# How to Pitch Uncork Capital

November 13, 2026 · By [Josh May](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/team.html#josh-may)

How Uncork Capital leads seed rounds with first checks of about $3M to $5M from its $225M Uncork VIII, the four sectors it names, the seven seeds it led in the last year, and the pitches@ inbox it publishes.

**TL;DR:** Uncork Capital is a San Francisco firm, founded in 2004 as SoftTech VC, that invests at one stage: seed. It leads with first checks of about $3M to $5M, backs companies headquartered in North America, and raised a $225M seed fund plus a $75M growth fund in 2025. It publishes a pitch inbox, pitches@uncorkcapital.com, and in the last year led the seeds of Phinity Labs, Knit Health, Unkey, Mirai, Buildcheck and OpenRelay.

## Uncork at a glance

Checked against Uncork's own pages and filings, November 2026

**Firm:** "Uncork was founded in 2004 as one of the first firms dedicated to seed," then named SoftTech VC. [1] San Francisco. [5] Assets under management not published.

**Funds:** Uncork VIII, "A $225 million seed fund to continue our selective early-stage investing," and Uncork Plus IV, "A $75 million growth fund to double down on our breakout portfolio companies," announced May 2025; "The goal is to build a portfolio of about 35 companies over the next three years." [2] The amended SEC Form D of July 2026 reports $225M sold for Uncork VIII against a $300M offering; Uncork Plus IV, $76.1M sold. [3, 4]

**Stages:** "For more than 20 years, Uncork has focused on one stage: seed." "We're the first major check on the cap table, often leading seed rounds." [1] "Uncork is a seed firm. Fully, deliberately, and by conviction - not by happenstance." [17] Pre-seed co-leads happen (Evos, 2026). [13]

**First check:** "An initial investment of about $3-5M." [1] The May 2025 fund note put it at "$1.5M-$3M+ in seed capital for a 12-15% stake." [2]

**Focus:** Four named sectors: B2B Applications; Developer Tooling, Infrastructure and Security; Consumer and Marketplaces; Frontier Tech and Hardware. [1] "We invest early in the AI-native companies creating leverage, unlocking scale, and pushing industries forward." [7]

**Geography:** "Focused on companies headquartered in North America." [2]

**Partners:** [Andy McLoughlin](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/andy-mcloughlin) (managing partner; "the 'unsexy' ideas and deeply technical teams of enterprise software and developer tooling"), [Jeff Clavier](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/jeff-clavier) (founding partner; frontier tech and hardware), [Amy Saper](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/amy-saper) (general partner; "seed-stage B2B startups rethinking how we work"), [Susan Liu](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/susan-liu) (general partner; "founders using AI to transform legacy industries") and [Tripp Jones](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/tripp-jones) (general partner; "across B2B and consumer," drawn to "messy, complex markets"). The team page lists titles only. [6]

**Recent seed leads:**

- Buildcheck, seed, led, December 2025 [8, 15]
- Mirai, $10M seed, led, February 2026 [9, 15]
- Soma Energy, $7M seed, co-led with Category Ventures and Haystack, April 2026 [10, 15]
- Unkey, $4.5M seed, led, April 2026 [11]
- Knit Health, $11.6M seed, led, May 2026 [12, 15]
- Evos, $9M pre-seed, co-led with Field Ventures, October 2026 [13, 15]
- Phinity Labs, $5.2M seed, led, October 2026 [14]
- OpenRelay, $10M seed, led, 2026 (a YC Summer 2026 company; the post is undated) [18]

Amounts are whole rounds, not Uncork's share. Uncork's blog posts carry no publication dates; months come from the dated press items on its news page or from the company's or its counsel's own announcement.

**What it looks for:** "We look for team, TAM, and tailwinds, but conviction in founder-market fit comes above all else." [1] "We look for founders solving real problems with authentic insights." [2] "When we believe, we move fast." [1]

**Programs:** No accelerator or scout program. The platform: key advisors each company can engage with advisor credits, small-group sessions and summits, and a playbook library for portfolio founders. [16]

**How to reach:** pitches@uncorkcapital.com, in the navigation of every page. [7] No pitch form, and no published statement on cold inbound versus warm intros. Decision timeline not published.

