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Top 10 US Seed Investors in 2025: Complete Guide for Founders

Deqian Jia
Deqian Jia
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US InvestorsSeed InvestorsFundraisingVenture CapitalStartups

Seed today is weird: valuations are still elevated, but Series A has turned into a knife fight. Around 40–46% of seed rounds in 2024–2025 are now "bridge" or extension rounds, and Series A deal counts have dropped ~79% since 2022.(Carta)

That means who you pick at seed matters more than ever — brand, follow-on power, and how hard they actually work for you.

When preparing your seed pitch, having a professional data room is essential. Peony helps US startups organize investor materials with AI-powered document organization, track investor engagement with page-level analytics, and securely share sensitive financial and operational data. With transparent pricing at $40/user/month, Peony delivers enterprise-grade secure data rooms without the $5,000-20,000 per-deal costs of legacy platforms.

This guide focuses on 10 US-based firms that are genuinely world-class at seed, not just big multi-stage funds dabbling at early stage.

1. How to Pick the Right US Seed Investors (in 2025 reality, not fantasy)

When you're choosing seed investors, you're not just picking money — you're picking who's in the boat with you when the Series A crunch hits. Here's how to narrow the list.

1. Stage & check size

Look for investors that live at seed:

  • Do they explicitly say they focus on pre-seed/seed and build their platform around this stage?
    • Example: First Round Capital describes itself as a firm that works with founders exclusively at the earliest stages of company building.(firstround.com)
    • Initialized calls itself "hyper-focused on seed," and designs its team and software around pre-product-market-fit startups.(Initialized Capital)

Check that their typical initial check size fits your round size (e.g. $500k–$4M).

2. Sector thesis & founder fit

Even generalist seed funds still have pattern recognition & bias:

  • Some lean developer tools / infra / AI (Initialized, Pear).
  • Others lean consumer / marketplaces / SaaS (Y Combinator, BoxGroup, SV Angel).
  • Some are comfortable with pre-anything (Afore, Precursor, Hustle Fund).(precursorvc.com)

You want an investor who:

  • Already believes your category can produce big outcomes.
  • Has portfolio companies you respect and maybe even want to sell into or partner with.

3. Ownership, leads, and follow-on power

Important questions to answer:

  • Do they lead seed rounds or mostly follow?
  • Do they reserve real capital to support you in bridges and Series A?
  • Are they viewed as a "signal" by Series A funds?

Examples:

  • Initialized likes to be "investor of record" for seed, writing $1–4M lead checks.(Medium)
  • Afore writes up to ~$2M at pre-seed, and a surprisingly high percentage of its portfolio skips straight from pre-seed to Series A.(afore.vc)

In a world where 40–46% of seed deals are now bridges, you want funds that have reserves and habitually use them.(Carta)

4. Platform vs partner time

The best seed firms usually have both:

  • Platform: recruiting, GTM playbooks, fundraising prep, community.

    • Pear has in-house recruiters and GTM coaching and has helped make 175+ hires for portfolio companies.(Pear VC)
    • 500 Global's accelerator offers curriculum, mentors, and a 5,000+ founder network.(500 Global)

  • Partner attention: Will you actually get time with them every month, or just a logo on the deck?

When you talk to founders, ask "How much direct partner time do you get?"

5. Reputation with founders & other investors

Signals that a seed firm is truly "top tier":

  • Their companies consistently raise strong Series A rounds.
  • They show up on lists like Business Insider's Seed 100 or similar rankings of high-performing early-stage investors.(Business Insider)
  • Series A / B investors tell you privately, "If X is in the round, we look twice."

You can get this by:

  • Backchanneling with 3–5 portfolio founders.
  • Asking your future Series A targets, "Which seed firms do you respect most?"

If you're doing this level of homework, btw, you're already ahead of most founders.

2. Top 10 US Seed Investors in 2025 (Deep Dive)

Note: Ordered roughly by mindshare + seed reputation, not by AUM.

1. Y Combinator (YC)

What they are: The iconic US accelerator that defined modern seed investing. YC provides a "small amount of seed funding" plus a 3-month batch that helps refine ideas and connect founders to investors and acquirers.(Berkeley M.E.T.)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed / seed.
  • Check: Historically around $500k on standard terms (exact deal may evolve over time).

