VC Fund Dossiers

Here's the deal with Underscore: they've built something genuinely different with their 'Core Community' model where they profit-share with 100+ operators who actually help their portfolio companies. It's not just intro-making - these advisors have skin in the game because they get paid when companies succeed. The catch? You're basically getting a Boston-centric fund that's going through a major generational transition after co-founder John Pearce passed away and Michael Skok stepped back. New managing partner Lily Lyman has a reputation for extreme founder dedication (literally rerouting flights mid-vacation to meet founders), but the jury's still out on whether the community model scales as they grow. Their unicorns (Salsify, Project44) prove the model works, but expect heavy Boston bias and a very hands-on, relationship-intensive approach that some founders love and others find overwhelming.