At Seed Round Capital we consider and evaluate over 100 startups monthly. Of those, we invite four of them to participate in our monthly pitch events, where we'll showcase 4 early-stage startups that present for 5 minutes each, to a panel of investor judges.

Typical criteria of the companies you see pitch:

• Technical Validation: Demonstrated technical progress, working prototype, or sponsored R&D, not necessarily commercial revenue.
• Current Traction: Federal non-dilutive funding (SBIR, AFWERX, DARPA, ARPA-E, DOE, NIH, NASA), active pilots, or LOIs. Revenue is not required at pre-seed.
• Our Check: $50K-$250K, typically as part of a pre-seed round.
• Post-Money Valuation: $12M or less.
• Prior Funding: Less than $750k in prior outside investment.
• Startup Categories: Material science, semiconductors, biotech, energy, defense, space, and applied sciences. We look for moats rooted in hard physics, chemistry, biology, or process knowledge, not pure software. Dual use (defense plus commercial) is a strong fit.
• Founder and Team: We like to see at least one full-time founder working in the business, with other full-time employees or contractors on the team. Two or more full-time founders is preferred. (We like teams.)
• Growth Opportunity: We target business models that can scale to $100M+ in value.
• Location: Although we are based in Houston, we work with startups throughout the USA, mainly between the coasts. (We require a US C-Corp.).

After our event, investors indicate their investment interest via a survey. If a company receives more than $50k in interest we will run a syndicate. We also encourage direct investments.

If you are a founder and would like to apply for an upcoming pitch event, please visit our Apply page.

Investors, we invite you to sign up for our investor updates to receive invitations to our pitch events and to see overviews of the companies presenting.