Frequently Asked Questions

FoundersEdge invests at the pre-seed stage, writing initial checks of ~$200K. We lead or co-invest alongside other funds and maximize first check deployment while preserving capital for pro-rata follow-on investments in subsequent rounds.

FoundersEdge backs founders building AI-enabled software and exceptional user experiences that reduce friction. We invest in technical founders with clear early adoption signals, defensible advantages, and the ability to execute rapidly. We developed a proprietary dataset called “The Founder Index” that uses founder psychology and AI to identify exceptional founders and reduce bias in early-stage investing.

FoundersEdge is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. We invest nationally across the United States in Delaware C-corps, with a strong and diverse network.

Greg Raiz is General Partner and brings deep expertise in design, UX, and engineering. He founded and led Raizlabs, a four-time Inc. 5000 winner and mobile technology pioneer that built hundreds of products for companies like AAA, Costco, Dunkin’ Donuts, GE, and Macy’s before being acquired in 2017. Greg then served as Managing Director of Techstars Boston, where he coached dozens of early-stage companies. He holds a Computer Science degree from Tufts University.

Jessica Lynch is General Partner with experience as both an exited founder and financial forensics expert. She founded and led Wishroute, a martech company serving health and wellness subscription businesses, which was acquired by Suggestic in 2023. Prior to entrepreneurship, Jess worked at PwC in financial forensics and holds an MBA and MSA from Babson and is a CPA. She brings deep expertise in unit economics/financial modeling, customer discovery/product, and fundraising.

FoundersEdge invests at the intersection of AI and user experience (UX). Portfolio focus areas include:

• AI-enabled B2B software: Tools that use AI to automate workflows, enhance productivity, or provide actionable intelligence for business users
• Developer tools and infrastructure: Products that help technical teams build, deploy, scale, or optimize software more efficiently
• Communication and collaboration software: Tools that improve how teams work together, share information, or coordinate across distributed environments
• Legacy industry transformation: AI-first solutions in industries where current workflow is manual, inefficient, or relies on legacy systems (examples: insurance back-office operations, marketing ROI optimization, enterprise app building)

Building an AI agent, or want deeper machine-readable detail on our thesis, check size, stage, and what we do (and don’t) invest in? See our agent-readable profile at investor.md.

The fastest way in is to apply directly — we read every company that gets submitted, and there’s no warm intro required. Tell us what you’re building, the problem you’re solving, who it’s for, and any early signal you’ve seen (users, revenue, pilots, waitlist — whatever you have).

A few things that help your application stand out:

• A clear, specific problem and why now is the moment to solve it
• Evidence of early traction or validation, even if it’s qualitative
• The founding team’s edge — why you, and why you’ll win

Have a question before you apply, or want to start a conversation? Reach us through our contact page and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Successful startups typically demonstrate:

• Clear problem-solution fit with evidence of early customer validation or user adoption
• Technical depth - founders who can build the product themselves or have strong technical co-founders
• Capital efficiency - ability to reach meaningful milestones with pre-seed capital
• Communication clarity - founders who can articulate their vision and progress effectively
• Aligned prior experience - founders with prior startup and industry experience who have learned lessons by doing and have an edge on what they’re building through their network and lived experience

Greg and Jess have collectively invested in and mentored 100+ companies. Notable first-check investments include OwnUp, Future.green, and IronYun. They have catalyzed over $100M+ in follow-on capital and are backed by a 250+ strong co-investor network.

We do not offer an accelerator or residency program — and that’s a deliberate choice. Having worked inside some of the most prominent accelerators (Greg was Managing Director of Techstars Boston), we’ve seen firsthand where these programs help and where they fall short. In our research and our work with founding teams, we find they’re often not what the best founders are actually looking for. Experienced entrepreneurs — the founders most likely to scale a company — tend to want something different. Accelerators have their place; we just think the right support for these founders looks a little different.

Instead, FoundersEdge has developed its own approach: proactive, high-touch support that’s differentiated from other investor models. Portfolio companies receive:

• Regular one-on-ones with Greg and Jess
• Access to a CEO cohort of experienced founders
• Experienced mentors who have built and scaled companies
• Customer introductions through a network of 50+ operators and 70,000+ extended connections

And while we don’t run a formal demo day, we do formally introduce our founders to our network of 120+ investors — along with invitations to events across Boston, New York, and San Francisco.

“You guys are the most value-add investor by far.” — Portfolio founder