When it comes time to secure funding for your startup, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. You need someone you can trust who will take your business to the next level and ensure it flourishes while simultaneously securing the proper funding amount. It’s quite the task for any entrepreneur!
Before you start worrying, we created a list of the best seed venture capital firms to take some of the stress out of your search. Read on to find not only more about the firm itself but also the types of startups they help and several other ways to simplify your research.
Top Seed VCs
The following seed VC firms are designed to help your startup become the best it can be. Whether you’ve got an idea of how to transform your current industry or cutting-edge technology that will change your daily life, these are some solid options to help you get started.
1. Accel
- Location: Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California)
- Industries: Artificial Intelligence, B2B
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Assembly AI, Ritual, Rhythms, Hootsuite
Accel may be a California-based firm, but its reach is worldwide. They’re dedicated to helping startups everywhere become the best they can be. They pride themselves on being the first firm that startups come to and are typically ahead of the curve when it comes to industry trends.
Currently, Accel is focusing on AI startups and how those are changing the world we live in, but they’ve helped companies across a wide spectrum of industries succeed, including tech, marketing, and more.
2. Kleiner Perkins
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Industries: Fintech, Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Enterprise
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Slack, Nest, Spotify, DocuSign
Kleiner Perkins has helped many notable startups get the funding needed to hit the ground running. Their company vision is to partner with companies that change history, and from a quick glance at their client list, it’s clear they’ve done just that.
Whether it’s partnering with a creative company that brings enrichment to its customer base or a grand-scale startup that aims to transform current systems, Kleiner Perkins has experience with it all. They also offer a robust fellowship program for students looking for mentorship with a Kleiner Perkins business partner.
3. Chloe Capital
- Location: Ithaca, New York
- Industries: Education, Healthcare, Fintech
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Hands Down, Optios, West x East, Aunt Flow
Chloe Capital seeks to transform the lives of women-led startups across a variety of industries. With Bank of America acting as one of their capital partners, this is one incredible VC firm that’s definitely worth checking out.
Their current client portfolio is an impressive array of businesses, from financial education to helping busy moms balance their daily workload. Not only does Chloe Capital highlight women-run businesses, but they also lift up businesses that improve women’s lives, too.
4. Sequoia Capital
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Industries: Ecommerce, Tech, Social Media
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Loom, Instacart, 23andMe, Snowflake
Sequoia Capital’s motto is, “We help daring companies build legendary companies,” and a quick perusal of their website shows that they put their money where their mouth is. With clients the likes of DoorDash, Instagram, Instacart, and more, Sequoia Capital is looking for startup movers and shakers.
If your new business idea aligns with the ecommerce and social media aspects of our current digital world, consider reaching out to Sequoia for some seed funding. You can check out more of their client spotlights here.
5. Andreessen Horowitz
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Industries: Gaming, AI, Consumer Goods, Fintech
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Coinbase, Lyft, Oculus, Roblox
Andreessen Horowitz is an extremely popular VC firm whose track record is a clear indicator as to why they’ve become so popular and successful. They’ve provided funding for some of the biggest names in consumer goods and tech, including GitHub, Airbnb, and Facebook.
They wholeheartedly believe that technology isn’t something to be afraid of but to be embraced in order to help create a better society. If you think this sounds like your latest tech startup, check out this cutting-edge VC firm to see about seed funding.
6. First Round Capital
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Industries: Ecommerce, Enterprise, Data
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Notion, Uber, Roblox
Rather than trying to predict the future by throwing money at startups, First Round Capital looks to its founders to tell them what’s next. Instead of focusing on just one industry or sector, they hear all their ideas and sift through them in order to find their next hidden gem.
This is a great VC firm to check out for any startup, whether it be a new AI or social media tool, a piece of genius automotive hardware, or just a fun contraption meant to entertain consumers.
7. Y Combinator
- Location: Mountain View, California
- Industries: Biotech, Fintech, Software
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Dropbox, Stripe, Gusto
Got the next big finance/fintech startup idea? Then, be sure to check out Y Combinator in California. They’ve helped over 4,000 startups at a valuation of over $600 billion, many of which are huge pillars in our daily lives, like Gusto and Stripe, the popular payment systems.
This is a VC firm that’s looking for the best of the best. In addition to financial startups, Y Combinator also provides seed funding for healthcare, restaurants, and other software development companies.
