Process

For portfolio companies

The founding teams we meet typically have deep domain expertise and technical skill. And while raising seed money isn't easy, finding capital usually is not the biggest hurdle. Instead, the biggest challenges are some mix of the following:

• Getting access to the right talent at the right time — without recruiting becoming the founders’ full-time job
• Sourcing and delivering on early sales engagements without being overwhelmed by the one-off professional services portions of these arrangements
• Transforming core, differentiated IP and domain expertise into compelling, data-driven products

The Guild directly addresses all three of these challenges; we roll up our sleeves and work directly with founding teams to get their product into market. Plus we work for common equity, not cash, which means we're aligned for the long term.

Read more about our process for companies.

For investors

It has become a truism that there is more money than good ideas, and more capital than existing asset classes can profitably absorb. The Data Guild is a new kind of organization, pioneering a new model for the co-creation of value. Like a venture fund, we convert LP capital into equity in a portfolio of new ventures. But like a startup, we apply our own efforts directly, rather than allocating capital. The result is an investment with a risk reward profile between that of an individual startup and traditional venture fund. Combined with our deep commitment to social and business impact in our focus sectors, The Data Guild provides a unique vehicle for investors to put their capital to work.

See our portfolio.

For members

Rarely do purpose and prosperity intersect: technologists must routinely decide whether to follow their ideals, or provide a good living for themselves and their families.

The Data Guild is an organization specifically designed to balance these concerns, building and supporting new products and businesses that are economically successful — and that address the crucial challenges that human civilization faces in the coming decades.

We are always in search of T-shaped product and technology folk — from design to engineers to data scientists. If the current landscape is leaving you unfulfilled, we'd love to hear from you.

Read more about how we work with members.

For strategic partners

Executives charged with innovation, self-disruption, and new business creation are often painfully aware of the opportunities in their sector, but equally alert to the challenges and complexities presented by regulation, existing lines of business, and lack of internal capabilities.

For our strategic partners in energy, health care, and life sciences, The Data Guild provides a new path to innovation and growth. We balance responsiveness to business needs, a nuanced understanding of existing processes and constraints, the ability to navigate changing regulatory environments, and world-class design and technical ability. The result is a co-creation process that, for many projects, outperforms other paths to innovation — whether in-house or outsourced.