Top 12 Seed and Series A VC Funds to Pitch in 2026

Last updated: October 5, 2026

These are the top 12 seed and Series A VC funds for founders in 2026. Each one treats first institutional money as its main job, not a side bet for a multi-stage platform. Each has raised new capital or made public early-stage investments recently, and each publishes enough about its stage, check size, or thesis for you to check fit before you send a cold email. The list covers nine US firms and three European firms.

Finding the right firm is half the work. The other half is what you send after a partner says "send me more." Every entry below ends with a short tip on what that firm is likely to look for in your follow-up materials, and how to present them in a Pageform data room so the story comes first and the folders come second.

Educational overview only. This is not investment advice, a performance ranking, or an endorsement of any fund. Fund programs and partner focus change, so check each firm's site before you pitch.

Quick comparison

How to use this list

Most founder target lists start with the same handful of multi-stage firms. Those inboxes are crowded, and a seed round is a small check for them. The firms below spend most of their time at the first institutional round. Before you email any of them:

1. Confirm stage fit. Inception and pre-seed specialists run a different process from Series A leads. Write a different ask for each.

2. Pitch a partner, not a brand. Read the partner's recent investments and posts. If your note names the wrong category, you have spent your first impression.

3. Have your materials ready before diligence starts. Once a partner asks for follow-up, you need the deck, metric definitions, cap table, and corporate documents in one place. A Pageform fundraising data room guides investors from thesis to traction, financials, terms, and supporting documents, and keeps everyone on the latest version without a chain of email attachments.

4. Watch engagement, then follow up. When you pitch several firms at once, you need to know who is actually reading. Pageform's per-viewer analytics show what each investor opens, skips, and revisits, section by section, so you can follow up first where interest is strongest.

What seed and Series A investors ask for after the first meeting

The follow-up request changes with the stage. Build your room for the stage you are raising, not a generic checklist.

Pageform's AI can generate a first room structure from the files you upload, then audit it for gaps before you share. Most teams can have a first version ready the same day.

How we picked these firms

We chose 12 firms that meet three tests: (a) seed and/or Series A is their main business, (b) they have announced new capital or made public early-stage investments from 2024 to 2026, and (c) they publish enough about their stage, thesis, or process for us to cite. Sources are fund sites, fund announcements, SEC filings, and reputable press. We only include AUM, check sizes, and deal counts when a firm or a filing states them. This is not a league table of returns. We left out large multi-stage platforms (for example a16z, Sequoia, Accel, Lightspeed, Index, and General Catalyst) because they already lead most founder lists and spread their capital across every stage.

Order: US seed specialists with distinct operating models first, then technical and consumer specialists, then European early-stage firms.

1. Unusual Ventures

Known for at early stage: A small number of deep partnerships with technical enterprise founders who are still searching for product-market fit. Unusual publishes its PMF playbook, the Field Guide, which it says has more than 1M views.

Typical stage: Seed, with some Series A. Fund III was a $485M fund for leading seed-stage software rounds, announced in May 2022 (Fund III announcement). Recent deals include Helios's $4M seed and Rime's $24M Series A in July 2026 (unusual.vc).

Thesis / sectors: Infrastructure, SaaS, fintech, and consumer applications built by technical founders. Unusual says it makes "a small number of investments each year" (Our Story). In its 2025 Year in Review, it describes "a handful" of new investments and calls its support model "unreasonable hospitality."

Geography / HQ: San Francisco Bay Area.

How to approach: Lead with a technical insight and a sharp PMF hypothesis, not a volume pitch. Show that you have read the Field Guide and can say who your beachhead customer is. The firm states it has passed $1B in AUM.

Pageform tip: Unusual is focused on PMF, so put your PMF evidence first. Make section one your beachhead customer, design-partner feedback, and the hypothesis you are testing. Put the deck and metrics after that.

2. Forerunner Ventures

Known for at early stage: Consumer investing at the point where new technology meets changing consumer behavior. Featured portfolio companies include Chime, Faire, Oura, Hims & Hers, Glossier, and Warby Parker (forerunnerventures.com).

