23 VC firms investing in e-commerce & marketplaces and aerospace & defense at the Pre-Seed stage.
F4 Fund tracks 23 VC firms that actively invest in e-commerce & marketplaces + aerospace & defense at the Pre-Seed stage, with check sizes ranging from $50K – $100M (median: $1.3M – $1.3M). As of June 2026, and 78% lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 1,356+ researched VC firms, scored by data completeness, portfolio depth, investment recency, and stage alignment.
| # | Firm | Check Size | Portfolio | Leads? | Activity | Decision | Intro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▶ Outlander VC Category-agnostic, radically founder-first investor using the 38-point Outlander Founder Framework (vision, intelligence, character, execution) to back 'oddball, unknown, under-networked, underrepresented' founders at Day Zero before product or revenue exists. Current thesis excitement: Defense Tech, Physical AI/Robotics, and Future of Commerce + Work. New York | $500K – $2M | 33 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 2 | ▶ v1.vc Patient, long-term capital partners to the most ambitious founders. Help founders navigate from v1 (seed) to s-1 (Series A+). We believe the best companies are built by ambitious founders who need patient capital, operational expertise, and partnership from experienced operators. Boulder, CO | $500K – $3M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 3 | ▶ NFX Network effects are the #1 way to create defensibility in digital businesses. We invest in visionary founders building defensible businesses with network effects embedded in their core product. San Francisco | $1M – $5M | 25 | Leads | Active | — | — |
| 4 | ▶ Broom Ventures Backs extraordinary pre-seed and seed technology founders, with hands-on technical, operational, finance, and leadership support delivered with a collaborative co-founder attitude. San Francisco | $250K – $750K | 40 | Follows | Active | ~1 mo | — |
| 5 | ▶ Align Brands and technologies reshaping culture. Align invests in early-stage consumer brands with strong brand equity and unit economics, and in frontier technologies (AI/robotics, clean energy, defense) transforming how people live and work. First-check conviction investor with meaningful follow-on capital and co-investment access. Miami | $500K – $10M | 20 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 6 | ▶ SpeedInvest Backs globally ambitious technology companies from pre-seed and seed through selected growth rounds using specialist EMEA sector teams and a platform model for capital, customers, talent, follow-on investors, and operational support. Vienna | $250K – $30M | 49 | Leads | Active | — | Open |
| 7 | ▶ UpHonest Capital We invest in the most promising entrepreneurs building the fastest-growing early-stage startups. We provide cross-border access by connecting founders to resources and networks across the world's most valuable and influential VC markets. Palo Alto | $50K – $1M | 26 | Follows | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 8 | ▶ DFS Lab Digital financial services in Africa should augment existing informal and agent-based networks rather than replace them ("cyborgs over androids"). We use proprietary research on frontier markets to guide investments and provide portfolio companies with strategic insights on market opportunity. Seattle | $50K – $1M | 18 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 9 | ▶ Lightbank Lightbank invests in disruptive technology companies led by great founders in dynamic markets with world-class products. The firm believes exceptional founders and opportunities exist everywhere, especially in overlooked geographies like the Midwest. We partner with early-stage founders and provide operator-heavy support beyond capital. Chicago | $500K – $5M | 23 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 10 | ▶ Brickyard Extraordinary founders execute faster when isolated from distractions and provided intensive on-site support. We seek junkyard dogs with high agency, non-obvious vision, delusional optimism, and execution discipline. Category matters far less than founder quality. Chattanooga, TN | $100K – $500K | 52 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 11 | ▶ Female Founders Fund Female founders build exceptional companies that outperform their male peers. We invest in category-defining female leaders with strong points of view who are reshaping their markets, backed by community and supported by a visible ecosystem. New York | $250K – $2M | 28 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 12 | ▶ Expansion Venture Capital Entrepreneurs, not VCs, build great companies. We invest early in great & passionate entrepreneurs and serve as long-term partners. Available 24/7 to help founders with mentorship, product-market fit, fundraising, business development, customer acquisition, talent sourcing, and strategic partnerships. New York | $250K – $1M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 13 | ▶ Founder Collective We invest at the earliest stages and partner with exceptional entrepreneurs from idea to IPO. We stay small by design to remain aligned with founders. We're sector-agnostic, conviction-driven, capital-efficient, and believe in founder/market fit and intrinsic value over hype. Boston | $250K – $3M | 29 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 14 | ▶ Strong Ventures Back resilient founders building category-defining companies. Leverage Korea's cultural wave