Seed & Pre-Seed

Antler is a global early-stage venture firm and company builder that invests at day zero, often before founders have a cofounder, product, or fully formed idea. Founded in Singapore in 2017 by Magnus Grimeland and Fridtjof Berge, Antler runs founder residencies across dozens of cities, matching teams, validating ideas, and writing the first check so ambitious operators can start companies that might not otherwise exist.

Burnt Island Ventures is a specialized investment firm that finds, funds, and supports the best entrepreneurs and founders in the water sector. They focus on water technology innovations that help water and wastewater services reach people and businesses at the right quality, quantity, price, place, and time, positioning themselves as experts in one of the most undercapitalized areas of climate and infrastructure innovation. Their mission is grounded in the belief that climate change is fundamentally water change, and that water is the medium through which society will experience the effects of a warming earth. The firm operates with the philosophy that the strongest impact compounds alongside strong commercial outcomes, working to manage Earth's most precious resource through strategic investments and founder support. Burnt Island Ventures plays a critical role in the water innovation ecosystem by bringing deep sector expertise and an extensive network to support portfolio companies. Their impact extends beyond capital, as evidenced by portfolio companies already delivering measurable outcomes including billions of gallons of water processed, hundreds of millions of gallons saved, and major improvements in incident response, treatment, reuse, and energy systems.

Entrepreneurs First (EF) is a global talent investor and accelerator that builds companies from exceptional individuals, often before they have a cofounder or idea. Founded in 2011 in London by Matt Clifford and Alice Bentinck, EF pioneered talent investing: matching high-potential founders, supporting them from ideation to first revenue, and backing them into Silicon Valley's top venture ecosystem across offices including London, San Francisco, and Bangalore.

Human Ventures is a next-generation venture capital firm and business creation platform that takes a human-first approach to investing. They partner with founders at the earliest stages of development and back them until their vision becomes reality, focusing on companies that meet essential human needs across health and wellness, workplace innovations, community connection, and transformational lifestyle changes. The firm operates through a collaborative three-component platform designed to support entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of growth. This includes Build Studio for turning early-stage ideas into launch-ready companies, their Fund for investing in the future of human needs, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Program that brings the entrepreneur community together to build innovative solutions. Based in New York, Human Ventures embodies and promotes the diversity, resilience, and ambition characteristic of the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Their impact extends beyond traditional venture capital through their comprehensive support system that focuses on building better entrepreneurs as much as better companies, guided by core values of growth, courage, resilience, openness, collaboration, and gratitude.

Hustle Fund is a venture capital fund that invests in hustlers at the pre-seed and seed stages, focusing on hilariously early startups. They position themselves as investors who back entrepreneurs with strong hustle and drive, regardless of traditional pedigree or background. The fund operates with a mission to democratize entrepreneurship and investing, offering extensive resources including blogs, books, newsletters, and educational content for both founders and investors. They provide practical, non-BS advice through multiple channels and maintain an active community of entrepreneurs and investors. Hustle Fund has created significant impact in the startup ecosystem by making angel investing accessible to people from all walks of life through their Angel Squad program, which includes over 2000+ angel investors. They matter because they're breaking down barriers in venture capital, teaching investment strategies to a broader audience, and fostering a community where aspiring entrepreneurs can learn, connect, and access capital regardless of their background or network.

New Age Capital is a thesis-driven seed stage venture capital firm that invests in tech and tech-enabled startups founded and led by Black and Latino entrepreneurs. They focus on companies at the seed stage with products in market, early customer traction, and some revenue, leading seed rounds up to $3M with an emphasis on capital efficiency. The firm operates with a mission to address the historical underrepresentation in venture capital funding by supporting underinvested, bootstrapped founders from their communities. They are industry agnostic and seek the best software or technology-enabled solutions across various markets, though they exclude fashion/fashion tech, media, crypto/web3, and medical device companies from their investment scope. New Age Capital plays a crucial role in the venture ecosystem by filling gaps in funding for Black and Latino entrepreneurs who have historically struggled to access capital. Founded by Ivan Alo and LaDante McMillon after their own experiences building a fintech company and witnessing peers struggle to raise money, they represent a response to the lack of diversity in traditional VC firms and work to ensure that entire demographics of innovators are no longer ignored in the startup funding landscape.