95 pre-seed hardware investors in the US
We list 95 pre-seed hardware investors in the US as of November 2026: each has an SEC filing on file, and the list was last checked on 6 Nov 2026. The cities with the most head offices on this list are San Francisco (11), New York (9) and Menlo Park (7).
Top 5 pre-seed hardware investors in the US, ranked by recent fund activity
Among firms with a published profile and a dated fund or deal in the last 24 months. The rule: Activity score out of 100: recency of the latest fund filing or dated deal (30: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (20; half of that when the sector is stated only), stage focus (15: all of it when pre-seed is the only stage the firm states, split evenly when it states more), stated focus on the US (15: full marks when the firm names the US as where it invests, half when it says global), size of the fund on file on a log scale (12) and completeness of the public record (8). Stage and regional focus are our research, not an SEC figure. It is a measure of activity and fit, not of quality or returns. The same rule orders the whole list; it is repeated in the method box.
Silent Ventures
Type: VC firm · HQ: Dallas, TX · Stages: Pre-seed · Focus: Hardware, Defense Tech, AI, Logistics · Latest activity: New fund, Jul 2026 · Fund size on file: $85M (SEC Form D, 2025)
Latest fund filing dated Jul 2026; $85M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2025); 60% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed; names the US as where it invests; 1 named decision-maker on file.
1517 Fund
Type: VC firm · HQ: Telluride, CO · Stages: Pre-seed · Focus: Hardware, AI, Edtech, Deep Tech · Latest activity: New fund, Sep 2026 · Fund size on file: $43M (SEC Form D, 2025)
Latest fund filing dated Sep 2026; $43M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2025); 33% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed; names the US as where it invests; 2 named decision-makers on file.
Cybernetix Ventures
Type: VC firm · HQ: Boston, MA · Stages: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A · Focus: Hardware, Robotics, Industrial Tech, Logistics · Latest activity: New fund, Aug 2026 · Fund size on file: $100M (SEC Form D, 2025)
Latest fund filing dated Aug 2026; $100M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2025); 81% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed, seed, Series A; names the US as where it invests; 2 named decision-makers on file.
Inflection
Type: VC firm · HQ: Framingham, MA · Stages: Pre-seed, Seed · Focus: Hardware, AI, Space, Defense Tech · Latest activity: New fund, Sep 2026 · Fund size on file: $50M (SEC Form D, 2026)
Latest fund filing dated Sep 2026; $50M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2026); 37% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed, seed; names the US as where it invests; 3 named decision-makers on file.
NextView Ventures
Type: VC firm · HQ: Boston, MA · Stages: Pre-seed, Seed · Focus: Hardware, AI, Marketing Tech, Robotics · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2026 · Fund size on file: $135M (SEC Form D, 2025)
Dated new deal in Oct 2026; $135M fund on file (SEC Form D, 2025); 25% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed, seed; names the US as where it invests; 6 named decision-makers on file.
First 25 of 95 pre-seed hardware investors in the US
| Investor | Type | HQ | Stagesour research | Focusour research | Latest fund or deal | Fund sizeas filed or stated | Checked | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silent Ventures | VC firm | Dallas, TX | Pre-seed | Hardware, Defense Tech, AI, Logistics | New fund, Jul 2026 | $85M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 1 name · Unlock |
| 1517 Fund | VC firm | Telluride, CO | Pre-seed | Hardware, AI, Edtech, Deep Tech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $43M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Cybernetix Ventures | VC firm | Boston, MA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A | Hardware, Robotics, Industrial Tech, Logistics | New fund, Aug 2026 | $100M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names · Unlock |
| Inflection | VC firm | Framingham, MA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Space, Defense Tech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $50M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names, firm email · Unlock |
| NextView Ventures | VC firm | Boston, MA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Marketing Tech, Robotics | New deal, Oct 2026 | $135M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 6 names · Unlock |
| True Ventures | VC firm | Palo Alto, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Fintech, Deep Tech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $800M (SEC Form D, 2022) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| LightX Capital | VC firm | Chicago, IL | Pre-seed | Hardware, AI, Robotics, Healthtech | New fund, Nov 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 5 names, firm email · Unlock | |
| Kleiner Perkins | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth | Hardware, AI, Fintech, Proptech | New fund, Aug 2026 | $995M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names · Unlock |
| Rebellion Ventures | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Logistics, Industrial Tech | New fund, Oct 2026 | $13M (SEC Form D, 2022) | 4 Nov 2026 | 1 name · Unlock |
| Schematic Ventures | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Industrial Tech, Logistics | New fund, May 2026 | $60M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 5 Nov 2026 | 1 name · Unlock |
| TreeoVC | VC firm | Pompano Beach, FL | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Healthtech, Robotics | New fund, Aug 2026 | $9M (SEC Form D, 2023) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Autotech Ventures | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B | Hardware, Mobility, AI, Logistics | New fund, Aug 2026 | $25M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| Ecosphere Ventures | VC firm | Sugar Land, TX | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Energy, Climate Tech, Industrial Tech | New fund, Sep 2026 | $10M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| Plaid Matrix Fund | VC firm | Palo Alto, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Fintech, Proptech | New fund, Jun 2026 | $55M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 5 names · Unlock |
| Tareyton | VC firm | Durham, NC | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A | Hardware, AI, Industrial Tech, Energy | New fund, Jul 2026 | $5M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 3 names · Unlock |
