May 8, 2025
Building a B2B SaaS company in San Francisco means you're surrounded by people who get it. Technical talent is everywhere, early customers are willing to beta test, and there's a shared understanding that trying something new beats optimizing something broken.
SF also happens to have one of the deepest benches of seed investors who actually understand B2B software. The capital is here, the experience is here, and the urgency to back great founders early is definitely here.
But here's the thing: not all seed investors are created equal. Some write checks and disappear. Others bring real value with customer intros, go-to-market advice, the kind of operator-level support that actually moves the needle. When you're raising your first institutional round, you want partners who know what it takes to get from here to Series A, and who are willing to do the work alongside you.
At Bonfire Ventures, we lead concentrated seed rounds in B2B software and work closely with founders to solve the hard, messy problems that come with building something real. We know what good looks like because we've been in the arena.
Below, we've put together a list of San Francisco seed investors who consistently show up for B2B SaaS founders - the ones building for scale and staying power.
Seed rounds are about proving to the market that your business can scale and convincing seed investors you have the pieces in place to get there. If you want someone to back you at Seed, here are the signals they’ll be looking for:
The following firms have built reputations for investing in seed rounds and setting companies up for Series A success. Some are completely based in SF, others aren't—but all of them actively invest in the city's B2B software ecosystem. Here are the best seed investors for SaaS and software companies you can talk to today.
Bonfire Ventures is the largest firm on the West Coast dedicated exclusively to leading seed rounds in B2B software. Because this is all they do, they know the playbook better than anyone.
The firm was co-founded in 2017 by Mark Mullen and Jim Andelman after years of co-investing into the same early-stage B2B software companies. With deep conviction in the space, they decided to combine forces and build something singular: a fund focused entirely on helping B2B software founders win.
Bonfire recently closed its fourth fund at $245M, bringing AUM to $1B+. The firm leads seed rounds writing $2.5-$4M checks and keeps its portfolio intentionally small so they can remain hands-on partners by showing up when founders need them most, whether that's prepping for board meetings, connecting them with top talent to scale their teams, or fundraising for Series A.
The firm's model has led to over 75% of its companies raising a successful Series A (nearly 2× the industry average). Portfolio companies include The Trade Desk, TaxJar, MNTN, and Scopely, with over $18B in total exit value.
Learn more about partnering with Bonfire
1984 Ventures is a San Francisco-based early-stage fund that backs founders using AI software to solve big but overlooked problems. They often write checks in the $500K–$1M range at Pre-Seed and Seed. They offer strong engineering culture and help with recruiting, strategy, and positioning for Series A.
A* Capital is an early-stage venture firm with the motto “Guiding outliers from idea to IPO.” The team is made up of founders and operators who have built their own tech companies. A* typically joins at the very first institutional step, working closely with founders on the ground to build momentum from Seed through early scale.
Abstract Ventures is a $1.8B SF-based early-stage VC. They help connect their portfolio companies with customers, talent, and follow-on capital. Typical checks are in the $100K-$1M range depending on stage.
Amino Capital manages a global fund of over $1B. They back startups building on network effects, frontier tech, PLG SaaS, Web3, and consumer. They invest from Seed through Growth, often supporting companies through follow-on rounds as they scale.
Andreessen Horowitz is one of Silicon Valley’s most established venture firms, backing founders from seed through IPO. They’ve built a broad domain presence across software infrastructure, AI, fintech, Web3, and biotech. They support founders with checks, deep resources, and networks.
Anorak Ventures is a San Francisco and Los Angeles-based seed-stage VC that was founded in 2016. They invest in founders building differentiated tech like in AI, VR/AR, robotics, and emerging markets. They tend to write checks of $100K-$500K at the Seed or Pre-Seed stage.
Bain Capital Ventures is a multi-stage VC headquartered in San Francisco. They have nearly $9B+ in assets under management, investing across seed to growth equity. They typically put down $500K-$1M at early stages and scale up into larger rounds as companies grow.
