The Experiment Fund, anchored in Cambridge, invests in world-changing startups. We catalyze bold ideas and build transformative companies.
Xfund offers experimenters seed capital, expert guidance, and unparalleled access to America's top-tier universities and venture capital firms.
Finally, when we succeed we advance progress, reward risk-takers, and strengthen the community and institutions who support us. More FAQ.
Startups, at their core, are small tribes of experimenters advancing progress.
Bold engineers, entrepreneurs, and designers tackling hard problems. We make seed investments across the East Coast, but remain anchored in the Harvard community, with a focus on information, healthcare, and energy technologies.
ideas@xfund.com | @Xfund | facebook.com/Xfund | quora.com/Xfund | +1.857.244.1238
Patrick received a joint JD-MBA degree from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, where he served as an Editor of the Harvard Law Review. Patrick was a Commonwealth Scholar at Oxford University, where he earned a Master of Science degree. Patrick earned his A.B. degree at Harvard College in Environmental Science. He is a member of the New York and Massachusetts bars, and a member of the Committee to Visit Harvard College. Canadian by birth, Patrick can be found in Palo Alto, CA and London when not in Cambridge, MA.
Hugo received his Masters of Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he was a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the Harvard Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. A TED Fellow, he earned his A.B. degree at Harvard University in Economics and co-founded startups backed by YCombinator before helping grow Artscience Labs and The Lab @ Harvard as Founding Director. South African by birth, Hugo can be found in New York or Cape Town when not in Cambridge, MA.
Jim graduated with Distinction from Stanford University with a BS and from Harvard University with an MBA, where he was named a Baker Scholar (top 5% of class). Jim is a Partner at Accel and is the President of Accel Management Company. Jim is currently a Director in several privately-held companies such as Etsy and Legendary Pictures. He was also elected to the Harvard Corporation in 2013. Jim can be found in Palo Alto, CA and New York.
Alan received his M.B.A. in 1992 and his B.A. summa cum laude and M.A. in 1986, all from Harvard University and attended Harvard Medical School from 1986 to 1988 before pursuing his business career. Alan invests in life sciences and was previously President and CEO of Momenta Pharmaceuticals, co-founded and served as CEO of Cerulean Pharma, and co-founded Visterra. He serves as Chairman on the boards of Cerulean Pharma, Visterra, XTuit, and Calorics. Alan can be found in Cambridge, MA and the Longwood Medical Campus.
Harry served as an aviator in the U.S. Navy, received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and his bachelors degree in Physics from Duke University. Harry focuses on early stage consumer, enterprise and energy technology investing. He is frequently recognized as one of America’s top venture capitalists, with recent honors including the Forbes “Midas List”, Washingtonian’s “Titans of Technology” and Business Insider’s “Top 5 East Coast VCs”. Harry was born in the Big Apple and is typically found wandering the areas of the east coast.
Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science. Founder, (AIR), Le Laboratoire, Aero Designs, and Wiki-Cells.
Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, London, UK
‘07, Ed.M. ‘11 co-founder of Facebook and angel investor
Menlo Park, CA & Chevy Chase, MD
Ph.D.(MIT), Chief Scientist of Hunch and startup advisor
Boston, MA & DogPatch Labs Network
A.B. '03, Founder, Quora,
The largest student-run corporation in the world
’94, JD ’01, Head, Philips Academy, formerly HLS & Berkman
The Founders of the Experiment Fund have helped grow companies like Groupon, Facebook, Gilt Groupe, Pulse, Cloudera, Etsy, Lytro, 23andMe, and Box.net. We have deep roots in Silicon Valley, New York, and in Harvard Yard, and across the world in Asia and Europe. We want to tackle big questions. Your ideas, energy, and skill — combined with our capital, experience, and network of company founders, Nobel laureates, and technologists — can change the world.
e. hello@xfund.com
f. facebook.com/Xfund
t. @Xfund
p. 1.857.244.1238 (9am - 7pm EDT)
33 Oxford Street, Maxwell-Dworkin
Cambridge, MA 02138
18 Brattle Street, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
125 Western Avenue
Allston, MA 02134
Want to test a bold idea?
Please submit a company summary that covers:
We value people over plans and prototypes over projections.
Send your presentation to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Who can take advantage of The Experiment Fund?
Everyone, regardless of university affilation, nationality, age, or prior experience. Read more about our Method.
What kind of help can I expect?
We invest seed capital, make our team part of your team, and connect founders with world-class advisors, operators, and top-tier growth financing. Our deep connections in Cambridge, Silicon Valley, and abroad are marshaled in service of achieving your vision.
Do you give grants? Are you an incubator?
The Xfund does not make grants; we make investments. We are also not a cookie-cutter incubator where all teams sign up to templated investment terms. We make seed investments on a case-by-case basis and partner with the best teams to build transformational technology companies. In that quest we work closely with nationally respected incubators and angel investors.
Partners / Investment Committee: J. Breyer, P. Chung, A. Crane, H. Van Vuuren & H. Weller
Headquarters: Cambridge, MA
Founded: 2011
Long hand / Short hand: "The Experiment Fund" / "Xfund"
Download: Logos (.zip)
02138 Favorites : Map of Harvard Square
Press Releases:
01.27.12 The Xfund Launch
06.26.12 The Xfund add Partners & Advisors
