Raising your first round is the hardest fundraise you'll ever do. You have no track record, limited proof, and a network that probably doesn't include many investors.
The good news: a specific category of seed stage investors exists precisely for this moment, and many of them prefer backing first-time founders over repeat operators.
This guide covers 25 of the best seed funds actively writing first checks in 2026, based on data from the Everything Startups VC Funds database.
Every fund on this list has recently closed a new vehicle, invests at pre-seed or seed, and writes checks accessible to founders raising their first institutional round.
What Is Seed Capital?
Seed capital is the first institutional money a startup raises to go from early product to repeatable traction. It typically funds 18–24 months of runway and covers hiring the core team, building the product, and finding early signs of product-market fit.
In 2026, seed rounds generally range from $1M to $5M, with pre-seed rounds sitting between $250K and $1.5M.
Seed stage investors expect a working product or strong early signal, waitlists, pilots, design partners, or early revenue, but they invest primarily in the team and the market insight.
Seed capital usually comes from three sources: dedicated seed funds (the focus of this list), angel investors, and multi-stage firms running seed programs.
Dedicated seed funds tend to be the most founder-friendly for first-timers because seed is their entire business, and their incentives are aligned with getting you to Series A.
How We Selected These Funds
Every fund on this list meets three criteria:
- Active capital. Each firm closed a new fund within the last 12 months, which means fresh money to deploy rather than a legacy portfolio to manage.
- Genuine early-stage focus. Pre-seed and seed are the core of their strategy, and check sizes match first-round realities.
- First-time founder track record. These firms consistently back founders raising institutional capital for the first time, some, like Antler and Entrepreneurs First, exist specifically to create new founders.
Fund sizes, check sizes, and sector focus below come from the Everything Startups New VC Funds directory, which tracks newly announced funds weekly.
The 25 Best Seed Funds for First-Time Founders
1. Antler
Fund Size: $510M
HQ: Singapore
Check Size: $100K – $500K
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Fintech, Healthtech
Antler runs a global residency model built entirely around first-time founders, you can join before you have a co-founder, an idea, or a company. With operations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, it's one of the most accessible entry points into venture capital anywhere in the world.
2. Entrepreneurs First
Fund Size: $200M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $500K – $10M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Deeptech, Biotech
Entrepreneurs First invests in individuals before companies exist, matching technical talent with co-founders through its talent-investing program. The firm's latest $200M fund backs founders across North America, Europe, and Asia, with a strong tilt toward AI, deeptech, and biotech.
3. Seedcamp
Fund Size: $320M
HQ: United Kingdom
Check Size: $1M – $5M
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
Sector Focus: AI, Defense, Fintech
Seedcamp is Europe's most established seed fund, with a portfolio that includes UiPath, Revolut, and Wise, several of them founded by first-timers. Its latest $320M fund continues writing first checks across Europe and North America, with defense and AI now sitting alongside its traditional fintech strength.
4. NFX
Fund Size: $325M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $1M – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: AI, AI Infrastructure, Developer Tools
NFX built its brand on network effects and founder education, its free content library and tools like Signal have helped thousands of first-time founders navigate their raise. The firm invests across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
5. BoxGroup
Fund Size: $550M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $250K – $3M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: Fintech, SaaS, Enterprise Software
BoxGroup is one of New York's most prolific first-check writers, known for moving fast and leading or co-leading rounds without heavy governance demands. Its $550M vehicle backs founders at the earliest stages across fintech, SaaS, and enterprise software.
6. Kindred Ventures
Fund Size: $335M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $500K – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: AI, Crypto, Blockchain
Kindred Ventures was an early backer of Uber, Coinbase, and Postmates, and continues to concentrate on conviction-driven first checks. The firm's $335M fund covers AI and crypto with flexibility to lead pre-seed through Series A.
7. Boost VC
Fund Size: $87M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $1M – $2M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Nuclear Energy, Space, Genetics
Boost VC backs what it calls "sci-fi founders", people building in nuclear energy, space, and genetics before those categories are fashionable. Many of its portfolio founders are technical first-timers coming straight out of research labs.
8. Weekend Fund
Fund Size: $25M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $100K – $300K
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Consumer, B2B SaaS, AI & ML
Weekend Fund, run by Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover, writes small, fast checks into pre-seed rounds across the United States, Europe, and India. Its size makes it a natural fit for founders assembling a party round of value-add angels and micro-funds.
