F4 Champions · Season 1
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F4 Champions · Season 1
You're researching investors. We want to see what you're building.
Join the open accelerator where your standing changes with what you ship. Enrollment closes August 2.
54 VC firms investing in fintech & payments and manufacturing & industrial at the Seed stage.
F4 Fund tracks 54 VC firms that actively invest in fintech & payments + manufacturing & industrial at the Seed stage, with check sizes ranging from $10K – $500M (median: $2.3M – $2.3M). As of July 2026, and 96% lead or co-lead rounds. Rankings are based on F4's proprietary analysis of 1,544+ researched VC firms, scored by data completeness, portfolio depth, investment recency, and stage alignment.
| # | Firm | Check Size | Portfolio | Leads? | Activity | Decision | Intro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ▶ Third Prime Third Prime invests in companies rewiring how capital, assets, and operations move through the economy. We focus on three intersecting 'real-economy infrastructure' verticals—fintech, proptech, and crypto/blockchain—backing platforms that enable paradigm shifts in these sectors. We believe technology should serve real economic activity, not replace it. New York | $1M – $5M | 34 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 2 | ▶ Foreword Fund Back daring founders in their first chapters with first-check capital and access to a community of 200+ world-class founders and operators who can provide mentorship, introductions, and strategic guidance. San Francisco | $100K – $250K | 44 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 3 | ▶ Lorimer Ventures Builders first. We back experienced operators who understand business fundamentals and the pain points of scaling software companies. We invest at inception stage with 100+ operator LPs providing talent, customers, and capital beyond the check. Brooklyn | $50K – $300K | 59 | Both | Active | ~1 wk | Req'd |
| 4 | ▶ Suffolk Technologies The $12 trillion built environment sector is ripe for digital transformation. Suffolk Technologies deploys capital, resources, and networks to help founders scale technologies in construction, architecture, engineering, real estate, and infrastructure. Uniquely positioned as the venture arm of Suffolk Construction, they provide operational test beds, jobsite access, and deep domain expertise that pure financial investors cannot. Boston | $150K – $10M | 59 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 5 | ▶ Paradigm Research-driven frontier technology investment firm that builds and invests in crypto, AI, robotics, and other new frontiers from the earliest stages. Paradigm remains deeply technical and research-led, collaborating on papers, code, product, and business strategy with ambitious builders. San Francisco | $1M – $100M | 41 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 6 | ▶ NVP Capital NVP backs early-stage founders using vertical AI and enterprise software to modernize under-digitized legacy industries, especially healthcare, industrials, financial services, workforce management, commerce enablement, legal workflows, and sales and marketing operations. New York | $250K – $3M | 36 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 7 | ▶ Motivate Motivate backs incredible founders with strong domain knowledge tackling real, durable problems in large and growing markets, with Fund III now centered on early-stage fintech defined broadly as exchanges of value, transfer of risk, and allocation of resources across industries. The firm emphasizes AI, new rails, regulatory tailwinds, regulatory infrastructure, financial workflows, proprietary data moats, and network effects. Chicago | $250K – $3M | 50 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 8 | ▶ Ardent Venture Partners Software will transform as AI-native applications unlock value in unstructured data (emails, contracts) that traditional software has sidelined. We back founders building the next generation of vertical operating systems, AI-native applications, and embedded finance solutions. Washington | $250K – $3M | 21 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 9 | ▶ The Council Fund We invest in proven operators reshaping essential industries. Our focus is on operator-founders who have deep scaling experience at companies like Uber, Flexport, and Northrop Grumman. We back First Builders—specialists and generalists who understand how to build and scale organizations. San Francisco | $500K – $5M | 31 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 10 | ▶ Alpha Edison Identify and partner with visionary entrepreneurs building category-creating companies that unlock entirely new addressable markets. Focus on 'silent suffering' where customers tolerate suboptimal solutions. Use AI, data, and behavioral science to identify non-obvious market opportunities and founder-market fit. Los Angeles | $250K – $10M | 55 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 11 | ▶ Change Ventures Backing ambitious Baltic founders who can build global-scale businesses. We invest in teams with proven grit and determination. Our main investment criteria is team and whether they have the grit to succeed. We provide €100-750K in pre-seed and seed capital, hands-on support, and deep networks of founders, angels, and later-stage investors. | $100K – $750K | 49 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 12 | ▶ XYZ Venture Capital Great companies aren't born, they're made. XYZ invests in early-stage founders with exceptional execution capability, deep domain expertise, or lived experience insights. They specialize in helping founders navigate the earliest stages by providing capital plus strategic operational support. San Francisco | $10K – $5M | 34 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 