Bessemer Venture Partners is one of the most established multi-stage VCs, with over 135 IPOs and a global portfolio across enterprise software, consumer tech, fintech, and more. They’re active seed participants but scale their support through Series A and beyond. Bessemer Venture Partners writes early checks around the half-million to low-million dollar range and ramp up as companies grow.
Bling Capital was founded by Ben Ling as a founder-focused seed firm backing consumer and SaaS startups. They typically write $200K to $3M checks at the earliest institutional rounds and continue supporting companies through Series A. Their track record includes major names such as Instacart, GitHub, and Coinbase.
Costanoa Ventures is a Bay Area–based firm focused on backing early-stage B2B SaaS companies and helping them scale go-to-market. They usually invest $500K–$3M in the first round, with the capacity to lead or follow, and reserve capital for follow-on support. Founders can access their BuilderOps to handle go-to-market and company-building.
Cowboy Ventures was founded by Aileen Lee and is known for being one of the first funds to use the term “unicorn” for billion-dollar startups. They focus heavily on seed-stage software and consumer companies and usually invest between half a million and four million dollars in early rounds. The team provides close founder support alongside capital.
Crosslink Capital has been active in venture since the late 1980s and today manages billions in assets across multiple funds. The firm focuses on early-stage companies in both consumer and enterprise software, often writing one to nine million dollar checks in Seed or Series A rounds.
First Round Capital focuses exclusively on seed investing and positions itself as the first institutional check for many breakout companies. Their typical investments range from $500,000 to $3 million. They differentiate themselves by offering access to advisors, talent networks, and peer support.
Floodgate is a Palo Alto-based seed fund founded by Mike Maples Jr. and Ann Miura-Ko. They are often described as one of the original micro-VC firms. They typically write checks in the low millions at Seed and back ideas very early, before there’s much revenue or traction.
Founders Fund manages over $17 billion and backs founders working on transformative technologies. They invest across stages, with seed checks often in the hundreds of thousands to a few million and the capacity to scale into large growth rounds. Their portfolio includes some of the most iconic outcomes in tech like SpaceX, Stripe, Palantir, and Airbnb.
Freestyle Capital was founded in 2009 by repeat entrepreneurs and focuses exclusively on early-stage software companies. They typically write $1.5 to $3 million checks and only back about a dozen startups each year to stay hands-on. They build deep founder relationships while helping with recruiting, go-to-market, and fundraising strategy.
Gradient Ventures is Google’s AI-focused seed fund. They help founders build applied AI into software infrastructure or workflows. They often lead very early rounds, sometimes before there’s a fully established go-to-market motion, and bring Google’s technical and mentorship resources into the mix.
Greylock is one of the legacy Silicon Valley firms that still lead from the front at Seed and early Series A. They frequently write day-one checks ranging from a few million dollars into software and platform startups. They also back founders working in crypto and infrastructure..
Index Ventures manages multiple funds, including Origin, specifically dedicated to seed stage investing with a $300 million seed fund, and larger funds for growth. Their early-stage checks often range from several hundred thousand up into low tens of millions. They distinguish themselves by backing companies from their first institutional round all the way to IPO,
Kleiner Perkins has a decades-long track record of backing transformative tech companies. At seed and Series A, they usually write checks from around half a million to a few million dollars, and larger in later stages. Their portfolio includes major exits like Epic Games, Snap, and DoorDash.
Long Journey Ventures was founded in 2019 in San Francisco. They back founders who are building in frontier areas like climate tech, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity. They typically write checks between $100,000 and $500,000 in early rounds and lean in hard on supporting product fit, recruiting, and technical execution.
Mayfield has backed over 550 companies since their founding in 1969. They are investing in relatively few companies each year so they can stay close. They help with capital, product-market discovery support, early customer access, recruiting, and follow-on rounds.
NEA is a VC that manages over $25 billion in committed capital. They write early checks and also participate heavily in growth rounds. Recent activity includes leading Series A deals like Arkestro and SeMI Technologies, as well as large scale support behind breakout names like MongoDB and Snap.
