Organization · Venture Capital
Haystack
Haystack is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage investments in technology-driven startups. Founded in 2013, it focuses on backing high-potential founders across various sectors.
Overview
What Haystack does
What Haystack is
Haystack is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage investments in technology-driven startups. Founded in 2013, it focuses on backing high-potential founders across various sectors.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports funder capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Venture Capital
- Founded
- Founded in 2013
- Approximate age
- About 13 years
- Structured capabilities
- Funder
- Last reviewed
- April 25, 2026
Official channels
Find Haystack elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Haystack as a funder
Investment thesis
Haystack focuses on backing outlier founders at the earliest stages, prioritizing founder quality and asymmetric return potential over specific sectors.
Focus narrative
Haystack invests in early-stage companies across various sectors, with a strong emphasis on technology-driven businesses. The firm is particularly interested in areas such as food delivery, online grocery services, design platforms, infrastructure management, real estate, equity management, autonomous vehicles, digital contracting, advanced manufacturing, satellite technology, streaming data, marketing analytics, and AI.
Value beyond capital
Haystack adds value to its portfolio companies by leveraging its extensive network and expertise in early-stage investing. The firm provides strategic guidance, operational support, and access to follow-on funding opportunities through its partnership with Lightspeed, enhancing the growth potential of its investments.
Terms and economics
- Typical check
- $250,000–$2,000,000
- Sweet spot
- $700,000
Focus and fit
Availability
- Currently deploying
- Yes
Portfolio and track record
- Recorded portfolio count
- 200
- Recorded notable exits
- DoorDash, Instacart, Figma, and Hashicorp
Portfolio context
Notable portfolio companies include: DoorDash: A food delivery platform connecting customers with local businesses. Instacart: An online grocery platform offering same-day delivery and pickup services. Figma: A design platform for web applications focused on interface design. Hashicorp: Provides tools for provisioning, securing, and running infrastructure. Opendoor: An online home-selling service that streamlines the sales process. Carta: A platform for managing equity for companies, investors, and employees. Applied Intuition: Offers simulation and validation platforms for autonomous vehicles. Ironclad: A digital contracting platform for legal teams. nTop: Engineering software for advanced manufacturing. Astranis: Develops advanced satellites for high orbits.
Common questions
What to know about Haystack
Upseed classifies Haystack under the Venture Capital organization type. Its current public profile includes funder capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 25, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.