In 2023, Seattle-area startups raised $3.4 billion across 373 deals (down from $7.8B in 2022, and $9.2B in 2021). Although the pandemic-era boom has cooled down, Seattle remains a significant player in the VC landscape, with billions of dollars invested annually. Several notable startup unicorns were founded in Seattle, such as Auth0, Icertis, and Remitly.
As part of our going series of free fundraising resources and investor lists for founders, this article explores the top 15 active VC firms and investors based in Seattle, including details regarding their fund size and history:
1. Madrona Venture Group
Seed, early stage and acceleration stage investor and partner for founders. Investing for over 25 years in startups in the Pacific NW, now investing here and across the US in machine learning, AI, marketplaces, devops, biotech and across the technology spectrum.
- Founded: 1995
- Fund Size: $2.2B
- Website: madrona.com
2. Vulcan Capital
Vulcan Capital invests across all stages of corporate development through leveraged buyouts, growth capital, distressed/turnaround, and early-stage venture capital as well as public equity value investing. The firm’s portfolio spans a range of industry sectors, including media and communications, energy and natural resources, financial and information services, technology, and life sciences. Vulcan Capital is the private investment group of Vulcan Inc., the organization founded by Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
- Founded: 1997
- Fund Size: $10B
- Website: capital.vulcan.com
3. Voyager Capital
Voyager Capital is a leading Pacific Northwest venture firm providing entrepreneurs with the resources, experience and connections to build successful technology companies. Voyager leads first venture round investments in software, analytics and cloud infrastructure startups, deploying the firm’s domain expertise, go-to-market and teambuilding resources help build market leaders. The firm has offices in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon.
- Founded: 1997
- Fund Size: $475M
- Website: voyagercapital.com
4. Amazon Alexa Fund
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. They are driven by the excitement of building technologies, inventing products, and providing services that change lives. Amazon embraces new ways of doing things, making decisions quickly, and not being afraid to fail. They have the scope and capabilities of a large company, and the spirit and heart of a small one. Together, Amazonians research and develop new technologies from Amazon Web Services to Alexa on behalf of their customers: shoppers, sellers, content creators, and developers around the world. Amazon’s mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company. Their actions, goals, projects, programs, and inventions begin and end with the customer top of mind. You’ll also hear us say that at Amazon, it’s always “Day 1.”​ That means their approach remains the same as it was on Amazon’s very first day – to make smart, fast decisions, stay nimble, invent, and focus on delighting customers.
- Founded: 2015
- Fund Size: $200M
- Website: amazon.com
5. Fledge
Fledge is a network of business accelerators operating around the world, working with startups in every country. Their focus is on mission-driven for-profit companies, i.e. companies that are working on meaningful problems of the world, using a for-profit business model to solve those problems. Problems like poverty and hunger in emerging markets, recycling and sustainability, green energy, inequality, and more. Each city where Fledge operates is unique. Some like Seattle seek entrepreneurs globally, working on any problem. Some like The Land Accelerator focus on specific themes in specific geographies. Some like Peru and Barcelona are in between. Then there is the Impact Startup Visa Program, which focuses on companies that want to relocate to Canada, and Start.coop, which focuses on cooperative companies.
- Founded: 2012
- Fund Size: $3M
- Website: fledge.co
6. Arrington XRP Capital
Arrington Capital is a digital asset management firm primarily focused on blockchain-based capital markets. The firm, founded in 2017 by TechCrunch and CrunchBase founder Michael Arrington and TechCrunch CEO Heather Harde, has over $1 billion under management and has invested in hundreds of startups across the world. Arrington Capital is a seasoned, international team composed of Silicon Valley veterans and operators with deep venture capital experience and crypto native roots. Arrington Capital’s first fund was Arrington XRP Capital, and has expanded to multiple funds over time, including the Arrington Algo Growth Fund and the recently launched Arrington Moonbeam Growth Fund. For more information on Arrington Capital, visit https://www.arringtoncapital.com/.
- Founded: 2017
- Fund Size: $300M
- Website: arringtonxrpcapital.com
7. Unlock Venture Partners
Unlock Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. Unlock invests in entrepreneurs that have deep conviction and unique insight on how best to utilize data and AI to disrupt large industries. Investments include Possible, Crowd Cow, Make.TV (acquired by LTN Global), Downticket, Stackin’, Chatititve (acquired by Mailchimp), Outer, Downstream (acquired by Jungle Scout), Concreit, Fight Camp, Dolly (acquired by Updater), Plunk, UNest, Mango Sciences, Fantasmo, Sensate, iLife, Mandala Space Ventures, Seasalt.AI, Hola Cash, Continuum Space Systems, DRESSX, Irreverent Labs, Gen.G and Vitrina.AI.Past investments by the principals include Cheezburger Network, SoFi, JW Player, Sparq, Remitly (Tkr: RELY), Redfin (Tkr: RDFN), NetCracker Technologies, Rover (Tkr: ROVR), Jetlore, BuddyTV, Buuteeq, Klout and Minted.
- Founded: 2017
- Fund Size: $60M
- Website: unlockvp.com
8. Washington Research Foundatio
The Seattle-based Washington Research Foundation supports groundbreaking technology in the life sciences, information technology and physical sciences fields. By advancing brilliant research and early-stage entrepreneurs, WRF helps to grow Washington’s technology economy. WRF Capital is the seed fund branch of the Washington Research Foundation. Their mission is to help local companies and institutions manage intellectual property and business. They are one of the leading venture capitalists in the Northwest, and their financial returns are invested back into research and initiatives that support new company spinouts. They help to create a vibrant research and enterprise community.
- Founded: 1981
- Fund Size: $150M
- Website: wrfseattle.org
9. Second Avenue Partners
Second Avenue Partners is a Seattle-based provider of management, strategy, and capital for early stage companies in the Greater Puget Sound area. Second Avenue Partners provide management, strategy and capital for early stage companies. The following companies are in their portfolio: Rubicon Interactive, Sports Technologies Inc, Ice Energy, Newsvine, Azaleos, You Software, Revenue Science, Insitu Group, Bocada, HouseValues.com, WaveMarket, Terabeam, and Essention
- Founded: 2000
- Fund Size: $50M
- Website: secondave.com
10. Tola Capital
Founded in 2010 by ex-software operators, Tola Capital is a venture capital firm that believes in the power of software and data to transform the way the world works. Their diverse team provides hands-on engagement to founders who build solutions with the potential for long-term, transformational change. They invest globally across multiple stages and exclusively target companies led by exceptional talent who are building essential software for enterprise customers.
- Founded: 2010
- Fund Size: $841M
- Website: tolacapital.com
Raising funding for your startup? Create the perfect pitch deck:
Are you interested in learning how to write and design a winning pitch deck for your startup? You may be interested in our Turnkey Pitch Deck template — created by experts who have raised millions themselves, and helped hundreds of startups collectively raise billions form top investors. If not, you’ll probably at least want to read through our comprehensive guide to the perfect pitch deck.