NFX is a seed-focused VC that prefers companies where network effects are baked into companies. They typically lead with check sizes between $1 million and $5 million. They also offer product support, mentorship, and a founder network called The NFX Guild.
Pear VC writes early checks, starting typically at about $250,000 up to $6 million depending on stage. They lead pre-seed and seed rounds and support founders heavily in recruiting, go-to-market, PR, and fundraising. Their playbook includes an accelerator program, PearX, for the riskiest early ideas.
Precursor Ventures backs founders early when the product may still be forming, but the team is already showing drive and vision. They usually invest up to $500,000 in pre-seed and seed, leaving room for syndication and follow-on support. They make about 30 to 40 new investments each year.
Redpoint Ventures is a multi-stage firm with over $7 billion under management and offices in both Silicon Valley and San Francisco. They typically lead early rounds with checks in the $2 million to $15 million range and continue supporting founders through growth. Their track record includes category-leading SaaS companies like Snowflake, Stripe, and HashiCorp.
Resolute Ventures backs founders extremely early, often before product launch. Their checks tend to fall between $500,000 and $3 million in Pre-seed or Seed rounds. They lead rounds early and focus on supporting first hires, product development, and initial go-to-market proof.
Scale Venture Partners is based in Foster City, California, and has backed over 380 SaaS and cloud companies. They write early growth checks from Seed to Series B. Scale Venture Partners typically backs companies with existing revenue, and offers operational playbooks via their Scale Studio benchmarking tool.
Slow Ventures is an early-stage fund with offices in San Francisco, Boston, and New York. Since its founding in 2011, it has deployed over $800 million into around 77 companies. The firm is making bets on creators now, via a dedicated $60 million fund, offering checks of $1 to 3 million.
Susa Ventures is a San Francisco seed-stage firm that typically writes initial checks up to $5 million. They are committed to helping founders build strong foundations in product, early customers, and recruiting. They pride themselves on partnering with startups very early, often pre-production, while offering guidance on networks, customers, and scale.
XYZ Venture Capital was founded in 2017 by Ross Fubini.They back founders working in overlooked or “tech-forgotten” sectors like insurance, government services, and legal tech. They often help before or at the formation of the company with check sizes commonly in the range of $100K to several million.
At Bonfire Ventures, we’ve seen founders save months by being intentional in this process. Take the following steps to target partners who can truly accelerate your journey:
The right seed partner can scale your business much further than you could alone. Beyond the capital, you want someone who knows SaaS, can help you win early customers, and will still be in your corner when it’s time to raise Series A.
At Bonfire Ventures, we live and breathe this lane. We lead Seed rounds for B2B software founders, write meaningful checks, and partner directly with you on the hardest early challenges. That means hiring key talent, sharpening your go-to-market, connecting you with customers, and putting the right systems in place to measure and grow. And our commitment to your success lasts long after the first round—because Seed is the start, not the finish line.
When you’re ready to raise your Seed round, we’re here to back you with conviction, partnership, and the long-term support to build a lasting company.
For B2B SaaS founders, we believe Bonfire Ventures is the best partner at Seed. We focus exclusively on software, lead rounds with meaningful checks, and stay hands-on with founders well past the first financing.
Other options in San Francisco include Cowboy Ventures, Gradient Ventures, and NFX.
Generally speaking, venture capitalists may invest anywhere from a few hundred thousand to several million dollars in a given company. At the Seed stage, most B2B SaaS raise seed funding in the $1M–$4M range, which typically gives founders about 18 months of runway. Later rounds like Series A and beyond can climb significantly higher, depending on traction, growth rate, and market size.
Most venture capital firms tied to San Francisco are clustered in Silicon Valley, just south of the city. Within San Francisco itself, the Financial District and South of Market (SOMA) neighborhoods are popular bases. In recent years, more firms have also opened offices in Oakland and Berkeley, broadening the Bay Area’s venture footprint.
