Craig Shapiro is the Founder & Managing Partner at Collaborative Fund. Founded in 2010, Collab Fund focuses on early-stage investments that intersect profit and positive social impact, particularly in the areas of food, climate, health, and finance. Investments include Sweetgreen, Beyond Meat, Reddit, Lyft, & more. In this conversation, we discuss Collab's successful portfolio, their $200 billion climate fund, the Shared Future Fund, a new AI residency in New York City, the evolution of New York's venture ecosystem and the importance of mission-driven investments.

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Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome Craig Shapiro to The Rise

1:00 - The Mantra: Better for Me and Better for the World

2:22 - Starting Collab Fund in New York

4:38 - The Evolution of the New York Venture Ecosystem

8:04- Success Stories: Portfolio Companies

14:45 - The Beyond Meat Investment

23:54 - Fundraising Challenges and Early Supporters

28:58 - Institutional Investors and Fund Growth, AI Partnerships

33:09 - Graffiti Art and Collaborative Fund

34:45 - Partnership with Sesame Street

37:47 - AI Residency Program

40:51 - Crypto Spin-Out: Collab Currency

47:56 - Mission-Driven Investment Approach

52:46 - Advice for Emerging Managers

57:35 - Future of Collaborative Fund

1:05:00 - Thanks Craig For Joining! Like & Subscribe

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