1. [Uncork Capital: Approach](https://uncorkcapital.com/approach)
1. [Uncork Capital: Uncork Capital closes $300M to support early-stage founders (May 2025)](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/uncork-capital-closes-300m-to-support-early-stage-founders-e1015b772be1)
1. [SEC Form D/A: Uncork VIII, L.P. (July 2026)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2062325/000206232526000002/primary_doc.xml)
1. [SEC Form D: Uncork Plus IV, L.P. (April 2025)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2062320/000206232025000001/primary_doc.xml)
1. [Uncork Capital: Terms of use (San Francisco address)](https://uncorkcapital.com/terms-of-use)
1. [Uncork Capital: Team](https://uncorkcapital.com/team)
1. [Uncork Capital: Home](https://uncorkcapital.com/)
1. [Uncork Capital: Our investment in Buildcheck](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/improving-construction-design-with-ai-our-investment-in-buildcheck)
1. [Uncork Capital: Welcoming Mirai to the Uncork portfolio](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/to-the-edge-again-welcoming-mirai-to-the-uncork-portfolio)
1. [Uncork Capital: Soma Energy](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/soma-energy-making-every-megawatt-count)
1. [Unkey: Unkey raises its seed round (April 2026)](https://www.unkey.com/blog/unkey-raises-seed)
1. [Uncork Capital: Welcome Knit Health](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/clinical-intelligence-of-the-future-welcome-knit-health)
1. [Uncork Capital: Investing in Evos](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/investing-in-evos)
1. [Gunderson Dettmer: Phinity Labs emerges from stealth with $5.2 million seed (October 2026)](https://www.gunder.com/en/news-insights/client-news/phinity-labs-emerges-from-stealth-with-dollar52-million-seed)
1. [Uncork Capital: News (dated press items)](https://uncorkcapital.com/news)
1. [Uncork Capital: Platform](https://uncorkcapital.com/platform)
1. [Uncork Capital: A new look, the same conviction](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/a-new-look-the-same-conviction)
1. [Uncork Capital: Investing in OpenRelay](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/investing-in-openrelay)

[Compare 27 top firms side by side](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-top-vc-firms/)

Uncork Capital was one of the first firms built only for seed: Jeff Clavier founded it in 2004 as SoftTech VC, and its companies page lists Fitbit, SendGrid, Poshmark, Postmates, Eventbrite, Front, LaunchDarkly, Human Interest, Tailscale, Gamma and Groq. In May 2025, on its 21st anniversary, it announced a $225 million seed fund and a $75 million growth fund, and it describes its 2025 rebrand this way: "Uncork is a seed firm. Fully, deliberately, and by conviction."

## What Uncork Is

Uncork publishes the three numbers a seed founder wants. Stage: "For more than 20 years, Uncork has focused on one stage: seed." Check: "We're the first major check on the cap table, often leading seed rounds with an initial investment of about $3-5M." (The May 2025 fund note described $1.5 million to $3 million-plus for a 12% to 15% stake; the approach page carries the current figure.) Pace: about 35 companies over three years from Uncork VIII, so roughly a dozen new seeds a year across five partners.

The growth fund, Uncork Plus IV, exists to "double down on our breakout portfolio companies as they scale," the way the firm says it invested in every subsequent LaunchDarkly round after leading its seed.

## What Uncork Looks For

**1. Founder-market fit above all.** "We look for team, TAM, and tailwinds, but conviction in founder-market fit comes above all else." That is the firm's one-sentence thesis on its approach page.

**2. Real problems, authentic insights.** "We look for founders solving real problems with authentic insights," from the 2025 fund announcement.

**3. Potential before it is obvious.** The homepage: "Uncork is a seed-stage venture firm investing in founder potential long before it's obvious."

**4. AI-native leverage.** "We invest early in the AI-native companies creating leverage, unlocking scale, and pushing industries forward." Susan Liu's focus is founders "using AI to transform legacy industries."

**5. One of four sectors.** B2B applications; developer tooling, infrastructure and security; consumer and marketplaces; frontier tech and hardware. Andy McLoughlin describes his own taste as "the 'unsexy' ideas and deeply technical teams of enterprise software and developer tooling."

## What Uncork Needs to See

Uncork publishes no revenue or usage thresholds. Its 2026 leads describe the range: a $4.5 million seed for an API infrastructure company (Unkey), a $5.2 million seed for an AI chip-design company out of stealth (Phinity Labs), a $10 million seed for an edge-AI company (Mirai), an $11.6 million seed in clinical intelligence (Knit Health), and a $9 million pre-seed co-led for an industrial AI company (Evos). Several were emerging from stealth when the round was announced, which fits a firm that says it invests "long before it's obvious." Geography is a hard line: companies headquartered in North America.

