Portland Seed Fund

Early-Stage Venture Capital Investingportlandseedfund.com

Portland Seed Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm managing $45M across five funds, investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Portland and the Pacific Northwest, with current emphasis on deep tech via its Intrepid Oregon Fund.

Company typePrivate
Founded2011
HeadquartersLake Oswego, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Portland Seed Fund does

Portland Seed Fund is a Pacific Northwest-focused early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2010 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon (with its principal office location in Lake Oswego). The firm manages $45 million across five funds and has invested in more than 200 capital-efficient pre-seed and seed-stage companies since inception. It is recognized by CB Insights as the most active venture capital investor in Oregon.

The fund generates revenue through two standard VC mechanisms: recurring management fees charged on committed capital under management across its fund vehicles, and performance-based carried interest realized from portfolio exits. Its monetizable product is investment capital paired with mentorship, strategic guidance, and network access for early-stage Pacific Northwest entrepreneurs. The fund's customer base is bifurcated into limited partner investors supplying capital and portfolio company founders receiving capital, with institutional and government LPs (most notably Business Oregon, which anchored the 2024 Intrepid Oregon Fund) providing the institutional LP base.

The firm's most recent strategic vehicle, the Intrepid Oregon Fund (launched 2024 with $4M), marks a deliberate vertical pivot toward deep tech and science-based startups in bioscience, medical devices, climate-tech, advanced materials, and advanced manufacturing. Portland Seed Fund is managed by a small team of Managing Directors—Angela Jackson, Jenn Lynch, and Steve Eichenlaub—alongside Venture Partner Shashi Jain, with Jim Huston serving as Managing Director Emeritus. Notable exits include Auth0 (acquired by Okta), ESS Inc (NYSE: GWH IPO), Sightbox (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), and Hubb (acquired by Intrado), which together form the track record underpinning LP fundraising and founder deal selection.

Portland Seed Fund firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Portland Seed Fund
Legal name: Portland Seed Fund
Website: http://portlandseedfund.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2011
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Portland Seed Fund is an early-stage venture capital firm managing $45M across five funds, investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Portland and the Pacific Northwest, with current emphasis on deep tech via its Intrepid Oregon Fund.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Portland Seed Fund industry classification

Industry

Product category: Early-Stage Venture Capital Investing
NAICS: Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
SIC: Investment Advice (6282)
akta.pro primary industry: Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
akta.pro secondary industry: Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

Early-stage venture capital
Seed-stage investing
Startup funding
Venture fund management
Pre-seed investments

Where Portland Seed Fund is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Lake Oswego
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Portland Seed Fund business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Management Fees: Standard VC fund management fees charged on committed capital under management across five funds.
Carried Interest: Performance-based carried interest from successful portfolio exits including Auth0, ESS Inc, Sightbox, and Hubb.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Portland Seed Fund product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Portland Seed Fund manages a series of early-stage venture capital funds (five funds totaling $45M under management) that invest pre-seed and seed capital into Pacific Northwest startups across diverse sectors. Portfolio companies receive ongoing mentorship, strategic guidance, and access to the firm's network of advisors, founders, and Limited Partners, with the current investment vehicle — Intrepid Oregon Fund — focused on deep-tech and science-based companies in Oregon.

Product overview

Portland Seed Fund is a venture capital firm, not a technology product company. It is an early-stage VC fund that invests in startups in Portland and the Pacific Northwest. The firm does not offer a technology product, platform, or software service. Its offerings are investment capital, mentorship, and strategic support for early-stage companies across diverse sectors including deep tech, climate-tech, digital health, and B2B SaaS. Notable portfolio companies with technology products include GetWhys (AI-powered B2B go-to-market platform), Neurosom (AI-powered sleep neuromodulation medical device), Caravel Bio (synthetic biology protein discovery platform using machine learning), StrateSea (AI platform for subsea sensor data), MAV Unlimited (volumetric additive manufacturing), and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Portland Seed Fund (PSF I-V Funds) A series of early-stage venture capital funds managed by Portland Seed Fund that invest pre-seed and seed capital into Pacific Northwest startups across diverse sectors; LPs commit capital and the fund deploys it into portfolio companies, generating returns through exits.
Intrepid Oregon Fund A $4M Oregon-focused venture fund managed by PSF that invests in early-stage deep-tech and science-based companies headquartered in Oregon and less than five years old, with a goal to invest in at least 15 Oregon companies.

