How to Pitch the Top VC Firms: 27 Funds Compared
Stages, latest funds and the published way in for 27 top venture firms, from a16z and Sequoia to Insight Partners, checked against each firm's own pages in October 2026.
The 27 firms at a glance
| Firm | Stages | Latest fund | Published way in |
|---|---|---|---|
| a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) | Seed to growth | $15B+ across six funds (January 2026) | speedrun application; partner pages link X and LinkedIn |
| Accel | Pre-seed to late stage | $3.5B for early stage (August 2026) | No pitch form; team page tags each investor's focus |
| Battery Ventures | Seed to growth and buyout | Fund XV, $3.25B (February 2026) | No pitch form; portfolio pages name the deal team |
| Benchmark | Seed, Series A or B; historically Series A | $750M early and $1.25B growth (June 2026) | No pitch form or emails; @benchmark on X |
| Bessemer Venture Partners | Seed to growth, about 70% early stage | $5.75B, $1.75B of it for seed and early (September 2026) | No pitch form; partner pages link LinkedIn and X |
| Coatue | Seed to late stage | Not published ($92.7B regulatory AUM) | No pitch inbox; has met founders before they started |
| Craft Ventures | Seed to growth | Craft Ventures V filed August 2026 (size not disclosed) | No pitch form; partners on X and LinkedIn |
| First Round Capital | Angel, pre-seed and seed | First Round X, $500M target (filed September 2025) | No pitch form; says it reviews every opportunity, cold included |
| Forerunner Ventures | Seed and Series A | Fund VII, $500M (November 2024) | Email investments@forerunnerventures.com |
| Founders Fund | Seed to late stage | Growth IV, $6.0B (2026); Founders Fund IX, $972M (2025) | No pitch form; three partners on X |
| General Catalyst | Seed to growth, plus company creation | Fund XII, about $8B (October 2024) | No pitch form; most investor profiles publish an email |
| Greylock | Pre-idea to Series A first | Greylock 18, $1.5B (July 2026) | Edge application; three partners publish their emails |
| GV | Seed to growth; Series A and B sweet spot | About $1B a year from Alphabet | No pitch form; consumer@gv.com for consumer |
| ICONIQ | Seed to pre-IPO; mostly Series B and later | $5.75B seventh flagship fund (July 2024) | No pitch form; 2026 seeds came through existing ties |
| Index Ventures | Seed to growth | $3.5B, including a $400M seed fund (July 2026) | No pitch form; every investor profile carries an email |
| Insight Partners | Stage-agnostic, within software | $12.5B across three funds (January 2025) | No pitch form; its analysts usually reach out first |
| Khosla Ventures | Pre-seed to growth | Fund IX ($1.95B target) and Seed G ($750M target), filed July 2025 | Email kv@khoslaventures.com |
| Kleiner Perkins | Inception to IPO | KP22, $1B early, plus $2.5B growth (March 2026) | No pitch form; partners on LinkedIn and X |
| Lightspeed Venture Partners | Seed to late stage | $9B+ across six vehicles (2025) | Get in Touch button on partner profiles |
| NEA (New Enterprise Associates) | Seed to growth | NEA 19 filed December 2025 (size not disclosed) | No pitch form; find the partner on the team page |
| Paradigm | Every stage; crypto, AI and frontier tech | $1.2B fourth fund (July 2026) | No pitch form; contact page lists info@paradigm.xyz |
| Redpoint Ventures | Inception to Series C | Redpoint X, $650M early (May 2025) | No pitch form; partners on LinkedIn and X |
| Sequoia Capital | Pre-seed to growth | $200M seed and $750M early-stage funds (October 2025) | Arc application, twice a year; partner Get in touch |
| Spark Capital | Seed to Series C | Spark IX, $1.0B early, and Growth VI, $2.33B (2026) | No pitch form; partners on X and LinkedIn |
| Thrive Capital | Seed to growth | Thrive X, $10B, $1B of it early stage (February 2026) | No pitch form; relies heavily on founder references |
| Tiger Global | Mostly large growth rounds | Private Investment Partners XVII, about $2.2B target (2026) | No pitch channel; some deals start with Tiger reaching out |
| Union Square Ventures | Seed and Series A (core fund) | $500M core and $400M opportunity funds (October 2026) | Email info@usv.com |
Each row comes from that firm's guide on this blog, where every fact links to its source. "Not published" means we could not find the fact on the firm's site or in its filings; it does not mean zero. Round sizes in the guides are whole rounds, not the firm's own check. For the seed rounds these firms led over the past year, with sizes and sources, see seed rounds led by top VC firms.
Firms with an open application
Four firms run a program anyone can apply to: a16z (speedrun), Sequoia (Arc), Greylock (Edge), Accel (Atoms, for Indian and Indian-origin founders). Each guide has the current deadline and terms.
Firms that publish an email
USV, Khosla, Forerunner, GV (consumer) publish an email address founders can write to. Greylock, General Catalyst, Index publish email addresses for individual partners. First Round has no form but says it reviews every opportunity, cold outreach included.
Firms that usually find you first
Insight, Coatue, Tiger Global have no pitch channel, and their guides show deals that began with the firm reaching out. About 60% of Insight's venture deals come from its own analysts, according to Fortune.
When there is no form
That is most of this list. Read the firm's recent deal announcements, find the partner who led companies closest to yours, and reach that person through a founder they backed or the accounts their profile links. The guides name the partners behind each firm's recent seed and Series A leads.
A second track: Pitch Protocol
Warm paths into firms like these take time. Pitch Protocol is not a route into any of them; it is a second track you can run alongside your outreach. Applying is free, your own AI agent submits one application in about ten minutes with no web form, and the funds in our network whose thesis matches reach out to you directly. Apply to the First 100 Founders Cohort →
Frequently Asked Questions
Which top VC firms accept cold applications?
Four of the 27 run an open application: a16z speedrun, Sequoia Arc, Greylock Edge, and Accel Atoms for Indian and Indian-origin founders. USV, Khosla Ventures, Forerunner and GV (for consumer companies) publish an email founders can write to, and First Round says it reviews every opportunity, cold outreach included.
Which top VC firms lead seed rounds?
Almost all of them. Of the 27 firms here, Tiger Global mostly writes large growth checks, and ICONIQ led its first seed rounds in 2026, all through existing relationships. Every other firm on the list leads seed rounds at least some of the time; each guide lists recent ones with sources.
Do most VC firms have a pitch form?
No. Most of the 27 have no pitch form and no pitch email. Their sites list partners, often with X and LinkedIn links, and three (Greylock, General Catalyst and Index Ventures) publish partner email addresses. The way in is the partner who backed companies like yours.
How current is this comparison?
Every guide was checked against the firm's own pages, SEC filings and named press on October 29, 2026. Funds close and partners move, so each guide lists its sources for you to check.
Can I apply through Pitch Protocol instead of waiting for a warm intro?
Pitch Protocol is not a back door into any of these firms, and we do not share which funds review an application before it is in. What it does: applying is free, your own AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any agent that can read a URL) submits one application in about ten minutes with no web form, and the funds in our network whose thesis matches reach out to you directly. Founders anywhere can apply.