9. Anti Fund
Fund Size: $100M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $250K – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Growth
Sector Focus: AI, Generative AI, Infrastructure
Anti Fund takes a contrarian approach to early-stage investing, concentrating on AI and infrastructure companies at pre-seed and seed. Its flexible check size, from $250K up to $5M, lets it participate whether you're raising a small angel round or a larger institutional seed.
10. Daybreak
Fund Size: $100M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $500K – $1M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Healthcare, Enterprise Software, AI
Daybreak closed a fresh $100M fund in mid-2026 to back pre-seed and seed founders in healthcare and enterprise software. Its focused check size keeps it squarely in first-round territory, where founders benefit most from hands-on support.
11. Flybridge
Fund Size: $100M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $1M – $3M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: Applied AI, AI, Generative AI
Flybridge has spent two decades backing early-stage founders and now concentrates its latest $100M fund on applied AI. The firm's community-driven model, including its network of founder-focused funds, makes it particularly approachable for first-timers.
12. 2048 Ventures
Fund Size: $82M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $500K – $3M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Applied AI, SaaS
2048 Ventures leads pre-seed and seed rounds for technical founders, often as the first institutional check. The firm is explicit about backing outsiders and first-time founders outside major coastal hubs.
13. Better Tomorrow Ventures
Fund Size: $140M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $500K – $4M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Fintech, AI, Accounting Tech
Better Tomorrow Ventures is a fintech specialist that leads pre-seed and seed rounds globally, from the United States to Africa, South America, and India. Founders get partners who have operated in fintech and know the regulatory terrain first-timers usually underestimate.
14. Glasswing Ventures
Fund Size: $200MHQ: United States
Check Size: $1M – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Cybersecurity, Developer Tools
Glasswing Ventures invests exclusively at pre-seed and seed in AI and frontier tech, with deep technical diligence capability in-house. For technical first-time founders in cybersecurity and AI infrastructure, that expertise translates into faster, more informed decisions.
15. Corazon Capital
Fund Size: $100M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $250K – $1.5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: AI, Applied AI, Consumer Tech
Corazon Capital closed a $100M fund in early 2026 to back pre-seed and seed companies in AI and consumer tech. Its check range starts at $250K, keeping the door open for founders raising smaller first rounds.
16. Gutter Capital
Fund Size: $75M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $3M – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Consumer, Enterprise Software, AI
Gutter Capital leads rounds at pre-seed and seed with concentrated checks between $3M and $5M. The firm backs founders building in consumer and enterprise software, with a preference for leading rather than following.
17. Magnify Ventures
Fund Size: $46.6M
HQ: United States
Check Size: $250K – $2M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Consumer, Healthcare, Fintech
Magnify Ventures closed a new $46.6M fund in July 2026 focused on the care economy — consumer, healthcare, and fintech products serving families and households. It's a strong match for mission-driven first-time founders in underinvested consumer categories.
18. Hoxton Ventures
Fund Size: $60M
HQ: United Kingdom
Check Size: $500K – $5M
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: Deeptech, AI, Consumer
Hoxton Ventures backed Deliveroo, Darktrace, and Babylon Health at seed — all before those companies had meaningful traction. The firm hunts for European founders building global category-creators and is comfortable being the first institutional investor.
19. Concept Ventures
Fund Size: $88M
HQ: United Kingdom
Check Size: $250K – $1M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Defense, Consumer, AI
Concept Ventures is the UK's largest dedicated pre-seed fund, writing first checks between $250K and $1M. The firm is built around being a founder's very first investor, which makes it one of the most natural starting points for first-timers in Europe.
20. Tapestry VC
Fund Size: $80M
HQ: United Kingdom
Check Size: $500K – $1M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Deeptech, Generalist
Tapestry VC closed an $80M fund in July 2026 to back pre-seed and seed founders across Europe and North America. Its generalist mandate with an AI and deeptech tilt gives first-time founders flexibility that thesis-narrow funds can't offer.
21. Creator Fund
Fund Size: $56MHQ: United Kingdom
Check Size: $500K – $900K
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Deeptech, AI, Robotics
Creator Fund invests in Europe's top university talent, backing PhDs, researchers, and students spinning science out of the lab. Nearly every founder in its portfolio is raising institutional capital for the first time, which shapes how the fund supports companies post-investment.
22. byFounders
Fund Size: $148M
HQ: Denmark
Check Size: $2M – $10M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Sector Focus: Generalist, Deeptech, AI
byFounders is backed by a collective of successful Nordic and Baltic founders who mentor portfolio companies directly. That founder-LP structure means first-time founders get operators who've done it before sitting on their cap table.
