Fondo Initiates "Collison Installations" with Y Combinator Founders at S25 Batch Event

Fondo, an accounting platform designed for startups, has commenced "Collison installations" with founders from the Y Combinator Summer 2025 (S25) batch, as announced by David J. Phillips, a figure associated with Fondo. The initiative, observed at a YC S25 end-of-batch party, aims to directly assist early-stage companies with their financial setup. Among the founders participating were Peggy Wang of Ego and Marco Dewey of Jazzberry, who were thanked for "joining @tryfondo" in a social media post by Phillips.

Fondo specializes in providing comprehensive financial solutions for high-growth startups, including bookkeeping, tax filing, and securing tax credits. The platform positions itself as an "autopilot" for startup accounting, aiming to streamline complex financial operations and help companies reclaim significant cash through tax incentives. This direct engagement at the YC event underscores Fondo's strategy to integrate its services early into the startup ecosystem.

The term "Collison installation" originates from Y Combinator's early days, famously attributed to Stripe founders Patrick and John Collison. It describes an aggressive, hands-on approach to user acquisition where founders personally help new users integrate their product on the spot. This method is lauded within the YC community for fostering deep user understanding and accelerating early adoption.

Peggy Wang, co-founder of Ego, a YC Winter 2024 company, is developing an AI-powered video game platform that allows users to create custom simulation games without coding. Her company recently exited Y Combinator and secured $7.5 million in funding. Marco Dewey, co-founder of Jazzberry, a YC S25 company, is building an AI agent designed to identify software bugs, highlighting the diverse innovation within the accelerator's cohorts.

Fondo's proactive engagement at the YC S25 event, leveraging the "Collison installation" model, demonstrates a strategic effort to embed its financial services directly within the operations of promising new ventures. This approach not only provides immediate support to founders like Wang and Dewey but also reinforces Fondo's position as a key partner in the Y Combinator startup landscape.