Angel Investor Zach Frankel's Portfolio Raises Questions About Conflicts in AI Startup Backing

Zach Frankel, a secretive Miami-based angel investor, has backed hundreds of companies valued at more than $185 billion in total—including competing artificial intelligence startups like Cognition and Factory, raising fresh questions about potential conflicts of interest within his sprawling network. The dispute came to public view in September 2026 when Factory's CEO accused a board adviser of sharing confidential information with Cognition, a direct rival. Frankel's dual role as both investor and hands-on mentor to competing founders has highlighted a broader fracturing in venture capital's traditional unwritten rule against simultaneous investments in head-to-head competitors.