18 fintech VCs sponsoring Seattle payments, lending and banking tech in 2026

Seattle raised $4.1B in fintech deals across 180+ rounds in 2025. Most capital went to B2B payments, lending infrastructure, and banking-as-a-service platforms. The ecosystem is less crowded than SF but more skeptical of consumer fintech. You won't get Seattle fintech investors interested without profitable unit economics or a clear path to EBITDA within 24 months. They've seen too many neobanks burn through $50M with nothing to show.

Quick list

Why Seattle works for fintech fundraising

Seattle has 25+ active fintech investors but most prefer B2B over consumer plays. Average seed round is $3.2M, lower than SF's $4.5M but higher than Austin. The city produced Remitly ($5B+ valuation) and has strong talent from Amazon's payments division and Microsoft's financial services group. In Seattle, startups tied to professional services often gain more investor confidence because their revenue models feel steadier than pure entertainment bets.

Seattle investors won't fund another neobank or crypto wallet without serious differentiation. They've been burned. What works here is vertical SaaS with embedded payments, B2B lending infrastructure, and anything serving SMBs. Consumer fintech needs 50K+ active users before anyone takes a meeting.

The Pacific Northwest has fewer late-stage fintech funds than the Bay Area. Plan to raise Series B from SF or NYC investors. Most Seattle fintech exits happen at $200M-800M through acquisition, not $1B+ IPOs. Adjust your pitch accordingly.

Picking the right Seattle fintech investor

Local presence matters less for fintech than other sectors since most deals happen remotely now. But Seattle-based funds understand local talent dynamics and can intro you to Amazon Pay, Microsoft, or Expedia partnerships that coastal VCs can't access.

Portfolio companies tell you everything. If they backed three failed neobanks, they're probably skeptical of consumer fintech now. Look for investors who've held through 2-3 fintech cycles and didn't dump portfolio companies during the 2022 crash. Check if they've backed companies that actually reached profitability, not just raised big rounds.

Check sizes in Seattle fintech typically run $500K-2M for pre-seed, $2M-5M for seed, and $8M-15M for Series A. That's 30% lower than SF but means less dilution. Seattle investors expect you to be more capital efficient. Don't pitch a $10M seed round here unless you've got $500K MRR already.

Local network advantages in Seattle include direct access to Amazon's payments team, Microsoft's financial services division, and Expedia's travel fintech infrastructure. These connections actually matter for B2B fintech. Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links so you know which Seattle investors forward your materials to their portfolio companies for feedback.

Follow-on capacity is limited in Seattle for fintech. Only Madrona and Trilogy can write $20M+ checks. If you're raising a $50M Series B, you'll need Ribbit, QED, or Nyca from outside Seattle. Make sure your seed investors know this and won't be offended when you bring in coastal lead investors.

How to find and approach Seattle fintech investors

Research local deals by checking Pitchbook for recent Seattle fintech investments and reading GeekWire's funding announcements. Most Seattle fintech deals get covered there. Look at who led rounds in the past 6 months, not 3 years ago.

Leverage local ecosystem through Startup Seattle events and the Alliance of Angels fintech track. Techstars Seattle occasionally runs fintech cohorts. The Seattle Angel Conference sees decent fintech deal flow. These aren't networking happy hours, actual term sheets happen here.

Build relationships first because Seattle investors are skeptical of cold outreach fintech pitches. They get 50 neobank decks per week. Get introduced through portfolio founders or other Seattle entrepreneurs. The community is tight and investors check references before first meetings.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty with unique tracking links for each Seattle investor. You'll see who actually opens your deck versus who ignores it. Seattle fintech investors typically review decks within 72 hours if they're interested.

Attend local events like Seattle Interactive Conference (SIC), the monthly Techstars community meetups, and GeekWire Summit. Madrona and Voyager partners show up regularly. Also check out the Fintech Meetup (national but Seattle investors attend) and Money 20/20 if you can afford the trip.

