Seattle-based early-stage venture firm Founders’ Co-op has announced the launch of its sixth fund, maintaining a $50 million size consistent with its previous vehicle. The firm, led by Managing Partners Chris DeVore and Aviel Ginzburg, will continue its longstanding strategy of backing technical founding teams across the Pacific Northwest with a focus on serving as the first institutional check for emerging companies.
The fund launch comes amid significant shifts in the technology and capital markets landscape compared to the environment in which Founders’ Co-op last raised. The firm notes that the zero-interest rate period has ended, remote work trends have receded as return-to-office mandates increase, and the AI investment boom has concentrated resources and talent around a small number of global technology leaders. These changes have created both new opportunities and challenges for regional startups, particularly as major companies pursue automation in ways that may reduce local tech employment.
Despite the accelerating hype cycle surrounding artificial intelligence, Founders’ Co-op emphasized that the new fund is not positioned as an “AI-only” vehicle. The firm reiterated its focus on backing ambitious founders tackling complex problems, stating that long-term outcomes are driven more by entrepreneurial talent than by specific technology trends.
In addition to deploying capital, the firm highlighted the growing role of community-building in the region’s startup ecosystem. Ginzburg has led the development of Foundations, a private clubhouse and network designed to reconnect founders, investors, and operators across Seattle’s tech community following pandemic-era fragmentation. The space now hosts hundreds of founders and industry contributors.
With the new fund, Founders’ Co-op plans to continue identifying and supporting early-stage teams capable of scaling into market-leading companies and attracting later-stage investors from outside the region.
