The short answer
The Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01 lists 8,652 US startup investors who name pre-seed as a stage; 2,894 of those with a known state (34%) are outside California, New York and Massachusetts. The typical pre-seed investor lists a $120K to $625K check, and 94% also invest at seed.
- 8,652 US investors list pre-seed; 2,894 are outside CA, NY and MA.
- Angels are 40% of pre-seed investors; venture firms and partners 63%.
- Median pre-seed check: $120K to $625K.
- 94% of pre-seed investors also list seed.
- Salt Lake City and Austin have the highest pre-seed share of any metro, above the Bay Area.
Key findings
- 8,652 US startup investors in our database list pre-seed as a stage, 40% of the 21,863 who list any stage.
- 2,894 of the 8,393 with a known state (34%) are based outside California, New York and Massachusetts.
- The typical pre-seed investor lists a check of $120K to $625K (medians), and 51% of those with a stated check start between $50K and $250K.
- Pre-seed is rarely a stand-alone strategy: 8,174 of the 8,652 (94%) also list seed, and only 264 list pre-seed alone.
- Salt Lake City (39%) and Austin (36%) have the highest share of local startup investors who list pre-seed of any metro in our data, above the Bay Area (34%).
What this report is
This is a snapshot of who says they write pre-seed checks, drawn from the Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01, with a focus on founders outside Silicon Valley and the other coastal hubs. It is not a deal-volume report: it counts investors and what they list, not rounds closed. Use it to answer three questions before you raise. How many pre-seed investors are near me? What do they write? And what kind of investor are they?
Who writes pre-seed checks
| Investor type | Records listing pre-seed | Share of pre-seed investors |
|---|---|---|
| Angels & syndicates | 3,474 | 40% |
| Venture capital firms & partners | 5,448 | 63% |
| Micro-VCs | 64 | 0.7% |
| Family offices | 17 | 0.2% |
| Corporate VCs | 102 | 1.2% |
| Accelerators | 181 | 2.1% |
Pre-seed investors by type
Venture firms and partners (5,448) and angels (3,474) make up almost all of the pre-seed pool. Angels lean earlier than venture investors: 62% of angels who list a stage include pre-seed, against 32% of venture records. Accelerators (181) and corporate VCs (102) are small groups. Family offices almost never list pre-seed (17 records).
Where pre-seed investors are, outside CA, NY and MA
Pre-seed investors by state, outside CA, NY and MA (top 12)
| State | Pre-seed investors |
|---|---|
| Texas | 385 |
| Florida | 325 |
| Illinois | 280 |
| Washington | 249 |
| Colorado | 191 |
| Pennsylvania | 130 |
| Washington, DC | 126 |
| North Carolina | 121 |
| Utah | 112 |
| Georgia | 109 |
| Maryland | 98 |
| Arizona | 87 |
By region: the Southeast states have 730 pre-seed investors, the Midwest 534 and Texas 385. Full state rankings are in our pre-seed investors by state report, and regional detail in the Midwest, Southeast and Texas reports.
Pre-seed share by metro
Share is pre-seed investors as a percentage of all startup-investor records in the metro. Metros with many family offices show lower shares, because family offices rarely list a stage.
| Metro | Pre-seed investors | All startup investors | Pre-seed share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | 73 | 187 | 39% |
| Austin | 211 | 585 | 36% |
| SF Bay Area | 2,716 | 8,041 | 34% |
| Los Angeles | 509 | 1,553 | 33% |
| Seattle | 212 | 653 | 32% |
| Denver/Boulder | 147 | 462 | 32% |
| San Diego | 99 | 322 | 31% |
| Miami | 212 | 768 | 28% |
| Washington DC | 141 | 524 | 27% |
| Philadelphia | 72 | 272 | 26% |
| Charlotte | 51 | 194 | 26% |
| New York City | 1,515 | 5,994 | 25% |
| Nashville | 51 | 206 | 25% |
| Chicago | 254 | 1,132 | 22% |
| Pittsburgh | 22 | 104 | 21% |
| Boston | 375 | 1,806 | 21% |
| Atlanta | 84 | 431 | 20% |
| Houston | 69 | 411 | 17% |
| Dallas | 74 | 540 | 14% |
| Greenwich/Stamford | 15 | 184 | 8% |
Salt Lake City, Austin, Seattle and Denver/Boulder have pre-seed shares close to or above the Bay Area's. Dallas and Houston have low shares, but that reflects how many family offices are there, not a lack of early investors: Austin, Dallas and Houston together have 354 pre-seed investors.