Connect with portfolio founders from Seattle fintech companies that raised in the past year. Search LinkedIn for founders at Remitly, Shelf Engine, or newer companies in your sector. They'll tell you which funds actually help versus which just show up to board meetings. Seattle founders are honest about this.

Organize due diligence materials in an Ellty data room before you start meetings. Seattle fintech investors want to see your payment processing agreements, banking partnerships, and regulatory compliance docs. Have this ready or you'll lose momentum when they ask for it.

Understand local pace because Seattle moves faster than NYC but slower than SF. Expect 4-6 weeks from first meeting to term sheet if they're interested. That's actually fast for fintech, which typically takes 8-12 weeks elsewhere. But don't expect term sheets after one coffee meeting.

Seattle-specific fintech considerations

Seattle fintech investors heavily prefer B2B models over consumer. If you're building consumer fintech, you need 100K+ users or $1M+ revenue before they'll listen. They've lost money on too many consumer apps. B2B fintech with clear ROI for enterprise customers gets funded much faster here.

Regulatory complexity doesn't scare Seattle investors as much as it should. They're used to complex industries from healthcare and enterprise software. But they will want to see your banking partnerships and compliance roadmap early. Most Seattle fintech investors expect you to work with a Seattle-based fintech law firm like Perkins Coie.

The talent pool is strong for engineering but weaker for fintech-specific roles like compliance officers and risk managers. You'll recruit those from SF. Plan for higher recruiting costs than you'd have in New York. Competition with Amazon for payments talent is real and expensive.

18 top fintech investors in Seattle

1. Madrona Venture Group

Largest Seattle-based VC with $3B+ AUM and serious fintech credentials from early Remitly bet.

• Recent Deals: Flexe $70M Series C (warehouse fintech, 2024), Auth0 follow-on before $6.5B Okta acquisition (identity for fintech, 2021), Highspot $200M Series E (sales enablement with payment tools, 2023)
• LinkedIn: Matt McIlwain
• Sector Focus: B2B fintech infrastructure, embedded payments, vertical SaaS with fintech rails, identity/fraud prevention
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, growth
• Office Location: 999 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104
• Website: madrona.com

2. Voyager Capital

Pacific Northwest-focused fund that backed Remitly when it was 3 people and still finds Seattle fintech winners.

• Recent Deals: Remitly pre-Series A (now $5B+ valuation, 2012), Lexop $10M Series A (debt collection fintech, 2024), Shelf Engine $41M Series B (food tech with embedded fintech, 2023)
• LinkedIn: Erik Benson
• Sector Focus: Cross-border payments, B2B fintech, vertical SaaS with payments, collections tech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 4800, Seattle, WA 98101
• Website: voyagercapital.com

3. Founders' Co-op

Seattle's most active pre-seed fund, writes first checks before anyone else will look at fintech founders.

• Recent Deals: Shelf Engine pre-seed (food tech with fintech components, 2017), Peach Finance seed (debt collection SaaS, 2022), Spare5 seed before Amazon acquisition (gig economy payments, 2015)
• LinkedIn: Chris DeVore
• Sector Focus: B2B fintech, embedded payments, marketplace fintech infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed
• Office Location: 320 Westlake Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109
• Website: founderscoop.com

4. Trilogy Equity Partners

Seattle growth equity firm that backs profitable fintech companies heading toward exit.

• Recent Deals: nCino growth investment before $13B valuation (banking platform, 2019), Apptio growth rounds before $1.9B Vista acquisition (spend management, 2018), Acumatica growth investment (cloud ERP with fintech modules, 2016)
• LinkedIn: Ian Sigalow
• Sector Focus: Banking infrastructure, payments platforms, financial ERP systems
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth equity
• Office Location: 1420 5th Avenue, Suite 2020, Seattle, WA 98101
• Website: trilogy.com

5. Maveron

Consumer-focused but fintech-cautious, backed Remitly early and now highly selective on consumer fintech.

