The Founders Club Opens its Doors to pre-VC Backed Tech Companies

Oct. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Silicon Valley, October 3, 2011 - The Founders Club, (www.founders-club.com), a unique equity exchange fund, announced the launch of a new family of exchange funds targeting CEO’s, founders and angels with shares in early stage start-ups and later stage start-ups that have not raised VC funding.

The Founders Club will launch a series of specific exchange funds grouping together start-ups around specific industry verticals and enabling entrepreneurs to commit part of their equity to more than one exchange fund operated by The Founders Club. Specific exchange funds will include separate funds for mobility, advertising, gaming, consumer Internet, enterprise technology, music and healthcare & life science to name a few. All entrepreneurs will be encouraged to put some equity into the Global Fund, targeting 200+ companies in one portfolio providing meaningful diversification, income and a powerful exclusive network.

Andrew Romans, founder and general partner said, “Until now we have only signed VC backed CEO’s, founders and angel shareholders. We realized we were missing a big opportunity to sign high potential early stage tech entrepreneurs who had raised angel funding or bootstrapped their companies without VC funding.” Romans continues, “Most of the pre-VC backed CEO’s and founders joining our new exchange funds will progress to raise VC funding and that is something our network can help with. We will showcase these companies to angels and VCs. These early stage companies can introduce each other to their respective angel investors and collaborate helping each other with specific milestones. Getting an early stage start-up into our network is a good move for most start-ups facing similar challenges and expanding their network radically. We will continue to operate our VC exchange funds for entrepreneurs and angel shareholders in privately held companies backed by tier I VCs.”

André Jaeggi, chairman of The Founders Club and former boss of multi-billion dollar fund of funds investor Adveq commented, “The Venture Capital industry like much of the financial markets is in a state of change. We now have a strong population of successful entrepreneurs who are actively making angel investments not only in Silicon Valley and New York, but also across the US, Europe and the world. Many of these companies are moving too quickly to fit into the classic venture capital model of taking months to evaluate projects. The Founders Club is now capturing these fast moving companies and is well suited to introduce the most promising ones to VC’s when that makes sense.”

The Founders Club is an established family of funds where VC backed and now non-VC backed entrepreneurs agree to invest a percentage of their future equity returns into one or more of The Founders Club funds in return for fund ownership and membership in the club. There is no cash cost to join. Members only contribute cash from proceeds at the time they sell or liquidate their equity position in their company. Each fund comprises 15 high potential venture backed portfolio companies, thereby affording any single entrepreneur a strategy to create wealth while accomplishing portfolio diversification and reaping the rewards of a strong and relevant network. Global Funds pool equity interests from 100 to 200 high potential companies. Entrepreneurs accepted into the club have access to other members as well as the venture capitalists and successful entrepreneurs serving on our advisory committees.  

Contact details
Richard Botley, Mi liberty
Tel: +44 7920 460 375
rbotley@miliberty.com

Andrew Romans, General Partner, The Founders Club
Cell: +1(650) 475-6877
Tel: +1(650) 616-4140
info [at] founders-club.com
1001 Bayhill Drive
Suite 294
San Bruno, CA 94066
www.founders-club.com
Follow on Twitter @foundersclub

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The Founders Club is a global venture capital vehicle where CEOs & founders of VC backed companies pool together a small percentage of their personal future equity upside in return for becoming limited partners in a ground breaking VC portfolio.