150 Pre-Seed Investors — 112 Currently Deploying

What pre-seed investors look for

Pre-seed is the earliest institutional stage — before a product is fully built or revenue is demonstrated. Check sizes typically range from $150K to $1.5M, often from micro-funds, scouts, or angel syndicates. Investors at this stage are backing founder-market fit: deep domain expertise, a clear problem worth solving, and early evidence of customer demand.

Pre-seed rounds often close faster than seed (4–8 weeks) because they involve smaller checks and simpler terms. A SAFE or convertible note is the most common instrument. Focus your outreach on funds with under $50M AUM that specialize in your sector — larger funds rarely lead at this stage.

Elevate Capital invests in underserved entrepreneurs—women, minorities, veterans, and those with limited regional access to capital—by providing venture capital and mentorship to h…

Early-stage investors backing ambitious founders building an AI-powered future across enablement (infrastructure/developer platforms), action (agentic business applications), and i…

South Park Commons helps talented technologists and founders turn 'illegible into the inevitable' by providing a home for figuring out what's next, transitioning from -1 to 0 (pre-…

YC turns builders into formidable founders by providing structured mentorship, funding, and network access during a 12-week batch program. The program transforms early-stage teams …

Invest first in founders making mutants a reality by reimagining the universe. Generalist investors backing companies that make 1 billion lives better through bold bets in deep tec…

Bee Partners backs radical technical founders at inception (pre-product, pre-revenue) with conviction-first capital. They invest in AI supercycle futures, enterprise AI agents, har…

HAX backs pre-seed startups solving hard industrial-scale challenges using innovative hard tech (plasma, physical AI, advanced chemistry) in energy, compute, transportation, health…

Write the first check to builders who are still dreaming, tinkering, and exploring what they want to create. Work with founders pre-product, pre-traction, and often pre-idea.

Forum Ventures is a founder-first AI venture studio, accelerator, and pre-seed fund committed to the entrepreneurial journey from zero to one, with a maniacal focus on becoming an …

Earlybird backs Pre-Seed to Series A founders in emerging tech from fintech to nuclear fusion, providing financial resources, strategic support, and international network access to…

Thesis-driven early-stage firm backing visionary founders building technologies of the future in Vertical AI, Deep Tech, Health, and Bio with strong data moats and Systems of Recor…

Investing in the best technical storytellers at preseed and seed stage. The fund focuses on founders who can effectively communicate complex technical visions.

Backing founders everywhere with $250k pre-seed investments, providing value-add support and community across 30 countries.

Europe's largest pre-seed fund focused on backing founders with conviction at the concept stage, tailoring support based on founder experience level (first-time vs repeat founders)…

Pre-seed venture fund leading investments in Intelligent Industry Solutions, focused on AI-led innovation that delivers radical productivity, industrial efficiency through percepti…

Early-stage VC for entrepreneurs building the next generation of European icons, partnering with founding teams at pre-seed and seed stages across thematic areas including fintech,…

Back European founders with strong qualities (not CV/pedigree) building businesses for a better human future, assessed on characteristics like productivity, grit, and commercial ac…

Petri develops pre-seed companies attacking the world's largest problems at the frontier of biology and engineering, believing the future of biotech is founder-led.

Carbon Removal Partners invests in early-stage companies developing technologies to reverse climate change through carbon removal at industrial scale, guided by scientific rigor an…

Early-stage venture capital investing with intention, rooted in inclusion. Talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not; lived experience is a competitive advantage, and the…

We partner with founders building pioneering AI-native companies before the category exists, leading pre-seed and seed rounds for AI-native companies before market consensus, backe…

Ground State Ventures discovers and supports high-potential quantum technology startups from the very beginning, investing across quantum computing, sensing, communications, and in…

Earthshot Ventures backs technologies defining the next industrial era by focusing on energy, AI, and critical minerals—markets where new inventions unlock outsized returns and pos…

First dedicated pre-seed fund in NYC that works with product-obsessed teams from day 0, emphasizing early-stage product development and founder support.

Technology-focused Pre-Seed fund backing founders who are different and unconventional.

Early-stage investor in category-defining enterprise technology companies led by visionary entrepreneurs, with focus on applied AI, logistics and supply chain, vertical solutions, …

Partner with exceptional founders at the very inception of their entrepreneurial journey, focusing on pre-seed and seed stage investments with a data-driven approach across non-tra…

Invest from inception through seed in founders building across the Southeast, providing first checks before the deck is polished and before anyone else is paying attention. Focus o…

Early-stage venture capital firm backing founders creating a digital and sustainable built world through investments in sustainable construction, efficient buildings, infrastructur…

Neo invests in people and the next generation of founders through pre-seed/seed funding, a startup residency program, and a diverse mentorship community. The fund believes in suppo…

Seed-stage generalist investor supporting ambitious founders building enduring businesses across the United States, with focus on Software, Healthcare, Financial Services, Marketpl…

Experienced founders (particularly serial/exit founders) win 22x more often. Zero-equity retreats attract elite repeat founders who avoid traditional accelerators, enabling first-m…

Backing breakout researchers and entrepreneurs emerging from the world's leading research labs and innovation ecosystems, solving the toughest problems across technology and life s…

Specialists in pre-seed and seed investing, founded by operators who have built and scaled companies. Provide hands-on support through recruiting, GTM coaching, fundraising assista…

Techstars helps founders scale startups into world-changing businesses through a 3-month mentorship-driven accelerator program, capital investment, and access to a global network o…

Provide seed and Series A capital with hands-on business building expertise to great founders outside Silicon Valley, proving that world-class companies can be built anywhere.