for global expansion. When others say 'no', we find the 'yes'. Los Angeles | $500K – $5M | 33 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 15 | ▶ Halogen Ventures The smartest place you can invest your capital is in women. We bet on early-stage female-founded and female-led companies creating groundbreaking consumer and B2B software technologies that solve meaningful problems in families, healthcare, childcare, education, climate, and sustainability. Santa Monica | $100K – $1M | 29 | Follows | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 16 | ▶ Tiger Global Management Leading global companies that leverage technological innovation across public and private markets. Proven founders (especially ex-Googlers, AWS, Stripe) with large TAMs (billions+), product-led growth, and global ambitions. Conviction-based investing post-2022 correction emphasizing quality over quantity. New York | $1M – $100M | 21 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Req'd |
| 17 | ▶ Crossbeam Venture Partners We are a stage-agnostic venture capital firm investing in exceptional founders building the companies that shape our world. New York | $500K – $3M | 20 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 18 | ▶ MaC Venture Capital MaC backs visionary founders building category-defining companies with deep understanding of cultural shifts, technological advancements, and emerging market trends. Founders must demonstrate authentic insight into why their problem needs solving now, combined with ability to see how the world is changing. Particular focus on founders paying attention to shifts others might miss. | $500K – $2M | 17 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 19 | ▶ Gaingels Equity of access and representation in venture capital delivers positive returns. Diverse and underrepresented (including LGBTQ+) leaders of high-growth companies deserve capital access. When these founders succeed, they influence ecosystems and open doors for historically excluded groups. New York | $200K – $500K | 29 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 20 | ▶ Evolution Venture Capital Partners Culture-Tech companies that disrupt and define how we live, work, play, and interact with the world every day. We invest in passionate founders building transformative products that change cultural behaviors. New York | $500K – $6M | 28 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 21 | ▶ Flucas Ventures Democratize access to venture capital by building large syndicates of non-traditional LPs. Invest across all stages, sectors, and geographies based on founder quality and market conviction, not category restrictions. Enable 2,000+ diverse co-investors to participate alongside marquee firms like Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz while maintaining founder-friendly economics. Miami | $250K – $5M | 17 | Follows | Active | ~1 wk | Req'd |
| 22 | ▶ VU Venture Partners Invest in early-stage tech companies addressing world's largest market opportunities and solving humanity's biggest challenges. Leverage global distributed team to source, evaluate, and support transformational founders. San Francisco | $100K – $1M | 16 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 23 | ▶ TheoryForge Operator-led fund investing in ambitious founders building transformative AI applications. We partner with technical founders who understand AI/ML deeply and are solving real customer problems with capital efficiency. Great product is always the best marketing. | $200K – $500K | 38 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
Investors on this page also frequently invest in these sectors
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Firms that frequently co-invest with investors on this page
F4 Fund tracks 23 VC firms that actively invest in e-commerce & marketplaces + aerospace & defense at the Pre-Seed stage. These firms are ranked using a composite score that weighs data completeness (30%), portfolio depth (30%), investment recency (25%), and stage alignment (15%).
Based on F4's analysis, the median check size for pre-seed e-commerce & marketplaces + aerospace & defense investors is $1.3M – $1.3M, with a full range from $50K – $100M. The distribution breaks down as: 3 firms in the <$500K range, 6 firms in the $500K-$1M range, 6 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 5 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 1 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 2 firms in the $10M+ range.
Among the 23 firms tracked, 78% lead or co-lead rounds, and 22% typically follow. Founders seeking a lead investor should filter for firms marked "Leads" or "Both" in the rankings table above. Lead investors typically set deal terms and anchor the round.
The best pre-seed e-commerce & marketplaces + aerospace & defense investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 33% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 28 portfolio companies. Look for firms whose check size matches your raise, whose stage preference aligns with yours, and who have a track record of supporting companies in your sector through multiple growth phases.
Firm profiles are continuously updated through F4's research pipeline, which combines LLM-powered web research, portfolio analysis, and transcript extraction. The ranking data refreshes every 12 hours. Editorial analysis is reviewed weekly. Individual firm profiles are re-researched on a 30-day cycle or when new information surfaces.