| Link Ventures | VC firm | Cambridge, MA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A | Hardware, AI, Robotics, Industrial Tech | New deal, Jun 2026 | $200M (SEC Form D, 2021) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Founder Collective | VC firm | Cambridge, MA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Ecommerce, Healthtech | New deal, Jul 2026 | $95M (SEC Form D, 2023) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Great Wave Ventures | VC firm | New York, NY | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A | Hardware, AI, Proptech, Climate Tech | New fund, May 2026 | $31M (SEC Form ADV) | 5 Nov 2026 | 5 names · Unlock |
| Galileo Ventures | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Deep Tech, Robotics | New fund, Aug 2026 | $100M (SEC Form D, 2023) | 5 Nov 2026 | 5 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Ubiquity Ventures | VC firm | Palo Alto, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Mobility, Healthtech | New fund, Dec 2025 | $80M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names, firm email · Unlock |
| UA1 VC | VC firm | Winnetka, IL | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A | Hardware, Defense Tech, Industrial Tech, Deep Tech | New fund, Apr 2026 | $21M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Deep Future | VC firm | Seattle, WA | Pre-seed | Hardware, Energy, Semiconductor, Robotics | New fund, May 2026 | $50M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 1 name · Unlock |
| Friends & Family Capital | VC firm | Menlo Park, CA | Pre-seed | Hardware, AI, Fintech, SaaS | New fund, Jun 2025 | $125M (SEC Form D, 2022) | 5 Nov 2026 | 8 names · Unlock |
| Prist Capital | VC firm | Mill Valley, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Mobility, Space, Proptech | New fund, Sep 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 1 name · Unlock | |
| Geek Ventures | VC firm | New York, NY | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Generalist, B2B | New fund, May 2026 | $23M (SEC Form D, 2021) | 4 Nov 2026 | 4 names, firm email · Unlock |
You are seeing 25 of 95. The full list adds 70 more investors and 429 named decision-makers.
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How these 95 break down
By US state
| US state | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 40 | 42% |
| Massachusetts | 11 | 12% |
| New York | 10 | 11% |
| Texas | 4 | 4% |
| Florida | 4 | 4% |
| Washington | 4 | 4% |
| Colorado | 3 | 3% |
| Illinois | 2 | 2% |
| North Carolina | 2 | 2% |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 2% |
Method and limits
- Source
- All 95 rows carry an SEC filing (Form D or Form ADV). All 95 have a website we checked. Filing date and fund size are SEC data where a filing exists. Stage, sector and check size are our research.
- Inclusion rule
- Organizations that back startups. Individuals, buyout funds and firms we found to be inactive are left out. Sector: the firm states hardware as a focus on its own site, or we observed it in the firm's portfolio. Stage: the firm states that it invests at pre-seed.
- Order
- Firms with a published profile come first. Activity score out of 100: recency of the latest fund filing or dated deal (30: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (20; half of that when the sector is stated only), stage focus (15: all of it when pre-seed is the only stage the firm states, split evenly when it states more), stated focus on the US (15: full marks when the firm names the US as where it invests, half when it says global), size of the fund on file on a log scale (12) and completeness of the public record (8). Stage and regional focus are our research, not an SEC figure. It is a measure of activity and fit, not of quality or returns.
- Last refreshed
- November 2026. Rows on this list were checked between 4 Nov 2026 and 6 Nov 2026.
- Fill rates
- Of 95 rows: stage 95, sector 95, fund size 84, website 95. In the paid file: named decision-makers on 95 rows, firm email on 32, LinkedIn page on 51, check size on 13.
- Corrections
- Email hello@theinvestordatabase.com or use the update form. We act within 5 working days.
Questions
How many pre-seed hardware investors in the US are there?
We list 95 as of November 2026. 57 of the 95 have a fund filing or a dated deal in the last 12 months. The cities with the most are San Francisco (11), New York (9) and Menlo Park (7).
Which pre-seed hardware investors in the US raised a new fund in the last 12 months?
48 of the 95 have a fund filing dated in the last 12 months. The most recent on this list are LightX Capital (Nov 2026), NVP Capital (Oct 2026) and Blue Impact (Oct 2026).
What is the typical fund size of pre-seed hardware investors in the US?
The median fund size on file for this list is $50M, across the 74 firms with a size on an SEC Form D. The fund on file is each firm's main fund, which is not always its newest. The other 21 do not disclose a size there.
How do I contact pre-seed hardware investors in the US?
The paid file holds 429 named decision-makers across 95 of these 95 and a firm email for 32. We publish the address a firm lists itself, never a personal email. Each free row links to a profile with the firm's website.
Where does the data on pre-seed hardware investors in the US come from?
All 95 rows have an SEC filing on file (Form D or Form ADV). Filing date and fund size come from the filing. Stage, sector and check size are our research. Rows on this list were last checked on 6 Nov 2026 at the latest. The whole file is re-verified twice a year.
Broader lists
Hardware venture capital firms in the US (272)Pre-seed investors in the US (549)Pre-seed hardware investors (131)
Related lists
Pre-seed AI investors in the US (403)Pre-seed SaaS investors in the US (367)Pre-seed healthtech investors in the US (225)Pre-seed fintech investors in the US (187)Seed hardware investors in the US (176)Pre-seed deep tech investors in the US (114)Pre-seed consumer investors in the US (104)Pre-seed medtech investors in the US (95)Pre-seed B2B investors in the US (86)Pre-seed climate tech investors in the US (84)Pre-seed biotech investors in the US (81)Pre-seed industrial tech investors in the US (79)Pre-seed robotics investors in the US (76)Pre-seed energy investors in the US (73)Pre-seed developer tools investors in the US (67)Series A hardware investors in the US (61)Pre-seed cybersecurity investors in the US (60)Pre-seed future of work investors in the US (52)
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