13 | ▶ Contrary Identify and invest in the world's top talent before they start a company. Build lifelong relationships through a proprietary university scout network at Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and other elite universities. Back exceptional founders within 1-3 years of graduation before they are widely recognized. San Francisco | $100K – $15M | 55 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 14 | ▶ MGV Top-performing SaaS venture fund that identifies exceptional founding talent at the earliest stages and takes an active role in their growth — particularly in scaling go-to-market and sales teams. Prioritizes founding team potential over traction or revenue metrics. San Francisco | $500K – $750K | 32 | Follows | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 15 | ▶ Mercury Fund Mercury backs disruptive AI and Blockchain-enabled startups outside Silicon Valley, with a focus on capital-efficient founders in the Central US reimagining core industries including fintech, enterprise software, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and logistics through their five investment themes: Work, Build, Journeys, Data, and Power. Houston | $100K – $5M | 51 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 16 | ▶ Susa Ventures Partner with spiky founders building category-defining companies using novel technological approaches. Focus on AI-driven innovation across alternative architectures, custom software, research assistants, TechBio, infrastructure, and enterprise applications. Provide capital, operational support, strategic guidance, and network access for founders with unique insights and deep technical expertise. San Francisco | $500K – $5M | 40 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 17 | ▶ Boreal Ventures Boreal invests in capital-efficient Canadian B2B technology companies with early product-market fit, partnering with founders to build scalable go-to-market engines. The firm focuses on sectors systematically overlooked by larger funds: vertical SaaS & AI, industrial tech, fintech, digital health, and manufacturing. Montreal | $1.5M – $3M | 14 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 18 | ▶ 42CAP Backing seed-stage, tech- and data-driven B2B software companies across Europe with global ambition. Focus on Agility Drivers (verticalized, consumerized, XaaS solutions) and Seductive Solutions with genuine product-market fit. Invest in AI-first and AI-enabled businesses as well as frontier tech (BioIT, Space, DLT, Quantum Computing). Munich | $500K – $3M | 56 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | ▶ Origin Ventures Origin Ventures invests in bold founders leading humanity into the fifth economic era—the Artificial Intelligence Economy. AI is fundamentally transforming how we live, work, and play through infrastructure, software, applications, and services that drive productivity and enable autonomous systems. The firm is an early believer in extraordinary people with deep domain expertise who challenge norms and redefine economies. Chicago | $1M – $8M | 56 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 20 | ▶ Angular Ventures Backs inception-stage technical founders across Europe and Israel building solutions for hard markets including AI infrastructure, space/aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy, biology, and other deep-tech verticals. London | $500K – $5M | 46 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 21 | ▶ Impact America Fund Tech-enabled businesses built for and by people in marginalized communities create new frameworks of ownership and opportunity. Traditional VCs miss billion-dollar markets in overlooked communities. Oakland | $250K – $3M | 32 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 22 | ▶ Wischoff Ventures Bringing physical-world operations online through 'the new supply chain.' Wischoff backs founders digitizing logistics, fintech infrastructure, manufacturing, and construction. Portfolio chemistry—companies becoming customers of each other. Solo GP with hands-on operational guidance, founder amplification, and regulated-market expertise. New York | $800K – $1.6M | 17 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 23 | ▶ SMOK Ventures CEE founders (Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, etc.) are building the next generation of global software companies. We partner with experienced operators who combine deep industry expertise with serial entrepreneurship. Geographic arbitrage: exceptional technical talent in CEE with lower burn rates, global ambition. We provide early capital plus connections to Silicon Valley for follow-on funding (80% of portfolio follow-ons from SV/Europe/Asia). Goal: $500M+ exits in 8-10 years. | $100K – $1M | 38 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 24 | ▶ Avenir Growth Capital Avenir invests from a first-principles view of inevitable market shifts, concentrating capital in category-defining companies that are early in their growth curves and led by world-class operators. New York | $300K – $5M | 30 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 25 | ▶ Nexus Venture Partners We partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs building product-first companies that redefine their categories. In the US, we focus on transformative AI and enterprise software. In India, we back digital-native businesses solving local market problems at scale. Menlo Park | $100K – $10M | 30 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 26 | ▶ Ten VC Invest in brilliant founders building breakthrough technologies that can scale into transformational platforms. Focus on breakthrough applications of deep science, industrial new normal, and new infrastructure & tools across deeptech, biotech, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. Menlo Park | $250K – $1.5M | 16 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 27 | ▶ Necessary Ventures Invest in companies addressing fundamental societal needs. Provide Talent/Capital/Attention platform via in-house content and advisory network. Mission-driven investments with specialized expertise in healthcare, climate, robotics, and deep tech. San Francisco | $1M – $2M | 42 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 28 | ▶ 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 | N/A | Open |
