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All investor lists > Seed
Browse OpenVC's list of seed stage investors and VCs that are actively supporting founders in the early revenue days of their startup.
Last update: June 9, 2026
List author: Harrison Faull
Shortlist investors, submit pitch decks, and get replies
Use code "OpenVC". Conditions apply.
Raising a seed round is one of the most important inflection points in a startupâs life, and itâs where many founders lose time talking to the wrong investors. At OpenVC, this stage is our core user base, and weâve built the platform around helping founders navigate it with more clarity and less noise.
This guide to seed funding is designed to give you a realistic view of what investors expect, how seed rounds are actually structured, and how to approach your search strategically. With this foundation, youâll be better positioned to run a focused, efficient raise with the right partners from day one.
A seed round is the first official stage of startup funding after pre-seed. Itâs 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 validate the business further, find product-market fit, 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 the seed stage.
The seed stage aims to take your startup from concept to early traction. Some common goals of seed fundraising include:
A lot of founders jump into raising before theyâre truly ready. The best time to raise capital from seed investors is when you can show momentumâwhether thatâs product progress, market pull, or team strength.
Here are some green lights venture capitalists look for:
Still not sure if you're there yet? Try OpenVCâs Fundability Test to get an honest read of how your startup stacks up.
Seed stage investors typically write checks between $500,000 and $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.
Seed rounds are often the first time a startup brings in institutional capital, which usually comes with more structured expectations around traction, milestones, and ownership. Compared to seed, pre-seed investors typically write smaller checks and place more weight on the founding team and the core insight rather than polished metrics.
Pre-seed rounds are often used to validate the problem, build an initial product, or secure early design partners, while seed capital is aimed at proving repeatability. Knowing which stage youâre truly at helps avoid mismatched conversations and wasted cycles during fundraising.
Not all seed stage investors operate the same way, and understanding the differences is crucial for founders raising initial capital. Choosing the right type of seed venture capital can save time, improve terms, and increase your chances of follow-on funding.
Traditional VCs: Typically write $500Kâ$3M checks for high-growth tech, SaaS, or consumer startups. They provide strategic guidance, recruiting support, and introductions to later-stage seed venture capital funds. Best suited for startups showing early traction or market validation.
Accelerators and Incubators: Provide $50Kâ$500K along with mentorship programs (e.g., Y Combinator, Techstars). Ideal for refining product, proving early traction, and building networks of seed stage investors for future rounds.
Angel Investors: Typically invest $10Kâ$250K at the earliest stages, often pre-seed or bridging into seed. Angels provide mentorship, early validation, and initial traction, but usually donât offer the structured follow-on support or networks found in other investor types. Many founders use angel funding to refine their product and metrics before approaching seed venture capital firms.
Corporate VCs: Write $250Kâ$2M checks, often targeting startups that align strategically with their business. Can offer pilots, distribution channels, or technical expertise, but founders should watch for potential IP or strategic conflicts.
Micro-VCs: Focus exclusively on seed-stage deals, usually $100Kâ$1M. These seed venture funds are hands-on, flexible on traction requirements, and often bet on technical founders or niche markets.
Matching your startup to the right type of seed investor ensures smarter outreach and better outcomes.
Here, weâve assembled a list of the best seed stage venture capital firms.
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
Accel is one of the most prominent seed-stage investors and has helped startups grow from seed funding to IPOs, making it a go-to for founders looking for seed capital.
As one of the most renowned startup accelerators, Y Combinator is recognized for its comprehensive seed investment program, which enables new companies to grow rapidly through mentorship, funding, and networking.
Benchmark is known for its focus on high-potential early-stage tech companies, particularly in the consumer tech space.
First Round is highly regarded for its seed-stage investment strategy and hands-on approach with startups, providing support beyond just funding.
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.
Andreessen Horowitz invests in a wide range of sectors, from consumer tech to blockchain, and they are known for their strong network and resources with seed stage companies.
