US VC and investor directory

39 venture funds, angel networks, accelerators and micro-VCs investing in US startups, with typical cheque size, stage and whether they take cold pitches.

A starting list of investors that back early-stage startups in the United States: 39 funds, angel networks, accelerators and micro-VCs, with stage, typical cheque size and how they prefer to be approached. It is curated, not every fund in the US. The wider CreditBase investor list covers 213 firms worldwide.

Open to cold pitches

These say they review pitches that arrive without an introduction. Send a short, specific note and use the firm's own pitch page where one is listed.

• Y Combinator$500k standard dealAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. The most prolific early-stage investor; runs batches in San Francisco open to founders worldwide.
• Techstars$220k (accelerator)Accelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Global accelerator network running programs across many cities.
• 500 Global$150k–$500kAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Early-stage investor and accelerator active in emerging markets.
• Antler$100k–$250kAccelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Day-zero investor that helps individuals find co-founders and invests pre-product.
• Entrepreneur FirstStipend + ~$250kAccelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Talent investor backing individuals before they have a team or idea.
• Partech$1M–$30MVC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: yes. Global firm with a dedicated Africa fund.
• Primer Sazze Partners$100k–$1MVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Korean and US seed fund from the team behind Primer accelerator.
• a16z speedrunUp to $1M: $500k for 10% on a SAFE, plus $500k in your next roundAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Andreessen Horowitz's accelerator, with roots in games and consumer tech and now open to AI and software teams. Runs cohorts in San Francisco; off-cycle applications roll into the next cohort.
• Sequoia Arc$500k to $1M, terms set per companyAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Sequoia's immersion program for pre-seed and seed founders in the Americas and Europe. Open calls run about twice a year.
• South Park Commons Founder Fellowship$400k for 7% on a SAFE, plus $600k guaranteed in your next roundAccelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. For founders at the idea stage or earlier ('-1 to 0'). An in-person bootcamp, then open-ended residency with the SPC community.
• Neo Residency and Neo Scholars$750k on an uncapped SAFE (Residency); $40k equity-free grant for college students (Scholars)Accelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. The Residency is a three-month San Francisco program for technical founders. Neo Scholars backs college students with a grant and guaranteed Residency entry if they start a company.
• Pear VC (PearX)$250k to $2MAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Pre-seed and seed firm in Silicon Valley. PearX is its 12-week accelerator in San Francisco, with partners working closely with each team.
• Alchemist AcceleratorAbout $25k to $36k for about 5%Accelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Six-month accelerator for enterprise and B2B startups that sell to businesses. Online application, then a short interview.
• SOSV (HAX, IndieBio)$250k first check (HAX: $150k cash + $100k in-kind); up to $550k at pre-seedAccelerator · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Deep-tech investor running HAX (hardware and climate) and IndieBio (life sciences). Backs teams of two or more founders before a VC seed round.
• Plug and PlayPrograms are equity-free; Plug and Play Ventures invests $25k to $500k in some companiesAccelerator · seed, series-a · cold pitches: yes. Corporate innovation platform with industry programs in 60+ locations. The value is pilots with large corporations; investment is optional and selective.
• Hustle Fund$150k first checkMicro-VC · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Pre-seed fund that backs founders with at least an MVP, decides fast and is comfortable being the first check in.
• Precursor Ventures$250k to $500k first checkMicro-VC · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Sector-agnostic pre-seed fund that invests before launch and before product, often as the first institutional check. Does not do deep tech or hard tech.
• Afore Capital$50k to $2MVC · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Pre-seed-only fund. Small checks for founders still exploring a problem, larger ones for teams with conviction; also runs a founders-in-residence program in San Francisco.
• Galileo VenturesA$200k–A$500k first chequeVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Australian pre-seed and seed fund with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco that says no warm intros are needed.
• Harlem Capital$1M–$2.5MVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. Venture firm making pre-seed and seed investments of $1M–$2.5M and asking founders to submit an investment form on its pitch page.
• Boost VC$500k (flexible $100k–$1M)Micro-VC · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Pre-seed fund that leads rounds with about $500k checks and also offers a $50k fellowship check, with applications described on its FAQ page.
• 2048 Ventures$500K–$3MVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. NYC and Boston firm that leads pre-seed and seed rounds with $500K–$3M checks and says it reviews every pitch it receives.
• Forum VC$250K–$750KVC · pre-seed · cold pitches: yes. Runs a pre-seed fund investing $250K–$750K in B2B tech companies that already have an MVP in market, plus a separate $100K accelerator.
• XfundNot publishedVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: yes. University-founded early-stage firm investing from its Xfund 3 vehicle in pre-seed and seed companies, with a public pitch page.

