Originally published in SeedStage Digest (Feb 2024)
Early-stage capital is shifting — and fast. While traditional seed funds still dominate headlines, a quiet revolution is happening at the check-writing level. Individual angels, often exited founders or senior operators, are becoming the most important investors at the earliest stages.
And they’re doing it off-platform, off-record, and off-hype.
“There’s a whole world of $10K–$50K checks flowing through DMs, intros, and backchannels,” said a founder who raised a $100K round in December from four indie angels. “None of them have websites. One of them wired the same day we met.”
Why the shift?
1. **Speed:** Angels don’t need committee approval or partner consensus. If they like it, they invest.
2. **Alignment:** Many are former founders themselves — they understand the pain and chaos of Day 1.
3. **Value:** These aren’t passive LPs. They make intros, test products, and give unfiltered feedback.
And for founders, it’s more than money. “It feels like a team,” said Aiden Reiss, who bootstrapped a DTC apparel company to $40K MRR before raising $120K from four angel supporters. “We hop on a group call once a month. It’s not just capital — it’s accountability.”
Platforms like AngelList and Calm Company Fund have helped normalize these micro-rounds, but many of the best deals still happen through networks: Twitter threads, newsletter followings, product beta invites.
The future of seed investing might not be institutional. It might be personal. And for a new generation of builders — that’s exactly the point.
Quality content here!!!!!
Don't feel bad for those funds they'll do just fine