Typical stage: Seed to Series A. Fund VII states initial investments of $1M to $20M.

Thesis / sectors: Health and wellness, commerce, consumer finance, prosumer, education, social, and marketplaces, with a current focus on AI-native consumer products. Investments listed for 2026 include Wispr Flow, Suno, and Town.

Geography / HQ: United States.

How to approach: Show real insight into what people want, not just a model demo. Forerunner looks for cultural resonance and new categories. Read the Fund VII announcement: a $500M early-stage fund announced November 11, 2024, which brought firm AUM to nearly $3B. Then contact the partner closest to your category.

Pageform tip: Consumer investors want to see that customers love the product. Add rich content such as product video, user quotes, and screenshots of community activity alongside your retention charts, so the room shows the product's cultural pull, not just the numbers.

3. Initialized Capital

Known for at early stage: A seed firm that aims to back founders "before success looks inevitable," with portfolio support on hiring (including its Talent Summit), GTM, and Series A prep.

Typical stage: Seed, before product-market fit (Approach). Recent leads include a $7M round for Enhanced Radar and a $4.8M seed for 10x Science (initialized.com).

Thesis / sectors: Broad. Initialized asks founders to pitch even if the idea isn't like anything in its portfolio, or if they lack a traditional background in the field.

Geography / HQ: San Francisco and New York.

How to approach: Initialized says "email is the best way to reach us" and that it is never too early to talk. On fresh capital: SEC Form D filings for Initialized VII L.P. show a $150M offering, with $114.35M sold as of the September 2026 amendment (SEC EDGAR).

Pageform tip: Initialized invests before PMF, so be candid about what you know and what you are still testing. A short "what we know, what we're testing" section next to the deck builds trust faster than a polished metrics page with very little data behind it.

4. boldstart ventures

Known for at early stage: Inception-stage investing for technical enterprise founders, often before there is a product, pitch deck, or company name. It has written first checks since 2010. Inception-stage investments include Snyk, Clay, Protect AI (acquired by Palo Alto Networks), Tessl, and Keycard (boldstart.vc).

Typical stage: Inception through seed. Lead initial checks of $500K to $15M come from Fund VII. The $175M Opportunities III fund covers follow-ons.

Thesis / sectors: Building, wiring, and securing the "autonomous enterprise": AI-native infrastructure, orchestration layers, secure identity, optimized compute, agent-powered workflows, and programmable automation.

Geography / HQ: United States.

How to approach: Reach out early, even while the idea is still on a whiteboard. boldstart says it wants to be "your first call" at that point. Lead with the technical insight, not a polished deck. Fund VII is a $250M inception fund announced July 8, 2025, and the firm reports more than $1.1B in AUM (Fund VII announcement).

Pageform tip: For inception conversations, skip the 40-file data room. Share a lightweight narrative room with your technical thesis, architecture sketch, and team, and add files as the conversation deepens. You can update the room as you go without re-sending links.

5. Primary Venture Partners

Known for at early stage: A large seed specialist organized around sector partners. Primary announced Fund V on February 10, 2026: $625M across its fifth set of funds. It calls itself "the largest standalone seed firm in the market." It has backed Etched "in every round," including a Series C led by Sequoia at a $10.3B valuation (primary.vc).

Typical stage: Leads pre-seed and seed rounds.

Thesis / sectors: Eight partner strategies: financial services, healthcare, vertical AI, infrastructure/compute, cybersecurity, consumer, GTM tech, and the industrial evolution.

Geography / HQ: US-based. It says it backs founders "from San Francisco to Tel Aviv."

How to approach: Find the partner for your sector instead of writing to a general inbox. Bring seed-stage materials and a clear lead or co-lead ask. Details: Scaling for the AI era: Fund V.

Pageform tip: Primary has partners organized by sector, so your materials may get forwarded inside the firm. Send one controlled link instead of attachments. Viewer analytics show which partners opened the room and what they reviewed, and permissions let you control what each viewer can see. For what later rounds usually cover, see what happens inside startup Series A due diligence.