What they like:

  • Ambitious software (and increasingly hard-tech) companies with global scale potential.
  • Technical founders who move fast and iterate.

Why founders pick them:

  • Brand: YC's stamp dramatically increases odds of getting in front of top seed & Series A firms.
  • Network: 4,000+ companies including Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash, Coinbase, OpenAI alumni, etc.
  • Demo Day still pulls a dense crowd of A-tier investors.

How to approach:

  • Apply directly to a batch with clear problem, early insight, and execution evidence (even if tiny).
  • Make sure your founder-market fit story is sharp; YC partners care a lot about that, even at idea stage.

2. First Round Capital

What they are: One of the OG US seed firms, famous for working exclusively at the earliest stages and for its founder community and content.(firstround.com)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Seed (and select pre-seed).
  • Typical initial check: ~$3.5M, but they've invested in rounds as small as $100k and as large as $20M.(firstround.com)

What they like:

  • B2B and B2C software with large markets.
  • Founders who are deeply obsessed with the problem and can articulate a big vision even with rough early traction.

Why founders pick them:

  • Very strong post-seed support (product, GTM, hiring).
  • Their network of alumni and operator community is widely respected.
  • Being a First Round company is often a strong positive signal for Series A funds.

How to approach:

  • Warm intro via founder or operator in their orbit is best.
  • Have a clear sense of why your market is worth the pain — they're explicit about caring whether "the prize is worth winning."(firstround.com)

3. Initialized Capital

What they are: Early-stage firm founded by Alexis Ohanian, Garry Tan, and Harj Taggar — now a $3B+ seed powerhouse known for unicorn hits like Coinbase and Instacart.(Initialized Capital)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Seed (occasionally pre-seed / very early A).
  • Check: $1–4M lead checks are their sweet spot.(Medium)

What they like:

  • "Non-obvious" software, infra, and AI companies where they can be early and right.
  • Technical founders with strong product taste.

Why founders pick them:

  • They explicitly want to be "investor of record" at seed and are comfortable leading.(Medium)
  • Very strong pattern recognition on outlier potential; they've backed 20+ unicorns at seed.
  • Team includes ex-founders, engineers, and designers who can help with product and GTM.

How to approach:

  • They care a lot about clarity of thinking: crisp memo, strong narrative, and pre-PMF experiments.
  • Show them what's non-obvious but inevitable about your market.

4. BoxGroup

What they are: New York– and SF-based firm that wants to be the "best first conversation". They invest as early as pre-seed and as late as Series A, reserving capital for follow-ons.(boxgroup.com)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed, Seed, early Series A.
  • Check: Flexible; often in $500k–$3M range, sometimes co-leading.

What they like:

  • Product-obsessed founders building consumer, marketplaces, SaaS, and infra.
  • Very early momentum, even if just in a few tight customer segments.

Why founders pick them:

  • They're known as low-ego, high-conviction early partners.
  • Strong syndicate relationships with both coastal and tier-one A/B funds.

How to approach:

  • Warm intro via NYC/SF founder ecosystem helps.
  • Emphasize product quality and usage love, not just pitch-deck metrics.

5. Pear VC

What they are: Seed specialist firm out of the Bay Area that's quietly become one of the top-performing seed funds globally, with 3 IPOs and 7 $1B+ companies in a decade.(Pear VC)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed & Seed.
  • Seed checks: typically $1–6M.(Pear VC)
  • They also run PearX, a 12-week pre-seed accelerator where 90% of companies go on to raise follow-on rounds.(Pear VC)

What they like:

  • Technical, often immigrant founders.
  • SaaS, AI, developer tools, fintech, and climate.

Why founders pick them:

  • Very hands-on company building: recruiting, founder-led sales playbooks, GTM coaching.(Pear VC)
  • PearX is especially strong if you're early but want structured, high-touch support.

How to approach:

  • Apply to PearX if you're super early; otherwise, warm intro via Bay Area founder, YC alum, or Pear portfolio founder.
  • Be ready to talk full journey to PMF, not just the initial product idea.

