Ben Ehrlich

VP @collabfund | Prev founder @1stmomentum | Prev @LTSE. Read my past thinking:

[Mat Sherman @Mat_Sherman]

MatCap May 2026 in review:

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

Parker + Collab backing AI-proof business = 🚀🚀

[Craig Shapiro ⚽️ @cshapiro]

Welcoming Parker Hayden to Collaborative Fund

A quick note on what we're building. Collaborative Fund has long been known as a venture firm. Collab Holdings is our newer effort, a home for enduring consumer companies held for the long term, more in the spirit of private equity than venture.

To lead it, we're thrilled to welcome Parker as a Partner.

Parker brings a rare combination: the rigor of a seasoned PE investor and a real feel for what makes a brand matter to people. Over two decades, he has deployed more than $3 billion across dozens of transactions, including investments in Supreme, Beats by Dre, CAVA, OGX, and 66° North. He has served on 15+ boards and has seen every stage of the journey, from sourcing through IPOs and strategic sales.

Before Collaborative, Parker oversaw the portfolio at Redesign Health, led direct investing at Mousse Partners, and spent over a decade at The Carlyle Group on the Consumer and Retail US Buyout team. He began his career at Morgan Stanley.

The best businesses are built for the long term. Parker understands that as well as anyone we've met. Glad to have him on board.

[Andrej Karpathy @karpathy]

Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time.

[Eric Ho @ericho_goodfire]

there is beauty and structure inside of neural nets. you just have to look!

[Mat Sherman @Mat_Sherman]

https://t.co/LJFKyEzrCv

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

Real-world businesses have always mattered. Post-ASI they are the only ones that matter.

[Joshua Kushner @JoshuaKushner]

Today we announce Thrive Eternal, a permanent capital holding company that will be concentrated in a small number of assets that we can own and steward over many decades.

Across Thrive Capital and Thrive Holdings, we are building and investing through a moment of exponential change; backing emerging technologies, the infrastructure that powers them, and the businesses they can transform.

Increasingly, we see a fourth category.

These are assets with qualities that cannot be replicated by technology. Iconic franchises and cultural institutions rooted in tradition, identity, and shared experience. In a world shaped by abundant intelligence where creation scales and distribution fragments, we believe they will matter even more.

Thrive Eternal is built on the belief that the most enduring of these assets share common characteristics: they benefit from long-term stewardship, they compound through cultural resonance, and they are enhanced by technology rather than displaced by it.

Our work at Thrive has always been informed and inspired by a deep appreciation for product, brand, and the ways in which consumers form lasting relationships with the things they love. We have been building towards this for a long time.

Our first partnership is expected to be with the San Francisco Giants - an institution built on more than a century of shared identity and community, and among the most iconic sports franchises in America. We have reached an agreement, subject to league approval, to acquire an ownership stake. We feel privileged by the opportunity to be long-term partners to the Giants.

[Joshua Kushner @JoshuaKushner]

Today we announce Thrive Eternal, a permanent capital holding company that will be concentrated in a small number of assets that we can own and steward over many decades.

Across Thrive Capital and Thrive Holdings, we are building and investing through a moment of exponential change; backing emerging technologies, the infrastructure that powers them, and the businesses they can transform.

Increasingly, we see a fourth category.

These are assets with qualities that cannot be replicated by technology. Iconic franchises and cultural institutions rooted in tradition, identity, and shared experience. In a world shaped by abundant intelligence where creation scales and distribution fragments, we believe they will matter even more.

Thrive Eternal is built on the belief that the most enduring of these assets share common characteristics: they benefit from long-term stewardship, they compound through cultural resonance, and they are enhanced by technology rather than displaced by it.

Our work at Thrive has always been informed and inspired by a deep appreciation for product, brand, and the ways in which consumers form lasting relationships with the things they love. We have been building towards this for a long time.

Our first partnership is expected to be with the San Francisco Giants - an institution built on more than a century of shared identity and community, and among the most iconic sports franchises in America. We have reached an agreement, subject to league approval, to acquire an ownership stake. We feel privileged by the opportunity to be long-term partners to the Giants.

