131 pre-seed hardware investors
We list 131 pre-seed hardware investors as of November 2026: 98 have an SEC filing on file and 33 were checked on the firm's own website or an official register, and the list was last checked on 7 Nov 2026. The states with the most are California (40), Massachusetts (11) and New York (10).
Top 5 pre-seed hardware investors, 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 (35: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (25; 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), size of the fund on file on a log scale (15) and completeness of the public record (10). Stage focus is 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; 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; 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; 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; 3 named decision-makers on file.
Outlier Ventures
Type: VC firm · HQ: United Kingdom · Stages: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Growth · Focus: Hardware, AI, Biotech, Robotics · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2026 · Fund size or assets: $500M (own site)
Dated new deal in Oct 2026; $500M on file (own site); 33% of its observed portfolio is hardware; backs pre-seed, seed, Series A.
First 25 of 131 pre-seed hardware investors
| 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 |
| Outlier Ventures | VC firm | United Kingdom | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Growth | Hardware, AI, Biotech, Robotics | New deal, Oct 2026 | $500M (own site) | 4 Nov 2026 | LinkedIn page · 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 |
| 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 |
| LightX Capital | VC firm | Chicago, IL | Pre-seed | Hardware, AI, Robotics, Healthtech | New fund, Nov 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 5 names, firm email · 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 | |
| Timescale Ventures | VC firm | Marblehead, MA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Energy, Industrial Tech, AI | New fund, Sep 2026 | $50M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 2 names, firm email · Unlock |
| Zacua Ventures | VC firm | San Mateo, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Proptech, Industrial Tech | New deal, Oct 2026 | $89M (SEC Form D, 2025) | 4 Nov 2026 | 7 names · Unlock |
| Blue Impact | VC firm | Boca Raton, FL | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Logistics, AI, Ecommerce | New fund, Oct 2026 | $6M (SEC Form D, 2024) | 4 Nov 2026 | 6 names · Unlock |
| Liquid 2 Ventures | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series B, Growth | Hardware, AI, Mobility, SaaS | New fund, Aug 2026 | $200M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 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 |
| Infinite | VC firm | West Palm Beach, FL | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth | Hardware, AI, Energy, Deep Tech | New fund, Oct 2026 | $100M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 5 Nov 2026 | 6 names · Unlock |
| Julian Capital: Deeptech Seed Fund | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Energy, Deep Tech, Healthtech | New fund, Aug 2026 | $51M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 5 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 |
| ACT Venture Partners | VC firm | Netherlands | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Industrial Tech, Healthtech | New deal, Oct 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock | |
| NVP Capital | VC firm | New York, NY | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, AI, Fintech, Healthtech | New fund, Oct 2026 | $16M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · 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 |
| Earthshot Ventures | VC firm | San Francisco, CA | Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B | Hardware, AI, Energy, Industrial Tech | New fund, Oct 2026 | $77M (SEC Form D, 2026) | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 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 |
| 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 |
| Elbow Beach | VC firm | London, United Kingdom | Pre-seed, Seed | Hardware, Energy, Climate Tech, Agritech | New deal, Oct 2026 | 4 Nov 2026 | 8 names, firm email · Unlock |
You are seeing 25 of 131. The full list adds 106 more investors and 605 named decision-makers.
One-time payment. No subscription. No account.
Or get the free sample.
How these 131 break down
By region
| Region | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 95 | 73% |
| United Kingdom | 27 | 21% |
| Europe | 9 | 7% |
By US state
| US state | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 40 | 31% |
| Massachusetts | 11 | 8% |
| New York | 10 | 8% |
| Texas | 4 | 3% |
| Florida | 4 | 3% |
| Washington | 4 | 3% |
| Colorado | 3 | 2% |
| Illinois | 2 | 2% |
| North Carolina | 2 | 2% |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 2% |
By type
| Type | On this list | Share |
|---|---|---|
| VC firm | 119 | 91% |
| Accelerator | 6 | 5% |
| SEIS/EIS fund | 2 | 2% |
| Angel network | 2 | 2% |
Method and limits
- Source
- 98 of the 131 rows carry an SEC filing (Form D or Form ADV). All 131 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 (35: full marks within 3 months, then stepping down at 6, 12 and 24 months), share of the observed portfolio in this sector (25; 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), size of the fund on file on a log scale (15) and completeness of the public record (10). Stage focus is 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 7 Nov 2026.
- Fill rates
- Of 131 rows: stage 131, sector 131, fund size 93, website 131. In the paid file: named decision-makers on 127 rows, firm email on 52, LinkedIn page on 83, check size on 29.
- Corrections
- Email [email protected] or use the update form. We act within 5 working days.
Questions
How many pre-seed hardware investors are there?
We list 131 as of November 2026. 72 of the 131 have a fund filing or a dated deal in the last 12 months.
Which pre-seed hardware investors raised a new fund in the last 12 months?
49 of the 131 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?
The median fund size on file for this list is $50M, across the 75 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 56 do not disclose a size there.
How do I contact pre-seed hardware investors?
The paid file holds 605 named decision-makers across 127 of these 131 and a firm email for 52. 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 come from?
98 of the 131 rows have an SEC filing on file (Form D or Form ADV) and 33 were checked on the firm's own website or an official register. 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 7 Nov 2026 at the latest. The whole file is re-verified twice a year.
Broader lists
Narrower lists
Related lists
Pre-seed AI investors (633)Pre-seed SaaS investors (562)Pre-seed healthtech investors (408)Pre-seed fintech investors (323)Pre-seed deep tech investors (316)Pre-seed climate tech investors (230)Seed hardware investors (225)Pre-seed consumer investors (162)Pre-seed B2B investors (155)Pre-seed biotech investors (148)Pre-seed medtech investors (129)Pre-seed energy investors (126)Pre-seed industrial tech investors (124)Pre-seed robotics investors (94)Pre-seed cybersecurity investors (90)Pre-seed developer tools investors (83)Series A hardware investors (82)Pre-seed future of work investors (70)
Not sure this is the right list? Describe your raise in the investor matching tool and get a shortlist. The link opens it set to hardware and pre-seed. Guide: how to find investors for a hardware startup. Markdown version of this page.
Check the quality first
A free sample of 100 investors, every column, with sources and dates.