6. Amplify Partners

Known for at early stage: Built for technical founders (engineers, researchers, and "creative tinkerers"), and aims to be their first investor. Amplify says "it's just too early" is something founders will never hear from it. Early backings include dbt, Dagster, Hightouch, Hex, Runway, and Modal.

Typical stage: First institutional check, with reserves to support companies as they grow.

Thesis / sectors: Developer tools, data, infrastructure, AI, and digital biology through Amplify Bio.

Geography / HQ: Menlo Park and San Francisco (amplifypartners.com).

How to approach: Meet Amplify early, even before you form a company. In June 2025 Amplify announced $900M in new capital: Fund 6 ($400M, its core first-check fund), Fund 6 Select ($300M for existing portfolio companies), and Amplify Bio ($200M) (Fund 6 announcement). Pitch the technical problem you know firsthand, not a generic AI slide.

Pageform tip: Technical investors will look closely at your architecture and benchmarks. Put technical docs, benchmark results, and early usage data in their own section, and let viewers use Pageform's AI document summaries to get through long technical PDFs quickly.

7. Uncork Capital

Known for at early stage: A seed specialist for more than 20 years that aims to be "the first major check on the cap table," often leading the round. Portfolio examples include LaunchDarkly, SendGrid, Postmates, Poshmark, GPTZero, and Loft Orbital (Approach).

Typical stage: Seed, with an initial investment of about $3M to $5M.

Thesis / sectors: Companies using AI and emerging technology across B2B applications, developer tools/infrastructure/security, consumer and marketplaces, and frontier tech/hardware.

Geography / HQ: Invests in companies headquartered in North America. Engineering or product teams can be located elsewhere.

How to approach: Email [email protected] with a short founder-market fit story. In May 2025 Uncork announced $300M in new capital: Uncork VIII ($225M seed) and Uncork Plus IV ($75M growth). Fund VIII targets about 35 companies over three years (Uncork announcement). With that few slots, explain why your team is right for this market now.

Pageform tip: Uncork is often the first board member and plans about 35 new companies over three years, so expect real diligence even at seed. Organize the cap table, formation documents, and key contracts early, and gate sensitive files behind an NDA or verified email.

8. Pear VC

Known for at early stage: A pre-seed accelerator path (PearX) plus early-stage lead and co-lead checks, with hands-on support for hiring, GTM, and fundraising.

Typical stage: Pre-seed through PearX, with $500K to $2M checks and a typical target of 7% ownership. Pear also writes early-stage checks of up to $10M (How We Invest).

Thesis / sectors: AI applications, AI infrastructure, B2B, biotech, consumer, deep tech, fintech, and healthcare.

Geography / HQ: Offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park. PearX teams must relocate to the SF Bay Area for the program.

How to approach: If you are pre-seed and want a structured program, apply to PearX. It is a 12-week accelerator that takes applications year-round and runs winter (January to April) and summer (July to October) cohorts of no more than 25 teams (PearX). Founders who have raised up to $2M can still apply. For a larger seed or Series A, start a conversation with the partner who covers your sector.

Pageform tip: PearX takes applications year-round, so months can pass between your first application and a partner conversation. A room you can update keeps your traction current between conversations, so you don't have to re-send decks.

9. Floodgate

Known for at early stage: Calls itself founders' "first true believers" and bets on founding teams more than resumes. It looks for a "superthinker" paired with a "superbuilder."

Typical stage: Pre-seed and seed (floodgate.com), from idea exploration onward. A May 2025 partner essay cites core checks of $500K to $3M and only 4 to 6 new companies a year for that partner.

Thesis / sectors: Non-consensus ideas with strong founder-idea fit across software and emerging tech (Superbuilders and Superthinkers).

Geography / HQ: Menlo Park, California.

How to approach: Get in touch once the team pairing and the insight are clear, even if the product is still changing. Lead with the inflection point your team sees that others miss. Floodgate treats these as core fund investments, not option bets.