## How to Get an Uncork Meeting

- **Email pitches@uncorkcapital.com**: the address sits in the navigation of every page on the site. Uncork publishes no statement about warm intros, so the inbox is the published door
- **Match the partner**: Andy McLoughlin for enterprise software and developer tooling; Amy Saper for seed-stage B2B startups rethinking how we work; Susan Liu for AI transforming legacy industries; Tripp Jones across B2B and consumer in messy, complex markets; Jeff Clavier for frontier tech and hardware
- **Co-investors**: Uncork's 2026 seeds were shared with Pear, Moxxie, Field Ventures, Category Ventures, Haystack, Essence VC, Sunflower Capital, Eniac and Samsung Next, among others
- **Portfolio founders**: the companies page lists the lead partner for each company, which tells you who to ask for an introduction to whom

## What Gets You Passed

- **Not seed**: the firm's whole identity is one stage; Series A and later come only through the Plus fund for its own companies
- **Headquartered outside North America**: the May 2025 fund note states the focus plainly
- **A team without founder-market fit**: team, TAM and tailwinds come second to it, in the firm's own ordering

## A second track: Pitch Protocol

Warm paths into a fund like Uncork take time. Pitch Protocol is not a route into Uncork; 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 →](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc)

## Founder FAQ

### Which Uncork partner should I pitch for my sector?

Uncork's [team page](https://uncorkcapital.com/team) lists titles; each profile states a focus. Enterprise software and developer tooling: [Andy McLoughlin](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/andy-mcloughlin) (managing partner). Seed-stage B2B startups rethinking how we work: [Amy Saper](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/amy-saper). Founders using AI to transform legacy industries: [Susan Liu](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/susan-liu). B2B and consumer in messy, complex markets: [Tripp Jones](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/tripp-jones). Frontier tech and hardware: [Jeff Clavier](https://uncorkcapital.com/team/jeff-clavier) (founding partner).

### Does Uncork lead seed rounds?

Yes. Its [approach page](https://uncorkcapital.com/approach) says "We're the first major check on the cap table, often leading seed rounds," and in the last year it led the seeds of Phinity Labs, Knit Health, Unkey, Mirai, Buildcheck and OpenRelay and co-led Soma Energy's seed and Evos's pre-seed.

### What is Uncork's typical check size?

"An initial investment of about $3-5M," per the [approach page](https://uncorkcapital.com/approach). The [May 2025 fund announcement](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/uncork-capital-closes-300m-to-support-early-stage-founders-e1015b772be1) described "$1.5M-$3M+ in seed capital for a 12-15% stake"; the approach page carries no ownership target.

### Does Uncork invest outside the United States?

Within North America: the [May 2025 fund announcement](https://uncorkcapital.com/blog/uncork-capital-closes-300m-to-support-early-stage-founders-e1015b772be1) says the firm is "focused on companies headquartered in North America." The approach page states no geography.

### How long does Uncork take to decide?

Uncork does not publish a decision timeline. Its approach page says "When we believe, we move fast."

### Does Uncork take cold inbound?

It publishes a pitch inbox, pitches@uncorkcapital.com, in the navigation of every page on [uncorkcapital.com](https://uncorkcapital.com/). There is no pitch form and no published statement on cold inbound versus warm intros.

### What does Uncork invest in?

Seed-stage companies in four named sectors on its [approach page](https://uncorkcapital.com/approach): B2B Applications; Developer Tooling, Infrastructure and Security; Consumer and Marketplaces; and Frontier Tech and Hardware. Its homepage adds: "We invest early in the AI-native companies creating leverage, unlocking scale, and pushing industries forward."

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Uncork provide after it invests?

Its [platform page](https://uncorkcapital.com/platform) describes key advisors each company can engage with advisor credits, small-group sessions and summits with other portfolio founders, and a playbook library, plus the Plus fund for breakout companies' later rounds.

### Can I apply through Pitch Protocol instead of waiting for a warm intro?

Pitch Protocol is not a back door into Uncork, 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. Keep working your warm path to Uncork in parallel. [Apply to the First 100 Founders Cohort →](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc)

## Related guides

- [How to Pitch First Round Capital](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-first-round/): How First Round invests at angel, pre-seed and seed, what it says it looks for, and how to reach it, cold outreach included.
- [How to Pitch Pear VC](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-pear-vc/): How to pitch Pear VC: check sizes, PearX accelerator details, and the three paths founders use to reach the firm at pre-seed and seed.
- [How to Pitch Craft Ventures](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-craft-ventures/): Craft Ventures' operator-led model, its focus on B2B software in the AI era, and the Burn Multiple it uses to judge efficiency.
- [How to Pitch Redpoint Ventures](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-redpoint-ventures/): How Redpoint's early team invests from inception through Series A, what its latest funds look like, and how to pick the right partner.
- [How to Pitch Initialized Capital](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc/blog/how-to-pitch-initialized-capital/): How Initialized Capital leads pre-seed and seed rounds, what its SEC filings say about Fund VII, the founders it says it backs, and how little else it publishes.

Published by [Pitch Protocol](https://www.pitchprotocol.vc) · A [Growth Factory Ventures](https://growthfactory.vc) studio project · Published November 13, 2026

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