6. Precursor Ventures

What they are: A "classic pre-seed and seed" firm led by Charles Hudson, investing in long-term relationships with founders at the earliest institutional round.(precursorvc.com)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed & Seed.
  • Check: Up to $500k in rounds up to ~$5M.(precursorvc.com)

What they like:

  • Software and hardware companies often at "first money in" stage.
  • Founders where team quality and insight matter more than current traction.

Why founders pick them:

  • Very founder-friendly on owning the earliest belief.
  • Good for under-networked or under-represented founders who won't have a full blue-chip syndicate out of the gate.

How to approach:

  • Cold outreach can work if your note is tight and thoughtful.
  • Show that you deeply understand your user and have a credible wedge, even if traction is light.

7. Hustle Fund

What they are: A very online, pre-seed/seed firm that literally brands itself as "investing in hustlers at the pre-seed and seed stages."(hustlefund.vc)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed & Seed.
  • Check: Typically small initial checks with ability to follow on; also runs Angel Squad and other programs.(hustlefund.vc)

What they like:

  • Scrappy founders moving fast, often bootstrapping and testing relentlessly.
  • B2B SaaS, fintech, creator tools, and internet-native businesses.

Why founders pick them:

  • Extremely tactical content and community for early-stage GTM and fundraising.
  • Very approachable; more open to non-traditional backgrounds and geos.

How to approach:

  • They're comfortable with cold inbound — but lead with what you've done, not what you plan to do.
  • Show shipped product, experiments, and a clear learning loop.

8. Afore Capital

What they are: One of the first funds dedicated specifically to pre-seed, with ~$500M AUM and a reputation for funding companies "pre-traction, pre-everything."(afore.vc)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed (sometimes seed).
  • Check: $500k–$2M+, often leading the round.(afore.vc)

What they like:

  • Deeply technical or novel software, AI, infra, fintech, etc., when it's still early and undefined.
  • Founders willing to go big on product and market ambition.

Why founders pick them:

  • High-conviction, concentrated approach; when they back you, they really back you.
  • Unusually high proportion of companies that skip seed and go straight to Series A, thanks to focus and support.(LinkedIn)

How to approach:

  • Best suited if you're pre-traction but have a sharp thesis + strong founder background.
  • Have a crisp narrative around how fast this can become a "momentum" story.

9. 500 Global (Flagship Accelerator)

What they are: A global VC + accelerator platform that's one of the most active seed investors worldwide, with 2,600+ companies backed and a strong US presence.(500 Global)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Pre-seed & Seed.
  • Deal: $150k for 6% via the Flagship Accelerator in Palo Alto, with $37.5k program fee typically deducted from the investment.(500 Global)

What they like:

  • Early-stage tech startups across SaaS, marketplaces, AI, media, fintech, and more.

Why founders pick them:

  • Very strong on fundraising prep, global mentor network, and international expansion.(boringbusinessnerd.com)
  • Great fit for first-time founders or those targeting global markets.

How to approach:

  • Apply to the Flagship Accelerator with early signs of product-market pull.
  • Be ready to relocate to Palo Alto for 4 months and fully commit.(XRaise)

10. SV Angel

What they are: Legendary SF-based early-stage firm that has backed Google, Airbnb, Stripe, and many more. Today, they invest at both seed and growth, but are still widely seen as one of the strongest early backers in US software.(SV Angel)

Stage & check size:

  • Stage: Seed & growth.
  • Check: Varies; often smaller seed positions alongside other leads, but can be meaningful.

What they like:

  • High-potential software companies in AI, consumer, enterprise, fintech, marketplaces, healthcare.(SV Angel)
  • Founders building products that can scale quickly and reshape markets.

Why founders pick them:

  • Signal and network power: when SV Angel is in your seed, other investors notice.
  • They don't take board seats, which many founders appreciate.(Affinity)

How to approach:

  • Typically via warm intro from a tier-one founder, operator, or co-investor.
  • Your story should show huge market + credible early traction, not just a slide deck.

3. Five Quick Tips for Pitching US Seed Investors in 2025

1. Underwrite the Series A crunch for them

Investors know most seed companies won't raise a Series A, and that Series A bar is now closer to $2–5M ARR with strong growth.(Scaleup Finance)

In your deck, explicitly answer:

  • "What milestones do we need for Series A?"
  • "How does this round's runway get us there?"