Pageform tip: Floodgate invests in people first. Start the room with your founders: why this pairing works, how you split the work, and what each of you has built before. Then show the product.

10. Point Nine

Known for at early stage: A thesis-driven European early-stage firm run as a small equal partnership. It was among the first investors in Attio, Contentful, Docplanner, Loom, Poolside, and Preply (Point Nine: About).

Typical stage: Pre-seed to Series A, with $1M to $10M per company. Point Nine says it has invested in 10 to 12 early-stage startups a year since 2008 (Point Nine portfolio), and each of its four partners works closely with 6 to 8 companies at a time.

Thesis / sectors: AI for the digital, physical, and biological world, building on a long record in B2B SaaS and marketplaces (pointnine.com).

Geography / HQ: Based in Europe, invests globally.

How to approach: Write a short, specific note to the partner whose recent investments match your category. With so few new deals a year, show how fast you learn and how good the product is, not just how big the market is.

Pageform tip: SaaS investors care about metric definitions. Include a one-page glossary that defines ARR, net revenue retention, and churn exactly as you calculate them, and link it from every section that reports a number.

11. Cherry Ventures

Known for at early stage: A pan-European firm led by founders and operators that is often the first institutional investor, before product or revenue. Every new founder is offered Copilot, a coaching program with more than a dozen vetted coaches. Cherry covers the cost, and founders commit to at least 12 months of sessions (Cherry: About).

Typical stage: Pre-seed to Series A, with seed as the core. Typical checks run €2M to €7M, across about 10 to 12 early-stage investments a year.

Thesis / sectors: Cross-industry, with extra attention on B2B software, fintech, industrials, healthtech, climatetech, and consumer. Cherry looks for an "anomaly," a "red thread," and "personality" in founding teams.

Geography / HQ: Offices in Berlin, London, and Stockholm. It invests across Europe and is "not country-focused."

How to approach: Contact Cherry as early as you can. On February 4, 2025, Cherry announced $500M in new funds, split between its flagship Early Stage fund and an opportunity fund for Series B and later (Cherry open letter).

Pageform tip: Cherry often invests before revenue, so its first questions are about the anomaly you are chasing. Write a short narrative section that explains it before any spreadsheets. For cross-border European rounds, a single controlled link with an audit trail is simpler than local file-sharing setups.

12. Creandum

Known for at early stage: A European early-stage firm whose early investments include Spotify and Klarna. It favors product and design and "magical product experience."

Typical stage: Seed and Series A. Creandum closed its €500M Fund VII in June 2024, oversubscribed and backed by 30 LPs (Tech Funding News).

Thesis / sectors: Consumer and enterprise tech. Creandum's philosophy is that "the best product wins" and that "the right entrepreneur can disrupt any industry."

Geography / HQ: Offices in Stockholm, Berlin, London, and San Francisco (creandum.com).

How to approach: Warm intros help, but a short cold note works if it covers the problem, why now, the team, early signs that users love the product, and a clear ask. Pick a partner whose recent posts or investments match yours. Creandum stresses long-term commitment "through the good times and the bad."

Pageform tip: Creandum is known for caring about product and design, and your data room is part of that impression. A clean narrative room on your own branded domain, with product demos built in, shows the same care for craft that Creandum looks for in your product.

FAQ

Why aren't a16z, Sequoia, or Accel on this list?

Those firms already lead most founder lists, and they invest across every stage from seed to growth. This list is for firms whose main job is the first institutional round, so a seed deal gets real partner attention. Stage fit and partner conviction still matter more than brand.

Are these firms only for Silicon Valley founders?

No. Primary says it backs founders from San Francisco to Tel Aviv. Point Nine, Cherry, and Creandum are based in Europe and invest across the region or globally. Note the limits: Uncork invests in companies headquartered in North America, and PearX requires teams to relocate to the Bay Area for the program.

Do I need a warm intro for every fund?

