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Hackers/Founders
Hackers/Founders is a global community of tech startup founders, founded in 2008 by Jonathan Nelson, with over 300,000 companies across 60 countries.
Hackers/Founders
Hackers/Founders was founded in 2008 by Jonathan Nelson, who serves as CEO alongside co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Laura Nelson. The organization is structured as a volunteer-run community supporting tech startup founders, not a capital-committing investment firm (per the firm's website). The firm operates as an early-stage venture-focused entity, targeting startups across sectors including enterprise software, AI/ML, and digital health — but does not deploy its own capital in direct investments. Instead, H/F facilitates connections between founders and potential co-founders, investors, and advisors through local chapter meetups on five continents. The geographic footprint spans North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, with a specific director for Latin America community (Elsa Maldonado) and HQ in Silicon Valley. Team size stands at seven named professionals, including two directors of scientific research and technology transfer. H/F Research leads applied scientific research in the tech industry, backed by the global network of over 300,000 companies. The organization also maintains a blog and recommended resources for founders, with no disclosed AUM or deployment figures. A structural differentiator is H/F's volunteer-led model: chapters are run by local organizers plugged into their ecosystems, and the firm explicitly states it is a volunteer org that serves startup founders. This non-profit posture — combined with a privacy-focused stance against selling sponsor data — distinguishes it from for-profit venture firms or family offices.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2008
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Jose
Corporate office
San Jose, CA, United States
Principals
Jonathan Nelson
Founder, CEO
Laura Nelson
Co-Founder, Chief Innovation Officer
Elsa Maldonado
Director of LatAm Community
Antonio Hyder
Director of Scientific Research and Technology Transfer
Dayan Betancourt
Resident hacker
Guillermo Guedez
Resident hacker
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Hackers/Founders?
Hackers/Founders does not make investment decisions with its own capital — it is a community organization for founders. Jonathan Nelson is CEO, Laura Nelson is Chief Innovation Officer, and the team includes directors for regional communities and scientific research (per the firm's website).
How does Hackers/Founders source proprietary deal flow?
H/F sources connections through its global network of over 300,000 companies across 60 countries via local chapter meetups. The firm also runs H/F Research, an applied research arm that uses data from the network to provide tools for tech companies (per the firm's website).
Is Hackers/Founders structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Neither. H/F is a volunteer-run community organization that serves startup founders. It does not manage capital or make investments, distinguishing it from family offices and venture capital firms. Its activities center on events, networking, and research support for founders (per the firm's website).
Does Hackers/Founders participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Hackers/Founders does not participate in fund commitments or direct deals with its own balance sheet. It facilitates connections between founders and potential investors, but the organization itself does not deploy capital (per the firm's website).
What investment stages does Hackers/Founders typically target?
The firm's stated focus is early-stage and startup venture, targeting tech founders at the earliest phases of company building. However, it does not invest capital; it supports founders through community and research (per the firm's website).
Which sectors does Hackers/Founders explicitly avoid?
H/F does not publicly disclose any sectors it avoids. Its community encompasses tech startups broadly, with mentions of enterprise software, AI/ML, and digital health among its sector tags (Altss estimate).
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
Hackers/Founders does not manage wealth or have a disclosed wealth origin because it is a volunteer community organization, not a family office or investment firm. The Nelsons' personal background is not publicly detailed in relation to the organization (Altss estimate).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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