SeaChange

What SeaChange does

SeaChange is a Seattle-based venture capital firm that has been investing in early-stage Pacific Northwest startups since 2014. The firm deploys $250k-$1M into 10-12 companies per year through a sequential fund structure (8 funds raised to date across 2014-2023), building a portfolio of 52 companies across technology, healthcare, sustainability, and — more recently — AI/ML. The firm is not a technology company: it has no products, software, or proprietary platforms. Its investment model combines a four-person management team (Managing Partners William Finney and Peter Mueller, Director of Fund Management Lauren Olson, and recognized angel/venture financing expert Susan Preston) with a collaborative network of 250+ active investors and experts who co-invest and provide post-investment support.

The firm's value proposition is hands-on, beyond-capital support. SeaChange positions its investor network and fund managers as executive members, board observers/members, operations and industry advisors, and talent sources for portfolio companies. Differentiators cited include the depth of the 250+ investor network for hiring, partnerships, and follow-on capital, an established Pacific Northwest presence since 2014, and consistent capital availability of 10-12 checks per year. The firm has registered SEACHANGE™ and HERON LOGO trademarks and has produced 6 exits and 650 supported jobs across the portfolio.

The revenue model is conventional early-stage venture: management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on exits, realized only as portfolio companies are sold or IPO'd. SeaChange does not publicly disclose AUM, fund sizes, or revenue, and the firm operates exclusively in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States with no stated intent to expand geographically.

Name

SeaChange

Legal name

SeaChange

Website

https://seachangeventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SeaChange is a Seattle-based venture capital firm that invests $250k-$1M in 10-12 early-stage Pacific Northwest startups annually. The firm pairs a four-person management team with a 250+ member investor network to provide capital plus hands-on operational support to founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: SeaChange generates returns through equity investments in early-stage Pacific Northwest startups. Returns are realized through exits (IPO, acquisition, secondary sales). The firm has achieved 6 exits to date from its investment portfolio.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SeaChange is a venture capital firm that invests between $250,000 and $1,000,000 in 10-12 early-stage Pacific Northwest startups annually. The firm combines capital with hands-on post-investment support, including executive membership, board observer/member roles, operations advisory, talent sourcing, and access to a network of 250+ active investors and experts.

Product overview

SeaChange is a venture capital firm, not a product company. It does not offer products or services in the traditional SaaS/software sense. SeaChange operates as an investment firm that provides funding ($250k-$1M per company) and guidance to 10-12 early-stage startups annually in the Pacific Northwest region, with a management team combining experienced venture capitalists and investment banking professionals. The firm has invested since 2014 and maintains a portfolio of 52 companies across diverse technology sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 successful exits achieved to date
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Madrona Venture Group: Seattle-based early-stage venture firm investing primarily in Pacific Northwest technology startups. Highly comparable in geography, stage, and target founder profile, though typically writing larger checks.
• Voyager Capital: Seattle-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage software and technology companies in the Pacific Northwest. Direct overlap in geography and stage focus makes it a near-comparable peer.
• Founders' Co-op: Seattle-based pre-seed and seed fund investing exclusively in Pacific Northwest founders. Closely matches SeaChange's stage, check size, and regional focus, making it a direct competitor for the same deal pool.
• Pioneer Square Labs: Seattle-based startup studio and venture fund that builds and invests in early-stage Pacific Northwest companies. Overlaps with SeaChange on geography, stage, and a hands-on operating model.
• WRF Capital: Seattle-based seed and early-stage investor affiliated with the Washington Research Foundation, focused on Pacific Northwest startups. Directly comparable stage and region.
• Keiretsu Forum Northwest: Large angel network with a strong Pacific Northwest chapter that invests $250k-$1M checks in early-stage startups. Comparable check size, stage, and regional concentration make it a direct competitor for syndicate-led deals.
• Version One Ventures: Seed-stage venture fund focused on early-stage technology companies with an investor-network-driven model. Comparable stage, check size, and emphasis on community/network as a value-add for founders.
• Trilogy Equity Partners: Pacific Northwest-focused early-stage venture firm. Comparable geography and stage focus with community-driven deal sourcing, positioning it as a direct peer in the regional seed ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Foundry Group: Established early-stage venture firm investing across multiple geographies and sectors. Comparable stage focus but with a much larger fund, broader portfolio, and a more generalist approach.
• Techstars: Global accelerator and early-stage investor with a Seattle presence. Overlaps with SeaChange on early-stage Pacific Northwest startups, but operates at much larger scale and via accelerator cohorts rather than direct angel-style investing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seachangevc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments31 records

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

Frequently asked questions about SeaChange