Seed Investors and Venture Capital Firms

Learn More About Seed Funding

What is a seed round?

A seed round is the first official stage of startup funding after pre-seed. It’s designed to help early-stage companies develop their product, build a team, and start scaling. Seed-ready startups typically have some proof of concept or an MVP (minimum viable product) and are looking to secure capital to further validate the business and acquire early customers.

Although you may raise seed without revenue, investors typically expect to see $20k+ in monthly revenue and at least 10% MoM revenue growth at seed stage.

What are the goals of seed funding?

The seed stage aims to take your startup from concept to early traction. Some common goals of seed fundraising include:

• Product development: Solidifying your MVP or building additional core features.
• Customer acquisition: Gaining your first users or testing initial go-to-market strategies.
• Team expansion: Hiring a team of engineers, marketers, or sales staff.
• Market validation: Gathering data to prove product-market fit and refine your business model.
• Prepping for Series A: Establishing the foundation for larger-scale growth and future funding rounds.

When are you ready to raise a seed round?

A lot of founders jump into raising before they’re truly ready. The best time to raise seed is when you can show momentum—whether that’s product progress, market pull, or team strength.

Here are some green lights:

• You’ve validated demand with early users or customers
• You’ve shipped an MVP and have usage or retention data
• You’re outgrowing your pre-seed funding or personal capital
• You know how additional capital will unlock key milestones

Still not sure if you're there yet? Try OpenVC’s Fundability Test to get an honest read of how your startup stacks up.

What is the typical size of a seed round and how is it structured?

Seed rounds typically range from $500,000 to $3 million, though amounts can vary depending on the industry and location. The funding is often structured as equity (in exchange for shares in the company) or via convertible notes or SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity). These flexible structures allow investors to support startups now while delaying formal valuations until the next funding round.

Who are the top seed investors?

1. Sequoia Capital

Sequoia is known for its early-stage investments and has a strong track record of backing successful startups that have gone on to become major players in their respective industries

• Focus Areas: Tech, SaaS, Healthcare, Consumer, and more.

2. Accel

Accel is one of the most prominent seed-stage investors and has helped startups grow from seed funding to IPOs, making them a go-to for founders looking for seed capital.

• Focus Areas: SaaS, Consumer Internet, and Enterprise Tech.

3. Y Combinator

As one of the most famous startup accelerators, Y Combinator is known for its extensive seed investment program that helps new companies grow quickly through mentoring, funding, and networking.

Focus Areas: Early-stage tech startups across a wide variety of sectors, including SaaS, AI, Healthcare, and Consumer.

4. Benchmark

Benchmark is known for its focus on high-potential early-stage tech companies, particularly in the consumer tech space.

• Focus Areas: Tech, SaaS, and Consumer.

5. First Round Capital

First Round Capital is highly regarded for its seed-stage investment strategy and hands-on approach with startups, providing support beyond just funding.

• Focus Areas: SaaS, Consumer, and Tech.

6. Kleiner Perkins

Kleiner Perkins is a top seed investor for its history of backing disruptive technologies at the seed stage and helping them scale to market dominance.

• Focus Areas: Tech, SaaS, Healthcare, and Clean Tech.

7. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

Andreessen Horowitz invests in a wide range of sectors, from consumer tech to blockchain, and they are known for their strong network and resources at the seed stage.

• Focus Areas: SaaS, AI, Tech, and Blockchain.

How can I effectively pitch to seed investors without significant revenue?

Investors understand that many seed-ready startups aren’t generating substantial revenue yet. To demonstrate tangible progress and clear value, focus on

• Your vision: Share a compelling story about the problem you’re solving and why it matters.
• Market opportunity: Highlight the size and growth potential of your target market.
• Traction metrics: Showcase early indicators of success, like user signups or pilot program results.
• Your team: Emphasize why you and your team are uniquely qualified to execute this idea.
• A clear roadmap: Outline how you’ll use the funding to reach key milestones and set up for your next round.

How to create a fundraising strategy for your seed round

Don’t just start emailing people. Build a plan.
A strong seed fundraising strategy includes:

• Defining your target investor profile (stage, sector, geography)
• Building a shortlist of 50–100 aligned investors
• Sequencing outreach to build momentum and land early “soft commits”
• Having a system to track conversations and follow-ups

OpenVC makes this easy. Use our filters to find seed-stage investors who are actively writing checks, save them to your shortlist, then move them into our free CRM where you can track every outreach and response.

Want more structure? Read how to design a winning fundraising strategy.

How OpenVC helps you close your seed round

Whether you’re raising $750K on a SAFE or closing a $3M round with a lead, OpenVC gives you the tools to move faster and smarter.

Here’s what you get:

• 🧭 A live, filterable database of 5,000+ investors
• 🧪 A Fundability Test to benchmark your startup and improve your targeting
• 📬 Submit decks directly to cold-friendly investors
• 🔗 Find warm intros using your actual network
• 📁 CRM + pitch tracking to stay organized and on top of your raise
• ✅ No success fees or equity taken

Seed rounds are hard—but they’re easier when you’re not doing it blind. With OpenVC, you’re not just guessing who to pitch. You’re raising with real signals, real support, and real visibility.

Get serious about your seed raise and sign up for OpenVC today!