All great companies begin with an idea, and investors who help those companies grow.
The Seed 100 highlights and celebrates those early sage dealmakers who provide the essential first push to startups that go on to become some of the greatest successes in the tech world.
Likewise, the Seed 40 spotlights the top women early-stage investors who have a knack for finding breakout companies and the startup founders building them.
Since 2021, Business Insider has partnered with Termina to use its data analysis to produce these lists. Read the full methodology behind the lists.
2026's top early-stage investors
The 100 seed-stage investors you need to know in 2026 — and 40 of the most influential women in the field.
The Seed 100: The best early-stage investors of 2026
The Seed 40: The best women early-stage investors of 2026
How Termina selected and ranked the 2026 Seed 100 and Seed 40 lists
Profiles of 2026's first funders
Get to know the investors placing the earliest bets and shaping the next generation of breakout startups.
The venture world is chasing mega-rounds. This investor is chasing startups that the big firms miss.
We asked top startup investors how they use AI. Here's what they said.
Where the former Google executive who backed OpenAI and Anthropic is investing now
Why the former Google executive who backed OpenAI and Anthropic wants to get people off their screens
A look at past Seed 100s
Browse our previous Seed 100 lists to see how early-stage investing has evolved over the years.