- Collide Capital closes a $95 million Fund II, up from its $66 million debut fund in 2022.
- Co-founders Brian Hollins and Aaron Samuels target fintech, supply chain, and future-of-work startups.
- LPs include the UC Regents, Accolade Partners, Fairview Capital, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan.
- Checks run $1 million to $3 million, with a goal of backing at least 30 companies over 3.5 years.
A $95 Million Bet on Automation and Data-Driven Startups
New York-based Collide Capital has closed a $95 million Fund II, a roughly 44% step-up from the $66 million Fund I it raised in 2022, per Tech in Asia. The firm, founded in 2021 by Brian Hollins and Aaron Samuels, writes early-stage checks of $1 million to $3 million into fintech, supply chain, and future-of-work companies. Hollins said the close took around 13 months in a market that has punished emerging managers, and the team now plans to deploy the capital over the next 3.5 years into at least 30 startups.
The limited partner base is a signal in itself. The University of California endowment, which anchored Fund I, came back, joined by Accolade Partners, Fairview Capital, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan. Collide has already backed 75 companies across both vehicles, including Culina Health and Helios, and has cut five checks out of Fund II, according to ImpactAlpha. “We’re most interested in platforms enabling automation, real-time collaboration, and faster, data-driven decision making,” Hollins said.
The Pedigree Behind the Firm — and the Campus Play
Hollins and Samuels are not first-time investors. Hollins spent a decade between Goldman Sachs, Lightspeed, and Slow Ventures before launching Collide. Samuels worked at Bain and Lightspeed and co-founded AfroTech, one of the largest Black tech conferences in the world. That track record is part of why LPs leaned in while many solo GPs and emerging managers are stuck in extended fundraises across the 2026 venture landscape — a backdrop also visible in March’s startup funding roundup.
Alongside the fund, Collide is expanding Collide Campus, a mentorship program launched in 2022 that now runs on more than 20 university campuses, including Harvard and Johns Hopkins. More than 50 students have cycled through the undergraduate and graduate fellowships, landing roles at firms like General Catalyst and Collide itself. The program doubles as a sourcing engine for deals and talent. “We’re connecting the best and the brightest with venture capital to match their grit and determination to build businesses the world needs,” Samuels said.
Collide Capital | Brian Hollins on X | Aaron Samuels on X | Source: TechCrunch
