness to lead pre-seed/seed rounds, though broader in geography.
- Precursor Ventures: Seed and pre-seed focused VC known for high-conviction, founder-first approach and similar lean operations. Comparable in check size philosophy and stage focus, though not geographically aligned.
- Betaworks: NYC-based seed-stage investor and startup studio with a thesis-driven, founder-led model. Comparable as a small, opinionated seed platform with community infrastructure, though oriented more toward consumer/internet categories.
- BoxGroup: Early-stage NYC-based VC writing pre-seed and seed checks into technical founders with similar operator-led culture. Comparable in stage focus and partnership size, though with broader geographic mandate.
- SV Angel: Seed-focused investor with a strong founder-friendly reputation and similar lean partnership model. Comparable in stage focus and check-size philosophy, though SV Angel primarily syndicates rather than leads.
Broad incumbents
- Madrona Venture Group: Seattle-headquartered VC operating across seed through growth stages with larger funds. Overlaps in PNW geography and enterprise-software thesis but at a much broader stage range and AUM scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Founders' Co-op social profiles
Digital presenceFounders' Co-op financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Founders' Co-op leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Founders' Co-op subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Founders' Co-op funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Founders' Co-op M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments191 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Founders' Co-op
What does Founders' Co-op do?
Founders' Co-op is a Seattle-based seed-stage venture capital firm that raises 10-year venture funds (currently Fund VI at $50M, closed November 2025) from regional LPs and writes first institutional checks of $1M–$1.5M into pre-product, pre-revenue technology startups in the Pacific Northwest, typically investing in $1M–$3M first rounds and owning at least 10% of the company. The core fund offering is supported by the Foundations invite-only community and physical clubhouse, and historically by the Techstars Seattle and Alexa Accelerator programs.
Is Founders' Co-op a public or private company?
Founders' Co-op is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Founders' Co-op founded?
Founders' Co-op was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Founders' Co-op based?
Founders' Co-op is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Founders' Co-op make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Venture fund management (management fees + carried interest) is the primary driver. The others are equity ownership in pre-seed/seed startups and techstars Seattle / Alexa Accelerator program economics (historical).
Who are Founders' Co-op's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pioneer Square Labs, Costanoa Ventures, True Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Slow Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Betaworks, BoxGroup and SV Angel. Madrona Venture Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Founders' Co-op have an API?
No public API is recorded for Founders' Co-op.
What industry is Founders' Co-op in?
Founders' Co-op's product category is Seed-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.