23. Angel Invest
Fund Size: $44MHQ: GermanyCheck Size: $100K – $500K
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Deeptech, Fintech, AI
Angel Invest is one of Europe's most active first-check investors, writing $100K–$500K checks at high velocity across the continent. Small checks and fast decisions make it a common first "yes" for German and European first-time founders.
24. Wave Ventures
Fund Size: $11MHQ: Finland
Check Size: $25K – $300K
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: AI, Fintech, Healthtech
Wave Ventures is the largest student-run fund in Europe, backing Nordic founders at the absolute earliest stage with checks starting at $25K. If you're a student or recent graduate raising your very first capital, few funds are more accessible.
25. Cyberstarts
Fund Size: $380MHQ: Israel
Check Size: $200K – $5M
Stage Focus: Pre-Seed, Seed
Sector Focus: Cybersecurity, AI, Cloud Infrastructure
Cyberstarts backs Israeli cybersecurity founders at inception, often before the company is incorporated. Its Sunrise program connects founders with CISOs from day one — a model that has produced multiple unicorns from first-time founding teams.
Pre-Seed Venture Capital Firms vs Seed Funds: What's the Difference?
Pre-seed venture capital firms invest at the idea or prototype stage, typically writing $100K–$1.5M checks before there's meaningful traction. They evaluate founders on team quality, market insight, and early validation signals like waitlists, pilots, or customer interviews.
Seed funds come in slightly later, once there's a working product and early evidence of demand. Checks range from $1M to $5M, and investors expect a clearer picture of go-to-market, early usage or revenue, and a credible path to Series A metrics.
Many of the funds on this list, Antler, Concept Ventures, Angel Invest, 2048 Ventures, operate across both stages, which matters for first-time founders. A fund that invests at pre-seed and follows on at seed reduces the number of fundraises you need to run in your first two years.
For a deeper comparison of how investors at each stage think, see Decoding VC Speak: What They Say vs What They Really Mean.
How to Raise a Seed Round as a First-Time Founder
Raising a seed round follows a repeatable process. Founders who treat it like a structured campaign consistently outperform those who take meetings ad hoc.
1. Build Your Target List
Start with 50–100 seed stage investors filtered by sector, geography, stage, and check size. Use the Everything Startups New VC Funds directory to find recently closed funds,. new funds have fresh capital and pressure to deploy, which works in your favor.
Get the full database with contact details of Pre-seed to Series A investors here.
2. Prepare Materials Investors Can Evaluate Fast
Your deck should cover the problem, your unique insight, the product, market size, early proof points, team background, and the amount you're raising with expected runway. Keep it under 15 slides. Seed investors evaluate hundreds of decks a month, and clarity beats polish every time.
3. Show Proof, Even Without Revenue
First-time founders rarely have revenue at seed, and investors know it. What they want instead: prototype demos, pilot commitments, letters of intent, waitlist growth, or engagement data from early users. Any of these signals de-risks the team question that hangs over every first-time founder.
4. Run a Tight Process
Batch your outreach into a 4–6 week window so investor conversations progress in parallel. Warm introductions through portfolio founders, accelerator networks, and operator communities outperform cold email, but many funds on this list, including Antler, Entrepreneurs First, and Concept Ventures, accept direct applications.
5. Prepare for Diligence Questions
Expect questions on early traction, go-to-market plans, competition, hiring priorities, technical roadmap, and use of funds. Clear, specific answers signal preparedness and move you from first meetings to partner meetings faster.
FAQ: Best Seed Funds and Seed Stage Investors
What makes a seed fund good for first-time founders?
Three things: a track record of first checks into unproven teams, hands-on support post-investment, and clean, founder-friendly terms. Funds like Antler, Entrepreneurs First, and Creator Fund are structured entirely around founders with no prior startup experience.
How much should I raise at seed?
Enough for 18–24 months of runway, typically $1M–$5M depending on your sector and burn. Capital-intensive categories like deeptech and biotech often raise more; lean SaaS teams can raise less.
Do seed stage investors take board seats?
Lead investors at seed often take a board seat or board observer role; smaller checks usually come without governance. Pre-seed rounds frequently close with no board at all.
Should I approach multi-stage firms or dedicated seed funds first?
Dedicated seed funds are usually the better first conversation for first-time founders. Seed is their core business, their decision processes are faster, and a passed deal doesn't create the signaling risk that comes with a multi-stage firm declining to follow on.
Data sourced from the Everything Startups VC Funds database, tracking newly announced venture funds weekly across the US, Europe, and Israel.