Pre-seed share of startup investors, by metro (%)
What pre-seed investors write
| Minimum check band | Pre-seed investors | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $50K | 1,546 | 21% |
| $50K–$250K | 3,820 | 51% |
| $250K–$1M | 1,185 | 16% |
| $1M+ | 879 | 12% |
Median listed range: $120K to $625K. Outside California, New York and Massachusetts the median range is $150K to $250K. Most pre-seed rounds are built from several checks; see our check sizes by stage report.
What pre-seed investors back
| Sector | Pre-seed investors listing it |
|---|---|
| B2B SaaS & enterprise software | 5,562 |
| Consumer & retail | 4,879 |
| Fintech | 2,986 |
| Healthcare & digital health | 2,734 |
| Machine learning & data | 2,685 |
| Deep tech & hardware | 2,309 |
| Climate & energy | 1,600 |
| Biotech & life sciences | 1,396 |
| Crypto & web3 | 1,150 |
| Education technology | 655 |
B2B software (5,562) and consumer (4,879) lead. Climate is notable: 1,600 pre-seed investors list it.
Firms with the most pre-seed investors outside the big three states
Records in brackets: Hustle Fund (18), Antler (10). Others with several pre-seed records outside CA, NY and MA include Ballast Point Ventures, Sweater Ventures, Moving Capital, Convoi Ventures, Wolfpack Investor Network, Bridge Angel Investors, Arizona Tech Investors, Manifold. Angel networks and regional funds show up strongly here; they are often the most practical route to an opening check outside the hubs.
A pre-seed playbook for founders outside the hubs
- Count your local pool. Use your state and metro pages to see how many pre-seed investors are within driving distance.
- Lead with angels and angel networks. They are 40% of pre-seed investors and often write the earliest checks.
- Find one investor who can lead. A micro-VC or regional fund that writes $120K or more can anchor the round.
- Keep the round realistic. With typical checks under $250K, a $500K to $1M round needs several investors.
- Plan for seed. 94% of pre-seed investors also list seed, so pick investors who can follow on.
Start with all pre-seed investors and our guide to raising pre-seed without a network.
Methods note
Data: Zalarma investor database, as of 2026-11-01. A pre-seed investor is any US startup-investor record (angel, venture firm or partner, micro-VC, family office, corporate VC or accelerator) whose listed stages include pre-seed. One record can list several stages, types and sectors. Metro shares use all startup-investor records in the metro as the base and include metros with at least 100 records. Check bands use the low end of each record's listed range. This is a point-in-time snapshot, not a trend; we do not compare it with earlier years. Counts under 10 are suppressed. These are records in our database, not a census of every pre-seed investor.
Frequently asked questions
How many pre-seed investors are there in the US?
Our database lists 8,652 US startup investors who name pre-seed as a stage. That is records in our database, not every pre-seed investor.
How many pre-seed investors are outside Silicon Valley?
2,894 of the 8,393 with a known state are based outside California, New York and Massachusetts.
What is a typical pre-seed check in 2026?
Pre-seed investors in our data list a median range of $120K to $625K, and most with a stated check start between $50K and $250K.
Is this a trend report?
No. It is a snapshot of investor records as of the date shown, not a comparison with earlier years or a count of deals closed.
Who writes pre-seed checks most often?
Venture firms and partners (5,448) and angels (3,474). Accelerators and corporate VCs are smaller groups, and family offices rarely list pre-seed.