Quantifiable outcome

Auth0 acquired by Okta - identity-as-a-service industry leader
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Portland Seed Fund

Customer profile

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Portland Seed Fund technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Portland Seed Fund partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Oregon InCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntrepid Oregon Fund aligns with Oregon InC's 10-Year Innovation Plan. PSF Managing Director Jenn Lynch serves as Governor-appointed Chair of Oregon Innovation Council.
OEN (Oregon Entrepreneur Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSF team members have held leadership positions including chair of OEN's Angel Oregon. Partnership for deal sourcing and startup ecosystem development.
ONAMI (Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investor in Neurosom bridge round; Oregon-based research consortium for clean tech and life sciences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Portland Seed Fund competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Oregon Venture Fund: Pacific Northwest early- and growth-stage investor. Co-invested with PSF in Digs and operates in the same regional ecosystem with overlapping founder networks.
Cascade Seed Fund: Oregon-based early-stage seed fund investing in Pacific Northwest startups. Co-invested alongside PSF in Digs' $5M pre-Series A round, making it the most directly comparable local peer.
Flying Fish Ventures: PNW-focused seed and pre-seed fund investing in early-stage software and consumer startups. Co-invested with PSF in Digs and serves a substantially overlapping regional deal pool.
Keiretsu Forum Northwest: Regional chapter of a global angel investor network providing early-stage capital in the Pacific Northwest. Listed as a co-investor in PSF's portfolio construction.
EPIC Ventures: Multi-stage venture firm that led GetWhys' $5.2M round with PSF participation. Operates an overlapping early-stage/seed practice and is a natural co-investor peer in PNW-adjacent deals.
Rev1 Ventures: Midwest/PNW-adjacent early-stage venture fund and startup accelerator. Led Trace AR's $2M seed round with PSF participation; comparable stage and check-size focus.
SPLY Capital: Early-stage investor that led Digs' $5M pre-Series A round alongside PSF. Comparable regional check-size and stage focus.
CEAS Investments: Early-stage investor that co-invested with PSF in GetWhys. Operates in a comparable stage and check-size band in B2B SaaS/AI deals.

Regional players

Bend Venture Conference (ETC): Regional Oregon-based startup competition and affiliated investor network. PSF Managing Director Jenn Lynch is closely tied to the Oregon startup ecosystem events, making this a directly comparable community/deal-sourcing peer.

Broad incumbents

Blueprint Ventures: Bay Area early/growth-stage venture firm where PSF co-founder Jim Huston was previously a Managing Director. Comparable stage focus and operating DNA, with greater geographic reach and AUM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Portland Seed Fund financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Portland Seed Fund leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Portland Seed Fund subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries1 record

Portland Seed Fund funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Portland Seed Fund M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments219 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portland Seed Fund

What does Portland Seed Fund do?

Is Portland Seed Fund a public or private company?

Portland Seed Fund is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Portland Seed Fund founded?

Portland Seed Fund was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Portland Seed Fund based?

Portland Seed Fund is headquartered in Lake Oswego, United States, in the North America region.

How does Portland Seed Fund make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are carried Interest.

Who are Portland Seed Fund's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Oregon Venture Fund, Cascade Seed Fund, Flying Fish Ventures, Keiretsu Forum Northwest, EPIC Ventures, Rev1 Ventures, SPLY Capital and CEAS Investments. Bend Venture Conference (ETC) is listed as a regional player. Blueprint Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Portland Seed Fund have an API?

No public API is recorded for Portland Seed Fund.

What industry is Portland Seed Fund in?

Portland Seed Fund's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital Investing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.