Mike Collins

I'm Mike Collins, Founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures and chairman of its board. I started the firm in 2014, at the age of 49, to give individual investors a real way into venture capital.

They thought I was crazy. Many people said working with individual investors wasn't practical or profitable. We launched with just three people. I pitched in living rooms, and it took a year to raise Green D Fund 1 for Dartmouth alumni, closing just under $1 million.

My career started in 1986 at TA Associates, a venture firm in Boston, right after Dartmouth, where I studied Engineering Science. I later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. I have moved back and forth between investing and building companies, and I started several, including Kid Galaxy, Big Idea Group, and RDM.

At Alumni Ventures we invest alongside leading venture firms. We don't take board seats or set the price of a round. For founders, we're more like your favorite uncle: we leave you alone, but when you need help, we try to help. I also hosted Tech Optimist, our podcast on new technology and startups.