8. 01 Ventures
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Industries: Deep Tech, AI
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Bibblio, Valossa, Teralytic
If you’re a tech startup looking for seed funding, then 01 Ventures is another great place to start. They mainly work in the European market when it comes to things like AI and other deep technology startups that are rewriting the course of humanity.
Europe is home to many life-changing technologies and innovators, and 01 Ventures wants to give back by finding the next big thing that will transform the world. They’re ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on sniffing out the latest tech that will change everything for the better.
9. Google Ventures
- Location: Mountain View, California
- Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, Frontier Tech, Life Sciences
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Stripe, Bowery, Air Protein, Bowery
Google Ventures is looking to fund the next cutting-edge, progressive startup. Their VC firm prides itself on finding and “supporting innovative founders [who are] moving the world forward.”
Whether it’s a new payment system technology that makes your shopping experience easier or a scientific breakthrough that will reduce carbon emissions, Google Ventures wants to hear them all. If your latest startup idea aligns with any of these industries, consider checking out this prestigious team dedicated to creating a better world.
10. Menlo Ventures
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, Healthcare
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Chime, Abnormal, Harness, Bitsight
Menlo Ventures works shoulder-to-shoulder with startups to help new companies with “groundbreaking ideas break ground.” They’re all about making our daily lives easier, whether it’s investing in a fun new game that will leave us entertained or the latest healthcare technology that will change lives.
With clients like Roku, Poshmark, Uber, and more, Menlo Ventures knows how to spot a successful startup from a mile away. Their motto is proudly posted all over their website: “When we invest, we’re invested.”
11. Cowboy Ventures
- Location: Palo Alto, California
- Industries: Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare, Fintech, Consumer Goods
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Crunchbase, Getaway, Tally
Cowboy Ventures brings a friendly, human touch to VC seed funding. Their firm focuses on multiple industries and software, including consumer goods, financial technology, SaaS, and more. Their website says they’re “purpose-built” for seed and pre-seed funding and will ride with you through every step of the funding process.
They say there’s always “room around the campfire,” and are truly dedicated to making sure their clients successfully reach their business goals. You can check out more of their business practices here.
12. FJ Labs
- Location: New York, New York
- Industries: Travel & Lifestyle, Crypto & Web3, Logistics, Ecommerce
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Flexport, Delivery Hero, Alibaba, Properly
FJ Labs are proud angel investors looking for the next big startup to fund. Over the years, they’ve amassed the world’s largest portfolio, with over 30 of their investments becoming unicorns. In addition to a great idea, FJ Labs is looking for determination, grit, and founders who know exactly how to execute their vision.
With such a successful track record, it’s clear that this is one VC firm that knows exactly what it wants and how to go after it. If that sounds like you, too, then be sure to check this team out.
13. Dreamit Ventures
- Location: New York, New York
- Industries: Healthtech, Securetech
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Cherre, Eko, Tidal, Infermedica
If your startup is the latest in either healthcare or security technology (i.e., cybersecurity, anti-fraud, risk & compliance, or physical security), then Dreamit Ventures is the perfect VC firm for you.
Dreamit focuses specifically on its Customer and Investor Sprints, which are their original systems for growing your customer base as well as your next round of funding. They partner with over 80 industry leaders like AWS, Deloitte, American Express, and more in order to make sure your startup funding stretches as far as it can (and then some).
14. New Enterprise Associates
- Location: Menlo Park, California
- Industries: Healthcare, Enterprise, Consumer, Life Sciences
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Sana, Merge, Plaid, Everside Health
New Enterprise Associates are looking for the next startup that will define the future of healthcare and technology. When it comes to seed funding, they’re dedicated to putting relationships first in order to make sure your business reaches new heights.
Their technology startup scope reaches across a variety of industries, like consumer goods, enterprise, and more. More than anything, this is one VC firm that wants to see what’s possible with technology and how startups can keep the industry moving forward.
15. Spark Capital
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Industries: Consumer, Enterprise, AI, Marketplaces
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Discord, Wayfair, Handshake, Warby Parker
Spark Capital knows that “there’s no playbooks or rulebooks or formulas” when it comes to creating a successful startup. They bring their own unique approach to seed funding and believe that sometimes the way things have always been done isn’t the way they should continue to be done.
If you have a startup idea that’s a little outside the box, then this may be the perfect VC firm for you. More than anything, Spark Capital is here to do this with you, not for you.