No. Uncork publishes [email protected]. Initialized says email is the best way to reach it. PearX takes applications year-round. Cherry and boldstart invite very early contact. Warm intros still help at selective firms, but a sharp note written for one partner beats waiting months for the perfect referral.

How big should my seed round be for these firms?

Use the firm's published ranges where they exist: Uncork about $3M to $5M initial, Floodgate $500K to $3M, Forerunner $1M to $20M, boldstart $500K to $15M, Cherry €2M to €7M, and Point Nine $1M to $10M. Size the round to cover 12 to 18 months of milestones. Don't inflate the ask so it looks like a Series A.

What should I have ready before partner meetings?

A deck, a one-page sheet of metric definitions, a fully diluted cap table, formation documents, a summary of key contracts, and a short product demo. Organize them using a startup fundraising data room checklist so every partner sees the same version.

Do I need a data room at seed?

You need an organized one, not a big one. Seed investors still ask for a deck, metrics, a cap table, and formation documents, and sending them as loose attachments makes version control hard. A lightweight fundraising data room gives every firm the same current version. You can expand it into a full diligence room as you get closer to a Series A.

How can I tell which investors are actually interested?

Ask for a clear next step after every meeting, and watch what investors do with your materials. Pageform's engagement analytics show who opened the room, which sections they read, and what they came back to. A partner rereading your retention section is a different follow-up from one who only opened the deck.

Does "top" mean these funds have the best returns?

No. This list is based on early-stage focus, recent public activity, and published process. It does not use IRR or DPI. Past portfolio logos won't predict your outcome. Choose partners for stage fit, thesis overlap, and how they work with you after the money arrives.

How do I stand out from every other AI pitch?

Lead with a specific customer problem, a distribution insight, or a technical wedge. Tie your "why now" to the partner's published thesis, such as Unusual's PMF method, Forerunner's consumer focus, boldstart's autonomous enterprise, or Cherry's "anomaly." Generic "AI will transform X" decks get filtered out early.

Your data room shouldn't be a folder

A target list only helps if your follow-up is clean. Most founders still answer "send me more" with a shared drive full of loosely named PDFs. Pageform is the AI-native data room that turns those documents into a guided, secure experience for investors:

• A story first. A narrative data room takes partners from thesis to traction to terms, with supporting documents attached where they are relevant.

• AI that does the setup. Upload your files, and Pageform generates a structured room, places your documents, and checks for gaps before you share.

• Signals, not guesses. Per-viewer analytics show which firms are engaged and what they care about, so you know whom to follow up with first.

• Controls diligence teams expect. Secure document sharing includes NDA gating, verified email, viewer whitelists, download controls, link expiration, PDF watermarking, and an activity audit trail. Point investors to Pageform's security page for details.

• Q&A in one place. Answer diligence questions inside the room instead of across a dozen email threads.

Start free with Pageform. No credit card is required, and you can have an AI-generated room ready in minutes, before your first partner meeting.

Sources

• Unusual Ventures: Our Story

• Unusual Ventures: Announcing $485M Fund III

• Unusual Ventures: 2025 Year in Review

• Unusual Ventures homepage

• Forerunner Ventures

• Forerunner: Human Insight in the Age of AI (Fund VII)

• Initialized Capital: Approach

• Initialized Capital homepage

• SEC EDGAR: Initialized VII L.P. Form D/A (Sept 2026)

• boldstart ventures homepage

• boldstart: Announcing Fund VII

• Primary: Scaling for the AI era: Fund V

• Primary Venture Partners homepage

• Amplify Partners: Announcing $900M in new capital (Fund 6)

• Amplify Partners homepage

• Uncork Capital: Approach

• Uncork Capital: Closes $300M (Uncork VIII and Plus IV)

• Pear VC: How We Invest

• PearX

• Floodgate homepage

• Floodgate: Superbuilders and Superthinkers

• Point Nine homepage

• Point Nine: Portfolio

• Point Nine: About

• Cherry Ventures: About

• Cherry Ventures: $500M new funds (open letter)

• Creandum homepage

• Tech Funding News: Creandum closes €500M Fund VII