Odds are⌠You wonât be raising seed money for your startup from investors like YC or Sequoia. While itâs beneficial to know the largest players in the VC landscape, we recommend that you donât get too focused on the big names. There are thousands of seed investors in the OpenVC database, and you can easily narrow your search with several filters.
Investors understand that many seed-ready startups arenât generating substantial revenue yet. To demonstrate tangible progress and clear value, focus on
When building your pitch deck for seed investors, keep it conciseâtypically 10â15 slidesâand make every slide tell a clear story. Use real data wherever possible: charts of user growth, engagement metrics, or results from beta testing can speak louder than financial projections alone.
Highlight early wins and customer validation to show momentum, even if revenue is minimal. Finally, make your deck visually clear and easy to follow. Potential investors often skim decks first, so clarity and impact matter more than flashy design. The more you can simplify VCsâ due diligence, the better.
Need some more advice? Check out our guide to building a startup pitch deck.
Donât just start emailing people. Build a plan.
A strong seed fundraising strategy includes:
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.
These additional lists could also be useful starting points for your investor search. You can further refine each list to discover potential investors that match your business and funding needs, and mentorship needs.
SaaS Investors: Many pre-seed and seed investors focus heavily on B2B SaaS, especially those with clear early traction, repeat usage, and scalable go-to-market models. Fintech Investors: A strong option for founders building payments, financial infrastructure, or regulated products where seed investors often bring domain expertise and follow-on capital. Biotech Investors: Relevant for science-driven startups with longer development timelines, where seed capital often comes from specialized funds that understand technical and regulatory risk. Angel Investors: Solo angels and angel networks are frequently the first checks into seed rounds. They can act as advisors, offering mentorship, introductions, and early validation alongside capital. San Francisco Investors: One of the most active seed markets globally, with dense investor networks and a high concentration of funds leading early-stage rounds across industries.
Whether youâre raising $750K on a SAFE or closing a $3M round with a lead, OpenVC gives you the tools to move faster and smarter.
Hereâs what you get:
Seed rounds are hardâŚbut theyâre easier when youâre not doing it blind. With OpenVC, youâre not just guessing who to pitch. Youâre raising with real signals, real support, and real visibility.
Get serious about raising from seed investors and get started with OpenVC for free!
Save investors, manage outreach, and run your fundraising in one platform.
OpenVC is a free startup fundraising platform that helps founders find the right investors and manage their entire raise. Search 20,000+ verified investors, including venture capitalists, angel investors, family offices, accelerators, and more. Build your target list, send your pitch deck, and track your pipeline all in one place.
Founders raise with OpenVC because it is designed to cut through the noise and get founders in front of the right investors, fast. With built-in tools for CRM, analytics, and warm intros, it helps you stay organized and improve your chances of getting a reply.
OpenVC is for early-stage startup founders who want to raise capital efficiently. Find investors from dozens of industries including SaaS, AI, fintech, biotech, and more. Whether youâre pre-seed, seed, or Series A, OpenVC helps you find and pitch aligned investors without paying intro fees, aimlessly cold-emailing, or scraping databases.
To start pitching investors on OpenVC, create a free account and submit your pitch deck directly through our startup funding platform. Investors receive a unique link to view your deck, and you get analytics on who opens it and how long they spend on it. No cold emails, no guesswork. For more info, check out our complete guide to fundraising on OpenVC.
Absolutely, OpenVC is designed for early-stage fundraising. Youâll find thousands of angel investors, pre-seed VCs, accelerators, incubators, and family offices who are actively backing startups across sectors and geographies. Use OpenVCâs filters to narrow your search and find the right investors for your startup.
Some examples of startups that successfully secured funding through OpenVC include Mobly (2.5M seed), Paxum ($1.2M seed), and Laennec AI ($400k pre-seed). OpenVC startups have gone on to raise more than $1 billion from top venture capital firms like YC, Sequoia, Google Ventures, and M12.
OpenVC was created by Stephane Nasser and Lucas Roquillyâtwo founders building tools to make startup fundraising more transparent and accessible. We launched OpenVC to help founders find investors, get replies, and raise smarter. The platform is bootstrapped, community-driven, and built with a lot of heart.
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