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

It is rare to find a company like WHOOP where execution compounds the way it does here: the more they grow, the healthier their users will be. Excited that Collab gets to continue on this journey with them.

[Craig Shapiro ⚽️ @cshapiro]

Today Collaborative Fund is leading a $575M Series G in WHOOP, our largest investment ever.

This is the cover letter I attached to our term sheet:

[Craig Shapiro ⚽️ @cshapiro]

Today Collaborative Fund is leading a $575M Series G in WHOOP, our largest investment ever.

This is the cover letter I attached to our term sheet:

[guyvidra @guyvidra]

Over the past year, athletes using Nomio have broken records and won Olympic gold. 

This isn't just another sports nutrition brand. It’s science-backed, trusted by serious athletes, and points to where performance products are heading next. Read more about why we invested:

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

@joshephraim True on the fund level (as it should be) but not necessarily on the SPV level, which is where a lot of people are accessing venture right now.

[Danielle Strachman 💗 🐈 💃 🪴 🎸 🎨 🐕 @DStrachman]

One big takeaway from running the Thiel Fellowship and 1517 is that though capital isn’t scalable, granting permission is.

To someone starting out, being taken seriously by engaging and offering ideas, intros, and encouragement can give them energy to keep going.

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

@yoheinakajima The NY Philharmonic put the playbills from all of their concerts dating back to the 1800s. Excellent way to see music taste change over time.

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

While the funding gets the headline, the new agent release is very exciting. 3X better and 10X cheaper is a big deal!

[Shirin Ghaffary @shiringhaffary]

NEW: Replit has raised $250 million in a funding round at $3 billion, nearly triple the vibe-coding startup’s last valuation. The company also released a new version of its agent today. Talked to CEO @amasad about the news. Gift link:

https://t.co/fAu79aP1vS

[Shirin Ghaffary @shiringhaffary]

NEW: Replit has raised $250 million in a funding round at $3 billion, nearly triple the vibe-coding startup’s last valuation. The company also released a new version of its agent today. Talked to CEO @amasad about the news. Gift link:

https://t.co/fAu79aP1vS

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

@bgurley @DanFarfan Wouldn’t a DL be better :)

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

🚀🚀🚀

[Hunter Rosenblume @hrosenblume]

I am unbelievably excited to announce $50M+ in new contracts awarded to @OrdoSchools. While everyone else is showing off fundraises, we’re sharing our team’s massive growth in 2025, with MUCH MORE TO COME!

Ordo is serving millions of fresh meals to students in 100+ schools across 18 states. We’re trusted by the best public, charter, private, and pre-schools nationwide.

Our mission is simple. Fresh, whole scratch-made foods, locally sourced whenever possible. It’s good for kids, and it’s good for business. Less middle-men, more value on the plate.

My favorite part is that Ordo is accessible by any community. We’re proudly serving the same fresh, whole menu to the 0.01% on both sides of the economic spectrum, for the same price (or less) than the frozen and processed stuff.

We care a lot about this at home. Always have. More than most. My mother worked in the public schools on child nutrition education for over 40 years.

My closest friends know that I’ve spent over a decade since dropping out of school (shoutout @thielfellowship) trying to build something people want. I can now say with confidence I still haven’t done this, but in my journey I may have discovered the real point: build something people need forever, and do it forever.

Since starting the company I’ve had the pleasure of minting several millionaires. Some through stock, but also our chefs who are serving long-term government contracts through Ordo. This has been the most surprising and delightful thing.

Today we’re a team of ~10 people.

If you are looking to build something meaningful, please DM me. We’re hiring engineers and sales leaders, but I will consider special talent / roles, and yes we sponsor visas when possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

Even more colour on all things angel investing from @cupazhou here 👇

[David ☕ @cupazhou]

The common consensus among LPs seems to be angels are hard to underwrite

They're not wrong

But @BenjaminEhrlich + I wrote another blogpost about the 6 things we look at:
https://t.co/nZaQrTMDpk

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

What did we miss? https://t.co/OsowmPDqJH

[Ben Ehrlich @BenjaminEhrlich]

Angel investing track record: what does it actually mean? Does it even matter if you want to raise a fund?

I teamed up once again with @cupazhou to explain the LP perspective. Link in the replies 👇