| 29 | ▶ Foundry Group We invest in startups and venture funds, creating a symbiotic network that propels innovation. Our approach is characterized by long-term thinking and a 'give first' philosophy. Boulder, Colorado | $500K – $10M | 26 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 30 | ▶ Redstone Redstone is a European specialist VC platform that backs early-stage companies across DeepTech, Industrial, Energy & Infrastructure, FinTech, Health, Social Impact, Blue Economy, and Venture Debt. It combines thematic conviction, data-driven sourcing, and a hands-on operating style. Berlin | $500K – $3M | 14 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 31 | ▶ Khosla Ventures Technology-based economic disruption of large markets through black swan investments. We seek founders with domain expertise and unreasonable conviction to build billion-dollar companies solving the world's largest problems. Menlo Park | $500K – $50M | 38 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 32 | ▶ Saga Ventures Conviction-based seed investing in ambitious founders applying technology—especially AI—to solve the world's hardest problems for every American. Operator-led with deep hands-on support across sales, engineering hiring, and Series A positioning. Austin | $2M – $2.5M | 36 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 33 | ▶ Untapped Capital We invest in the earliest pre-seed startups led by founders outside typical networks, selling into large and growing markets, with unique approaches or insights. We focus on under-networked, execution-focused founders—introverted technologists, industry veterans, and heads-down operators—who create outsized value through systematic sourcing and deep technical partnership. Los Angeles | $100K – $250K | 29 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 34 | ▶ Behind Genius Ventures Invest in technical storytellers—founders with deep technical depth, exceptional communication skills, and strong execution velocity. Fund innovation in traditionally overlooked industries (Clipboard Companies) by applying modern technology while respecting domain expertise. San Diego | $150K – $250K | 41 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 35 | ▶ Battery Ventures Battery Ventures operates as a stage-agnostic firm backing technology-driven category leaders across all growth stages from seed to buyout. The firm believes the best tech investments span the entire founder journey, and they practice collaborative, research-focused investing with embedded operational support through their Portfolio Services platform. They seek technical founders with deep domain expertise and experienced operators building in four core sectors: Application Software, Infrastructure Software, Consumer, and Industrial Tech + Life Science Tools. Boston | $1M – $500M | 23 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 36 | ▶ Conversion Capital Backs founders building software that replaces legacy workflows in financial services, infrastructure, logistics, healthcare, and other operationally complex markets. The firm consistently favors products with strong automation, data, and integration moats. New York | $250K – $3M | 17 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 37 | ▶ Panache Ventures Exceptional companies are built by founders with deep conviction, strong technical foundations, and the courage to tackle meaningful problems. Panache backs visionary founders from day one, providing capital alongside hands-on operational support and nationwide founder networks. Montreal | $500K – $3M | 17 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 38 | ▶ ff Venture Capital ffVC invests in driven problem-solvers building high-potential companies in emerging industries: AI, Manufacturing, Energy, Robotics, and Security. We provide capital alongside deep operational expertise, board participation, and access to a 35,000+ founder and investor ecosystem. We bet on founders with industry expertise, clear paths to $100M+ revenue, and defensible competitive advantages. New York | $300K – $700K | 22 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 39 | ▶ Day One Ventures We help mission-driven pioneers win by harnessing the power of storytelling, art and culture. We back early-stage companies with customer obsession in their DNA and accelerate the mass adoption of technologies they create. Founders need more than capital—they need strategic support in building their narrative and leveraging media to accelerate adoption. San Francisco | $300K – $5M | 27 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 40 | ▶ New Enterprise Associates (NEA) NEA partners with ambitious founders at every stage of company building, from pre-seed through IPO. They invest at the intersection of technology and healthcare, believing the most transformational innovation occurs where deep domain expertise meets world-class technical founders. NEA serves as both capital provider and active operator. Menlo Park | $1M – $50M | 26 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 41 | ▶ Argonautic Ventures AI is a milestone in data maturity progression, not a product category. Argonautic invests in founders building data-centric solutions across infrastructure (horizontal) and vertical markets. Multi-fund structure allows pre-seed to Series B deployment with unified thesis: recognizing verticals at different data adoption stages and deploying capital to those crossing inflection points into AI operationalization. | $250K – $1M | 7 | Both | Active | ~2 wks | Open |
