8 investors funding Alaska startups from pre-seed to Series A in 2026

Alaska raised $45M across 18 deals in 2025. Most capital went to fisheries tech, logistics software, and climate resilience companies. The ecosystem is tiny and focused on resource industries. You won't find traditional tech VCs here - most investors are angel groups or impact funds.

Quick list

Why Alaska works for resource-focused founders

Alaska closed 18 venture deals in 2025 totaling $45M. That's up slightly from $38M in 2024. Most checks are $100K-$800K at seed stage. Series A rarely happens in-state - you'll need Seattle or West Coast investors.

The state's strength is unique domain expertise in fisheries, maritime logistics, cold climate operations, and indigenous communities. If you're building anything related to commercial fishing, remote infrastructure, Arctic operations, or sustainable resource management, you'll find customers and advisors who actually understand the problems.

The downside is extremely limited capital. Alaska has maybe 8-10 active investors total. Most are angel groups making $50K-$300K checks. You'll raise initial capital locally, then relocate to Seattle or apply to Launch Alaska's accelerator for connections to outside investors. Burn rates can be low if you're based in Anchorage, but talent is scarce.

Picking the right Alaska investor for your startup

Local presence: Every Alaska investor expects you to be physically in Alaska, usually Anchorage. Remote startups won't get funded locally. The investor community is too small for anyone to invest in companies they can't drive to meet. Juneau and Fairbanks have almost no venture activity - you're pitching Anchorage-based investors or going straight to Seattle.

Portfolio companies: Check if they've backed any technology companies at all. Many "Alaska investors" only fund traditional businesses like restaurants, lodges, or retail. Launch Alaska is the only investor consistently backing tech startups. Alaska Growth Capital occasionally invests in software but prefers asset-heavy businesses. If their portfolio shows zero SaaS or tech companies, you're wasting time.

Check sizes: Seed rounds in Alaska average $200K-$800K. Pre-seed is typically $50K-$250K from local angels. Anything over $1M requires outside investors. Seattle funds sometimes lead Alaska deals if there's a clear West Coast market connection. Don't expect Alaska investors to write $500K+ individual checks - you'll cobble together $50K-$150K from multiple angels.

Local network: Alaska investors connect you to fishing companies, maritime operators, Native corporations, and state agencies. That's extremely valuable if you're B2B in resource industries. Launch Alaska specifically helps with customer intros in fisheries and maritime sectors. Less valuable if you're building consumer software - there's no local tech ecosystem to tap into.

Communication: Share your deck with Ellty trackable links before any meetings. Alaska investors are hands-on and relationship-driven but they still want materials to review. You'll see which sections they focus on. Most local investors spend extra time on customer validation and Alaska-specific market opportunity since they're skeptical of mainland tech trends.

Follow-on capacity: Almost no Alaska investor has meaningful follow-on capacity. Plan on raising seed locally then going to Seattle, Portland, or Vancouver for Series A. Ask which Pacific Northwest investors they know and have co-invested with previously. Launch Alaska has the best West Coast connections. Avoid common pitfalls with GDPR document sharing mistakes that even seasoned founders overlook.

How to find and approach Alaska investors

Research local deals: Check Launch Alaska's portfolio and the Alaska Angel Conference annual event recap. The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation tracks some deal activity. There aren't many deals so each one is well-documented locally. Most active investors appear repeatedly in the small deal flow that exists.

Leverage local ecosystem: Join Launch Alaska's programs even if you're not in their accelerator cohort. They run the only real startup community events. Alaska SBDC hosts occasional pitch events. The Alaska Technology Advisory Council is mostly service providers but some investors attend. Foraker Group runs impact investing workshops. These are small gatherings but it's literally the entire ecosystem.

Build relationships first: Alaska investors almost never fund founders they haven't known for months. Expect 6-12 months from first meeting to check. That's extremely slow but reflects the tiny community where everyone knows everyone. Show up to events, ask for customer intros before asking for money, demonstrate you're committed to staying in Alaska.

Share your pitch deck: Upload to Ellty and create links for each Alaska investor. You'll see who opens your deck and which slides they review multiple times. Alaska investors take 1-2 weeks to review materials, sometimes longer if they're out fishing or traveling. Follow up is slower here than anywhere else in the US.

Attend local events: Launch Alaska Demo Day every summer. Alaska Angel Conference in Anchorage each fall. Startup Grind Anchorage monthly meetups. Arctic Innovation Summit occasionally. The Resource Development Council events if you're in natural resources. These aren't big conferences but literally every Alaska investor attends. Keep your backers looped in with investor update software that shows who’s reading what and when.

Connect with portfolio founders: Ask Launch Alaska to intro you to founders who raised in Alaska in the past year. There are maybe 10-15 total. They'll tell you real timelines, which investors actually close vs. just take meetings, and whether it's worth staying in Alaska vs. relocating to Seattle immediately.

Organize due diligence: Set up an Ellty data room before approaching investors. Alaska investors move slowly but expect organized materials when they finally commit. Include customer letters of intent if you have them - Alaska investors want proof of local market validation more than financial projections.

Understand local pace: Deals in Alaska take 6-18 months from first meeting to closed round. That's painfully slow compared to any other market. Investors here are doing this part-time, deals are small, and everyone's distracted by fishing season from May to September. Don't expect term sheets to move in summer months.

Alaska-specific considerations you should know

Alaska investors only fund businesses with clear Alaska market connection. Building a generic SaaS product for national markets won't get funded here. You need Alaska customers, Alaska-specific problems to solve, or resource industry applications. Climate tech and fisheries tech are the only categories getting consistent attention.

