First-check capital for founders building software people love.
We invest $100K–$1M in pre-seed and seed startups across consumer, SaaS, AI and fintech — with fast decisions, hands-on operating support, and the follow-on capital to keep you going.
Operator-led · first checks $100K–$1M · a decision in two weeks
Operator-led, and built for speed.
We're an early-stage fund run by people who've built and scaled products themselves. No committees, no six-month diligence — a clear decision in two weeks and hands-on support from the day you say yes.
Northbound is the first institutional check for ambitious software founders.
We're an early-stage venture fund. We back founders at the earliest, hardest moment — before the round is easy, before the market agrees — and we stay close through everything that comes after. Generalists on sector, disciplined on one thing: evidence that people love the product.
Product before hype
Retention and repeat use tell us more than any deck. We back what people quietly return to on their own.
Markets that compound
A sharp wedge into something that can get large — pricing power, a durable moat, or a shift you're early to.
Founders with an edge
Unusual insight, unusual speed, or unusual grit — earned inside the problem you've chosen to solve.
Early, not zero
Something is live and working. We're comfortable with pre-revenue — never with pre-product.
We write the first check, not the safe one — and we move at the speed you build.
Capital is where it starts, not where it ends.
The check is the easy part. What early companies need is everything around it — and we bring it.
Capital, quickly
Meaningful first checks with a fast, founder-friendly process. A clear decision in two weeks and funds wired within a week of a yes.
Hands-on when it counts
Go-to-market, pricing, growth and early hiring — practical help from operators who've built and scaled products. On your terms, never imposed.
A network that opens doors
Warm introductions to founders, operators, customers, and the downstream investors who will lead your next round.
We stay for the long run
Follow-on reserves and steady support through the messy middle. We back conviction across rounds, not just the first cheque.
From pitch to wire in two weeks.
Deliberately short, so it never stalls the company you're building.
Pitch us
A short form and a link to the product. No warm intro required.
≈ 2 minutesFirst call
If there's a fit, we talk within five days — founder to partner.
Within 5 daysDecision
A clear yes or no within two weeks, with honest feedback either way.
≤ 2 weeksWire & support
Funds within a week of yes — then we get to work together.
Week of yesThe sectors we back.
Generalists across software and digital products. If people love what you've built, we want to see it.
Plain English. No fine print.
We'd rather be clear than be for everyone.
A strong fit
- You've shipped a product with early signal — real users, repeat use, or first revenue.
- You're raising a pre-seed or seed round and want a fast, decisive first check.
- You're chasing a large market with a sharp wedge into it.
- You want a partner who rolls up their sleeves — not a silent name on the cap table.
Not yet
- You have an idea but nothing built — come back once the product is live.
- You're raising a large, late-stage priced round with established metrics.
- You're looking for a loan, grant, or purely passive capital.
- There's no product and no path to one you can point to today.
The people writing the checks have built companies too.
Northbound is run by a small partnership of investors and operators who've built and scaled products of their own.
[Partner name]
Sources and leads early-stage deals, moves fast, and structures rounds around what a founder actually needs.
[Partner name]
Helps portfolio companies find their go-to-market motion — acquisition, pricing, and the first real revenue engine.
[Partner name]
Supports hiring, finance, and the operational scaffolding that lets a young team scale without breaking.
The questions founders ask first.
What stage and check size do you invest at?+
Pre-seed and seed, with first checks of $100K–$1M and reserves to follow on. We're often the first institutional money in, alongside angels or a small round.
Do you lead rounds or only follow?+
Both. We're happy to lead and set terms when a company is a strong fit, and equally happy to join a great round already coming together.
Which sectors do you back?+
Generalists across software and digital products — consumer, SaaS, AI, fintech, marketplaces, developer tools and adjacent areas. What matters more than the sector is evidence that people love the product.
How much traction do I need?+
Something live and working. We're comfortable with pre-revenue if the usage signal is strong, but we invest in products, not slides — there should be a product to try.
Do you invest outside the US?+
Yes. We back founders globally and are comfortable investing across borders where the structure allows.
How fast do you actually move?+
A first call within five days of a fit, a clear decision within two weeks, and funds wired within a week of a yes. If it's a no, you'll get honest feedback rather than silence.
Show us what you're building.
Two minutes, no warm intro needed. If there's a fit, you'll hear from a partner — fast.
Prefer email? hello@northboundvc.com