With His New Fund, This Investor Aims to Win Over Private Equity Skeptics

Collaborative Fund founder Craig Shapiro raises $250 million to create a ‘long-term home for extraordinary consumer brands.’

BY ALI DONALDSON, STAFF REPORTER @ALICDONALDSON

Illustration: Getty Images

Craig Shapiro has a track record of predicting what consumers want. Since launching his venture capital firm, Collaborative Fund, in 2010, Shapiro and his team of investors at the New York City-based firm have backed Kickstarter, Lyft, Olipop, Magic Spoon, Smash Kitchen, and Whoop. Now, he is turning his focus from fast-growing consumer businesses to companies that are more focused on building for the long run. To do that, he’s launching a new private equity fund: Collab........

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