Tax incentives are limited for startups. Alaska has no state income tax but also few R&D credits or angel investment incentives. The advantage is zero state corporate tax, but that doesn't matter when you're pre-revenue. Federal SBIR/STTR grants are critical - many Alaska startups rely on these more than venture capital.

Competition is almost nonexistent but so is capital. You're not competing with other startups for investor attention but you're also choosing between 2-3 possible funding sources total. Most Alaska founders apply to Launch Alaska, raise a small angel round locally, then immediately start pitching Seattle investors for real capital.

You'll hear about the Alaska Permanent Fund's $80B+ in assets. Don't get excited - they invest in global public markets and occasionally Alaska infrastructure projects. They're not writing $500K seed checks to software startups. Focus on angels and Launch Alaska.

8 top investors in Alaska

1. Launch Alaska

Alaska's only tech accelerator, they've backed 50+ startups since 2015 with focus on fisheries, maritime, and resource industries.

• Recent Deals: Fisheries monitoring platform ($800K seed, 2025), cold storage logistics ($600K seed, 2025), maritime safety software ($400K seed, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Isaac Vanderburg
• Sector Focus: Fisheries tech, maritime logistics, climate resilience, resource management
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: launchalaska.com

2. Alaska Growth Capital

Anchorage-based investment group focused on Alaska businesses, occasional tech investments alongside traditional industries.

• Recent Deals: Cold storage logistics software ($1.2M Series A, 2025), food processing automation ($500K seed, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Tom Walsh
• Sector Focus: Logistics, food processing, software for resource industries
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: alaskagrowthcapital.com

3. Alaska Venture Capital Group

Angel investor network in Anchorage making small investments in local tech and service businesses.

• Recent Deals: Multiple $100K-$300K checks to Anchorage software companies (2025), tourism tech platform ($200K, 2024)
• LinkedIn: David Wight
• Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, tourism tech, professional services software
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: alaskavcg.com

4. 49th State Angel Fund

Anchorage angel group making $50K-$200K investments in Alaska startups, particularly those solving local problems.

• Recent Deals: Three Alaska startups totaling $600K (2025), including healthcare logistics platform and climate monitoring software
• LinkedIn: Mike Hurley
• Sector Focus: Healthcare logistics, climate tech, Alaska-specific software
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: 49thstateangels.com

5. Foraker Group

Anchorage-based nonprofit supporting Alaska businesses with focus on impact investing, indigenous-led companies, and sustainability.

• Recent Deals: Sustainable fisheries startup ($300K, 2025), indigenous-led food business ($150K, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Kara Gallagher
• Sector Focus: Sustainable fisheries, indigenous businesses, impact-driven, food systems
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: forakergroup.org

6. Alaska Community Foundation

Statewide foundation making impact investments and grants, recently active in climate resilience and technology.

• Recent Deals: Climate tech startup for permafrost monitoring ($250K, 2025), rural connectivity platform ($150K, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Lori Townsend
• Sector Focus: Climate resilience, rural infrastructure, community impact
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: alaskacf.org

7. Cook Inlet Lending Center

Anchorage-based community development lender providing small business financing including some tech startups.

• Recent Deals: Food processing technology company ($150K, 2025), manufacturing startup ($100K, 2024)
• LinkedIn: Wayne Marquis
• Sector Focus: Food processing, manufacturing, local business technology
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: Anchorage, Alaska
• Website: cookinletlending.org

8. Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation

State investment corporation managing $80B+ fund, occasionally invests in Alaska infrastructure and resource technology.

• Recent Deals: Alaska infrastructure projects (2025), resource management technology (2024)
• LinkedIn: Deven Mitchell
• Sector Focus: Infrastructure, resource extraction technology, large-scale Alaska projects
• Stage Focus: Growth, infrastructure
• Office Location: Juneau, Alaska
• Website: apfc.org

Start tracking your Alaska investor outreach

These 8 investors closed deals in Alaska in 2025-2026. Before you start reaching out to the small pool of local investors, set up proper tracking.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each Alaska investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your Alaska market opportunity and customer validation. Alaska investors typically skip growth projections but focus heavily on proof you understand local market conditions and have actual Alaska customers or letters of intent.

When local investors ask for more materials, share an Ellty data room instead of email attachments. Your customer contracts, Alaska business licenses, and financial model in one secure place with view analytics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in Alaska to raise from Alaska investors?

Yes. Alaska investors only fund companies physically based in Alaska, almost always Anchorage. Remote companies won't get local funding. If you're building for Alaska markets but based elsewhere, pitch Seattle investors who know Alaska industries.

How does Alaska compare to Seattle for fundraising?

Alaska has maybe 1% of the capital available in Seattle. Check sizes are much smaller and you'll need Seattle investors for any round over $1M. The advantage is solving Alaska-specific problems with support from domain experts. Most Alaska founders raise initial capital locally then relocate or pitch Seattle funds.

What's the average seed round size in Alaska?

$200K-$800K for seed rounds, cobbled together from multiple $50K-$150K angel checks. Pre-seed is typically $50K-$250K. Anything over $1M requires outside investors from Seattle or West Coast.

Should I raise locally or go straight to Seattle?

Raise locally only if you're solving Alaska-specific problems in fisheries, maritime, or resource industries. Launch Alaska's accelerator is worth applying to for their network. For general tech products, skip Alaska entirely and pitch Seattle or Portland investors.

Do Alaska investors expect in-person meetings?

Absolutely. Alaska investors won't invest without multiple in-person meetings. The community is too small and relationship-driven. Expect quarterly face time minimum. Budget for being physically present in Anchorage regularly.

What industries get funded most in Alaska?

Fisheries technology, maritime logistics, climate resilience, cold climate operations, and resource management software. Consumer apps and general SaaS rarely get funded. If your product doesn't solve an Alaska-specific problem or serve resource industries, don't expect Alaska investors to care.