Global Brain brings new industries to society through extensive hands-on support for startups and open innovation with large corporations, helping them scale globally.

AI Fund is a venture studio that co-founds companies with entrepreneurs, venture funds, and corporate partners to build AI-powered startups that move humanity forward, from idea to…

We invest in early stage companies building future-shaping businesses, specifically software and hardware working within climate across three pillars: Optimise (decarbonise existin…

Back the best student founders early with first capital ($90K-$250K checks) while simultaneously training the next generation of VCs through student-run investing. Built by student…

First-check capital for founders from founders. More than an investor, building real relationships with people transforming the world through operational experience and network act…

We're aligned with founders for the long haul, investing at the earliest stages with sector-agnostic conviction in exceptional entrepreneurs. We believe in founder alignment, early…

Back the world's best AI native founders at pre-seed and seed stages with product and go-to-market expertise from OpenAI, Meta, Twitter, and a16z to help them reshape the world.

Panache Ventures backs visionary founders from day one with conviction and courage, providing hands-on support from pre-seed through Series A with operator-level insight and a nati…

Back bold European entrepreneurs building global category leaders through a combination of patient capital, operational support, and deep entrepreneurial expertise. Focus on Applie…

Europe's largest pre-seed fund backing founders with conviction from concept stage. Invests up to $1.5m in first rounds, tailoring support for first-time and repeat founders withou…

Pre-seed lead investor backing product-focused software, platform, and infrastructure builders from 0 to 1 with concentrated strategy and hands-on operator support to reach Series …

Capital-efficient tech startups with quantitative, data-driven decision-making and hands-on operational mentorship at early stages.

Africa is experiencing a tech renaissance with rapidly expanding markets and resilient ecosystems. Ingressive Capital partners with early-stage African tech startups to guide them …

Seed-stage fund that helps founders build generational companies by providing connections, experience, hands-on support, and human-centered partnership from pre-seed through scale.

Network-driven seed fund that provides $500K-$3M in capital plus access to 400+ founders, operator angels, and luminary LPs from world's greatest tech companies to help founders bu…

Human-first approach to venture capital investing in founders at earliest stages across human needs economy (health, wellness, workplace, community, experience). Back founders with…

MaRS helps innovators build a better world by providing startups and scale-ups with commercialization support, connections to capital, customers and talent, and access to an expans…

Entrepreneur-led venture capital investing early in passionate founders tackling big market problems via technology. We provide financial and operational support, positioning ourse…

We help founders at seed stage with what matters most: building world-class teams, go-to-market strategy, and fundraising guidance, drawing from firsthand operational experience of…

Underscore VC is a Boston-based venture capital firm backing bold B2B software entrepreneurs at Pre-Seed and Seed, serving as their link to Boston's innovation hub through hands-on…

Equitable venture capital model where every founder backed becomes a co-owner of the fund. Early-stage investments in mission-driven, pre-seed and seed founders who are outliers, o…

Find awesome companies with founders we like to work with and spend three very intense months with them. Focus on companies that tackle big problems in big markets and aim to build…

Partnering with founders at the earliest stages (first check to pre-seed) building massive tech companies globally, regardless of pedigree or intro path, with a focus on founders s…

How many pre-seed investors are actively deploying right now?

DryPowder tracks 150 pre-seed funds. Of these, 112 are currently deploying capital based on recent fund closes, portfolio activity, and partner signals. Use DryPowder's fund matching to see which ones fit your specific startup.

What check size do pre-seed VCs write?

Among 150 pre-seed funds on DryPowder, check sizes run from $1K–$20M. Ranges vary by fund size, vintage, and whether the fund leads rounds. Each fund profile shows check size detail and lead preference.

How do I get a meeting with a pre-seed VC?

A warm intro is still the fastest path. Most pre-seed VCs on DryPowder do accept cold outreach or direct applications, but response rates vary widely by fund. Before reaching out, use DryPowder's AI matching to get a fit score and specific talking points. Founders who lead with thesis-aligned framing get significantly better response rates than those sending the same deck to every fund on a list.

How long does a pre-seed round take to close?

Most pre-seed rounds close in 4-8 weeks once a lead is committed. The process is faster than seed because checks are smaller and terms are simpler. A SAFE or convertible note is standard. Founders who close quickly typically have a lead committed, 2-3 other investors lined up, and a hard deadline. Open-ended rounds with no timeline tend to stall.

How many pre-seed investors should I be talking to at once?

Most fundraisers recommend a parallel process: identify 20-40 target investors but approach your highest-fit funds first. Of the 112 pre-seed funds currently deploying, not all will match your specific stage and sector. Use fund matching to find your top 10-15, approach those first, collect feedback, then go wider. Going to every fund simultaneously without qualifying first burns bridges and dilutes the urgency that helps close a round.

How is DryPowder different from building a VC list on LinkedIn or Crunchbase?

The fund list you build on LinkedIn or Crunchbase is roughly the same list every other founder is building. DryPowder adds three things a manual search cannot: deployment signals (which funds have recently closed new vehicles and are actively writing checks), AI thesis matching (which of the 150 pre-seed funds actually fits your specific startup, ranked by fit), and verified partner contact details. The goal is 15 targeted, thesis-aligned pitches instead of 150 generic ones.