Wayfinder

Wayfinder Ventures is a privately-held, seed-stage venture capital fund deploying $300k-$1M checks into early-stage B2B startups in AI, space, climate, and software, founded by former Y Combinator partner Yuri Sagalov and operating a $35M Wayfinder II fund across 80+ portfolio companies.

Company typePrivate
Founded2014
HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Wayfinder does

Wayfinder Ventures is a privately-held, seed-stage venture capital fund founded in 2014 by Yuri Sagalov, a former Y Combinator partner (2014-2018) and prior angel investor in unicorns with a combined enterprise value exceeding $25B. The fund deploys $300k-$1M checks into early-stage B2B startups tackling markets in software, AI, climate, frontier tech, space, and logistics, with a stated preference for founders with firsthand experience of the problems they solve. The firm operates two vehicles — Wayfinder I and the 2025-vintage Wayfinder II, a $35M seed fund — and reports $85M+ in assets under management, 80+ portfolio companies, 200+ founders in network, and a combined portfolio enterprise value of approximately $4.5B.

The fund's core product is capital deployment paired with hands-on operational support, including office hours, early sales assistance, hiring support, and go-to-market guidance that begins at check issuance. Its technology footprint is non-product: Wayfinder does not ship software, expose APIs, or maintain proprietary AI/ML systems. Portfolio examples span Supabase (dev tools), Stoke Space (reusable rockets), Decagon (AI customer support), Remora Carbon (carbon capture for trucking), Verse Medical (in-home healthcare SaaS), Compound (family office backoffice), Fazeshift (AI-native AR automation), and AstroForge (asteroid mining).

Wayfinder's revenue model follows standard VC economics: recurring management fees (industry-typical 2% of committed AUM) plus carried interest (typically 20%) on successful portfolio exits. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct — founders apply or reach out to the partnership, and deal sourcing is concentrated through Sagalov's YC alumni network and warm introductions from existing portfolio founders. The customer base consists of two cohorts: limited partners providing fund capital, and seed-stage startup founders receiving investment and operational support. No revenue, ARR, or management fee figures are disclosed publicly.

Wayfinder firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Wayfinder
Legal name: Wayfinder Ventures
Website: https://wayfinder.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2014
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: Wayfinder Ventures is a privately-held, seed-stage venture capital fund deploying $300k-$1M checks into early-stage B2B startups in AI, space, climate, and software, founded by former Y Combinator partner Yuri Sagalov and operating a $35M Wayfinder II fund across 80+ portfolio companies.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Where Wayfinder is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: San Francisco
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Wayfinder business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

Management Fees: VC funds typically charge management fees on committed capital, typically 2% of AUM annually
Carried Interest: VC funds earn carried interest (typically 20%) on profits from successful portfolio company exits

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Wayfinder product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Wayfinder Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund that deploys $300k–$1M equity checks into early-stage startups building technology across B2B software, AI, climate, frontier/hard tech, space, fintech, and logistics. Beyond capital, the fund delivers hands-on operational support to portfolio founders, including office hours, early sales assistance, hiring support, and go-to-market guidance, with Wayfinder II representing the $35M fund vehicle.

Product overview

Wayfinder Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital fund structured as a single unified investment vehicle (Wayfinder II — a $35M seed-stage fund). The fund operates as an investment platform rather than a product company, providing capital deployment, portfolio company support services, and access to founder networks. The fund's investment thesis centers on early-stage B2B software, AI, climate technology, and hard tech startups, with hands-on involvement in portfolio companies' growth through mentorship and operational support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Wayfinder II Seed-Stage Fund A $35M seed-stage venture capital fund that invests $300k–$1M checks in early-stage startup founders across B2B software, AI, climate, hard tech, fintech, and logistics sectors. The fund combines equity capital with hands-on operational support including office hours, sales help, hiring assistance, and go-to-market guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

80+ startups partnered with across portfolio
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Wayfinder

Customer profile

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Wayfinder technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Wayfinder partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Wayfinder competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the largest seed-stage accelerator globally and a direct peer in seed/early-stage capital deployment. Both operate at the pre-seed/seed layer; Wayfinder's founder was a YC partner, and YC has co-invested alongside Wayfinder in rounds such as Fazeshift's Series A.
Pioneer Fund: Pioneer Fund is a seed-stage VC that co-invested with Wayfinder in Fazeshift's $17M Series A. Both funds operate at the same seed stage with similar check sizes and founder-first mandates, making them highly comparable peers.
F-Prime Capital: F-Prime is a venture capital firm affiliated with Fidelity that led Fazeshift's $17M Series A in which Wayfinder participated. Both firms invest in early-stage enterprise software and AI startups, with overlapping founder networks and similar stage focus.
Hustle Fund: Hustle Fund is a seed-stage VC investing in software, AI, and fintech startups with comparable check sizes to Wayfinder. Both are seed-focused, founder-led funds that emphasize operational support and community-building among portfolio founders.
Uncork Capital: Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC) is a seed-stage firm investing in enterprise and B2B software with comparable check sizes and operational support philosophy to Wayfinder. Both target technical founders at the earliest stages with similar portfolio construction.
Lerer Hippeau: Lerer Hippeau is a seed-stage VC investing in consumer and B2B startups across software, commerce, and media. Both firms focus on early-stage companies with founder-led operations and similar check size ranges at seed.
Cowboy Ventures: Cowboy Ventures is a seed-stage fund led by Aileen Lee focused on enterprise and consumer software startups. Both funds operate at seed stage with similar founder-first theses, hands-on support, and community-driven portfolio engagement.
Precursor Ventures: Precursor Ventures is a seed-stage fund that invests at the earliest stages with checks often below $1M, comparable to Wayfinder's $300k-$1M check range. Both target pre-seed and seed founders with a high-volume, conviction-led approach.
Bloomberg Beta: Bloomberg Beta is an early-stage venture firm backed by Bloomberg that invests in enterprise, data, and AI startups. Both are seed-stage funds with comparable check sizes and a thesis around investing in frontier technology categories.

Broad incumbents

Lightspeed Venture Partners: Lightspeed is a multi-stage venture firm with active seed and scout programs (e.g., Lightspeed Scout, Faction) targeting early-stage startups. While substantially larger and more diversified than Wayfinder, Lightspeed's seed initiatives directly compete for founder mindshare at the same entry point.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Wayfinder financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Wayfinder leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Wayfinder funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Wayfinder M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Wayfinder

What does Wayfinder do?

Is Wayfinder a public or private company?

Wayfinder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Wayfinder founded?

Wayfinder was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Wayfinder based?

Wayfinder is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.

How does Wayfinder make money?

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

Who are Wayfinder's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Y Combinator, Pioneer Fund, F-Prime Capital, Hustle Fund, Uncork Capital, Lerer Hippeau, Cowboy Ventures, Precursor Ventures and Bloomberg Beta. Lightspeed Venture Partners is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Wayfinder have an API?

No public API is recorded for Wayfinder.