| 42 | ▶ Pillar VC We invest in technical breakthroughs that overcome the world's greatest challenges. We partner at inception with technically brilliant dreamers who see past impossible to inevitable. We evaluate scientific opportunities through both commercial potential and human impact lenses. Boston | $100K – $10M | 25 | Leads | Active | ~2 mo | Open |
| 43 | ▶ Syndicate One Belgium-first network-driven VC backing the most ambitious Belgian-founded tech startups at Pre-Seed and Seed. Pools capital, expertise, and network from 120+ founders, operators, and investors to help early-stage Belgian companies scale globally. Brussels, Belgium | $250K – $1.5M | 25 | Leads | Active | ~1 mo | Open |
| 44 | ▶ Backed Backed invests in Europe's generational founders building frontier technology companies that combine a real technical or conceptual breakthrough with global ambition. The firm sits at the intersection of venture capital and community, using events and long-term founder support to compound conviction and help companies move from seed to Series A and beyond. London | $500K – $5M | 14 | Leads | Active | N/A | N/A |
| 45 | ▶ IDG Capital Backing founders and teams building lasting companies across TMT, healthcare, consumer & entertainment, and advanced manufacturing/clean tech, with a multi-decade time horizon and a bridge role between China and global capital markets. Hong Kong | $1M – $100M | 23 | Both | Active | ~2 mo | Req'd |
| 46 | ▶ Transpose Platform First-check investors to exceptional founders building category-defining companies and to emerging venture funds reshaping the industry. Formation-stage specialists operating as partners from inception, not simply deploying capital. Houston | $500K – $15M | 23 | Leads | Active | ~2 wks | Req'd |
| 47 | ▶ Fika Ventures Investing in subject matter experts shaping the future of their industries. We lead with our values and build trust through action. We believe the best founders have deep industry expertise and need tireless operational support, not just capital. We partner with founders for the long term, staying engaged 24/7. Los Angeles | $1M – $5M | 27 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 48 | ▶ Commonweal Ventures Entrepreneurs who work constructively with government to harness its unique strengths—scale, credibility, regulatory power, data, and funding—enjoy asymmetric advantages. 24% of venture-backed unicorns used government support. We partner with founders to unlock government as a growth lever. New York | $500K – $2M | 26 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 49 | ▶ GoAhead Ventures We invest in people, not business scripts. We believe exceptional founders can come from anywhere. Our open video-pitch funnel replaces traditional warm intros with meritocratic founder access. We want to see and hear you—your passion, vision, and commitment matter more than a polished deck. Menlo Park | $200K – $1M | 20 | Leads | Active | ~1 wk | Open |
| 50 | ▶ Euclid Ventures Vertical AI will create hundreds of billions of enterprise value over the next decade. We back domain-expert founders building purpose-built AI solutions for specific industries from Day Zero — pre-product, pre-traction, pre-everything. San Francisco | $500K – $2M | 18 | Leads | Active | N/A | Open |
| 51 | ▶ Creative Destruction Lab The primary constraint for seed-stage, science-based entrepreneurs is access to experienced business judgment. CDL provides objective-based mentoring from accomplished entrepreneurs, angels, and scientists to help founders prioritize tasks and de-risk their businesses. Toronto | $50K – $250K | 20 | N/A | 2mo | ~2 wks | Open |
| 52 | ▶ Cathay Innovation Startups positioned as transformation partners with Fortune 500 corporates create the most impactful solutions. We believe the next generation of market leaders will emerge through collaborative innovation between startups and incumbent enterprises, supported by global expertise and capital. Paris | $5M – $100M | 16 | Both | Active | ~1 mo | Req'd |
| 53 | ▶ Praetura Ventures Praetura backs ambitious northern founders building software, health, life sciences, fintech, cybersecurity, robotics, and other high-growth businesses where operator support and regional conviction matter. The firm positions itself as a more-than-money investor and emphasizes practical support from experienced operators, not just capital. Manchester, United Kingdom | $200K – $8M | 16 | Both | Active | N/A | Open |
| 54 | ▶ 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
What other stages do these firms also invest in?
What other sectors do these firms also invest in?
Firms that frequently co-invest with investors on this page
F4 Fund tracks 54 VC firms that actively invest in fintech & payments + manufacturing & industrial at the 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 seed fintech & payments + manufacturing & industrial investors is $2.3M – $2.3M, with a full range from $10K – $500M. The distribution breaks down as: 7 firms in the <$500K range, 7 firms in the $500K-$1M range, 12 firms in the $1M-$2M range, 14 firms in the $2M-$5M range, 7 firms in the $5M-$10M range, 7 firms in the $10M+ range.
Among the 54 firms tracked, 96% lead or co-lead rounds, and 2% 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 seed fintech & payments + manufacturing & industrial investors combine domain expertise with an active portfolio in the space. Among these firms, 34% prefer warm introductions, and the average firm has 32 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.