Make it obvious you've thought in funding arcs, not just this round.

2. Show learning velocity, not just a feature roadmap

At seed, they're underwriting you and your learning loop:

  • Show a timeline of experiments: user interviews, launches, pricing tests, GTM experiments.
  • Call out "We thought X → tested Y → learned Z → changed A."

This is catnip for investors like YC, Hustle Fund, Precursor, and Afore who are comfortable being "first money in."

3. Build a tight, credible round plan

Before talking to these funds, be ready with:

  • Round size and structure (equity vs SAFE, target ownership for lead).
  • Use of funds (months of runway, headcount plan, key experiments).
  • Ideal syndicate composition (e.g. "One lead + 2–3 value-add smaller funds / angels").

Top seed firms appreciate founders who already think like capital allocators.

4. Make backchannel references easy (and positive)

Assume every serious investor will backchannel you. Help this work in your favor:

  • Share 2–3 references (ex-managers, co-founders, key customers).
  • Make their lives easier: "Here are 3 people who know my work style; I've already told them you may reach out."

Investors like First Round, Initialized, and Pear especially value character and execution references at seed.

5. Run an actual process, not random coffee chats

In a market where bridge rounds and seed extensions are at record highs, you can't just "vibe" your way to a strong round.(Carta)

Treat fundraising like a product launch:

  • Time-box outreach into a 2–3 week window.
  • Send clear weekly updates to interested investors with traction, new customers, and pipeline progress.
  • Create light FOMO with honest, momentum-based updates ("We just closed ACME; MRR up 28% MoM; 3 funds moved to partner meeting this week").
  • Use a professional data room like Peony to track which investors review which documents with page-level analytics.

If you're going through this level of detail before raising, you're already playing a much sharper game than most founders.

Why professional data rooms matter for US seed fundraising

US startups need to present complex documentation—financial projections, product demos, team bios, and validation data—professionally to build investor confidence.

Peony helps US startups create investor-ready data rooms with AI-powered organization that sets up in minutes instead of weeks.

Key benefits: page-level analytics show which documents investors review most, enterprise security protects sensitive information, and transparent pricing at $40/user/month—93-99% cheaper than legacy platforms charging $5,000-20,000 per deal.

Conclusion

Raising seed capital in the US in 2025 requires matching your stage, sector, and follow-on path to the right investors. The investors on this list are actively deploying, but they're selective. Bring clear learning velocity, a tight round plan, and a disciplined process—not just vision.

Having a professional data room is table stakes for serious fundraising. Peony helps US startups organize investor materials, track engagement, and securely share sensitive data at a fraction of legacy platform costs.

Ready to pitch US seed investors? Set up your investor data room with Peony in minutes, not weeks.

Q&A Section

What's the best way to organize investor materials for US seed fundraising?

Peony offers AI-powered document organization that automatically structures financials, product demos, team bios, and validation data into a professional data room in minutes. Page-level analytics show which documents investors review most, helping you anticipate questions.

How can I track which investors are most engaged with my US startup pitch?

Peony provides page-level analytics showing which documents investors review and how much time they spend on each section. This helps identify serious investors and tailor follow-up conversations with actionable insights.

What's the most cost-effective data room solution for US startups raising seed?

Peony offers transparent pricing at $40/user/month—93-99% cheaper than legacy platforms charging $5,000-20,000 per deal. For a 5-person team, Peony costs $200/month vs $3,000-5,000+ for legacy platforms, delivering enterprise features at startup-friendly pricing.

How do I securely share sensitive financial and operational information with US seed investors?

Peony provides enterprise-grade security with identity-bound access, dynamic watermarking, and screenshot protection. With link expiry and instant access revocation, you maintain complete control over sensitive documentation.

What data room features are essential for US startups pitching to seed investors?

US startups need data rooms that handle complex documentation: financials, product demos, team bios, and validation data. Peony offers AI-powered organization, page-level analytics, custom branding, and comprehensive security. With 10-minute setup vs weeks for legacy platforms, Peony helps US startups look professional without breaking the budget.

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