Prefer a warm introduction or a referral

• Sequoia Capital$1M–$20M+VC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: warm-intro preferred. Multi-stage firm with the Arc seed program for early founders.
• Andreessen Horowitz$1M–$50M+VC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: warm-intro preferred. Multi-stage firm with speedrun accelerator for games and consumer startups.
• First Round Capital$500k–$4M leadVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: warm-intro preferred. Seed-focused firm known for the First Round Review and founder community.
• Inovia Capital$1M–$20MVC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: warm-intro preferred. Montreal-based firm backing global software companies.
• Index Ventures$1M–$50MVC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: warm-intro preferred. London/San Francisco firm backing tech companies from seed to IPO.
• Nexus Venture Partners$1M–$25MVC · pre-seed, seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: unclear: check website. India and US venture firm with offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai and the US that states it invests $1M-$25M from pre-seed through Series B.
• Village Global$500K–$3MVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Venture firm that leads pre-seed and seed rounds globally with $500K–$3M checks and a network of founder and operator angels.
• Haystack$1M–$3MVC · seed · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Early-stage firm that invests $1M–$3M in initial rounds of software and technology startups and can lead or participate.
• Initialized CapitalNot publishedVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: unclear: check website. San Francisco early-stage firm that leads pre-seed and seed rounds across sectors and invites founders to share what they are working on.
• Mucker CapitalNot publishedVC · pre-seed, seed, series-a · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Los Angeles firm providing seed and Series A capital to startups outside Silicon Valley, plus a pre-seed program (MuckerLab) with 20-25 companies a year.
• Hyde Park Venture PartnersNot publishedVC · pre-seed, seed, series-a · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Early-stage fund investing from idea stage up to $2M in revenue in AI, software and tech-enabled services startups connected to the Midwest, Toronto or the Southeast.
• Capital FactoryNot publishedVC · seed, series-a, series-b+ · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Texas venture firm whose Texas Fund writes cash checks from seed to Series C into deep and frontier tech companies.
• gener8tor$100KAccelerator · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Runs 12-week investment accelerators that invest $100K in high-growth startups, alongside free community accelerators.
• Pioneer FundNot publishedVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: no cold pitches. Fund run by Y Combinator alumni that invests in pre-seed and seed startups from Y Combinator, with a bio and health vehicle.
• ISAI€100k–€3MVC · pre-seed, seed · cold pitches: unclear: check website. Paris early-stage VC investing €100k–€3M, typically as leader or co-leader of the first institutional round and as a super angel at pre-seed.

How to approach them

1. Pick on stage and sector, not on name. A pre-seed fund will not read a Series A deck.
2. Lead with traction. Users, revenue or a signed pilot beat a long vision section.
3. Have your structure ready. US investors expect a Delaware C-corporation and clean ownership records: see setting up a US company.
4. Look at non-dilutive money too. Federal grants and credits can extend your runway before a round: see startup credits in the US.

More

• Every investor on CreditBase: /investors
• Grants and credits for the US: /startup-credits-usa

Common questions

Values are “up to” amounts and terms change: confirm on the provider’s page before you rely on them.