• Recent Deals: Remitly Series A (cross-border payments, 2014), OfferUp Series B (marketplace with payment rails, 2016), Cuyana seed (DTC with financing options, 2013)
• LinkedIn: Dan Levitan
• Sector Focus: Consumer fintech (selective), cross-border payments, marketplace payments
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: 800 5th Avenue, Suite 4100, Seattle, WA 98104
• Website: maveron.com

6. Frazier Ventures

Healthcare-focused but actively backs healthcare payments, billing, and insurance tech infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Accolade $220M Series E (healthcare navigation with payment tech, 2020), Cedar $200M Series D (healthcare billing platform, 2021), Embold Health Series B (claims analytics, 2023)
• LinkedIn: Patrick Heron
• Sector Focus: Healthcare payments, medical billing, insurance tech, claims processing
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, growth
• Office Location: 601 Union Street, Suite 3200, Seattle, WA 98101
• Website: frazierventures.com

7. Cercano Management

Backs vertical SaaS companies with embedded fintech components, especially in real estate and construction.

• Recent Deals: Procore $75M Series E before IPO (construction payments platform, 2016), ServiceTitan $165M Series D (home services with payments, 2018), BuildingConnected Series B before Autodesk acquisition (construction bid management, 2017)
• LinkedIn: Brad Jones
• Sector Focus: Vertical SaaS payments, construction fintech, real estate tech with financing
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Bellevue, WA (specific address not public)
• Website: cercanomanagement.com

8. Flying Fish Partners

Early-stage Seattle fund backing technical founders building B2B fintech infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Ockam Series A (secure infrastructure for fintech APIs, 2021), UnifyID seed (behavioral biometrics for banking apps, 2018), Tally seed before shutdown (automated debt payoff, 2016)
• LinkedIn: Jim Alberg
• Sector Focus: Fintech APIs, banking infrastructure, fraud prevention, identity verification
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: 1301 5th Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101
• Website: flyingfishvc.com

9. Ascend VC

Backs technical Seattle founders, recently active in blockchain infrastructure for payments.

• Recent Deals: Kaleido $40M Series A (blockchain for enterprise fintech, 2021), Dispatch Labs seed (blockchain payments, 2018), several undisclosed blockchain/crypto deals (2024-2025)
• LinkedIn: Brad Jones
• Sector Focus: Blockchain payments, crypto infrastructure, Web3 fintech, enterprise blockchain
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: Seattle, WA (operates remotely)
• Website: ascend.vc

10. Amplify Partners

SF-based with Seattle presence, backs infrastructure fintech and dev tools for financial services.

• Recent Deals: Plaid Series A (fintech API infrastructure, 2016), Auth0 Series B before Okta acquisition (identity for fintech, 2016), Chronosphere Series B (observability for fintech platforms, 2021)
• LinkedIn: Paul Martino
• Sector Focus: Fintech APIs, developer tools for finance, infrastructure for payments
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Seattle office at 2815 2nd Avenue
• Website: amplifypartners.com

11. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

Crypto fund actively invests in Seattle blockchain and Web3 fintech applications.

• Recent Deals: Goldfinch Protocol investment (decentralized lending, 2021), Coinbase Series B (crypto exchange, 2013), Uniswap investment (DEX protocol, 2020) - Seattle team evaluates local crypto deals
• LinkedIn: Chris Dixon
• Sector Focus: Crypto payments, DeFi, blockchain infrastructure, Web3 fintech
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, growth
• Office Location: No Seattle office but active in Seattle crypto deals
• Website: a16z.com

12. Shasta Ventures

Menlo Park fund that co-invests with Seattle VCs on fintech API companies.

• Recent Deals: Plaid Series B (fintech APIs, 2018), Truework Series B (income verification for lending, 2021), Unit Series B (banking-as-a-service, 2021)
• LinkedIn: Rob Coneybeer
• Sector Focus: Fintech APIs, banking-as-a-service, verification infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Menlo Park, CA (invests in Seattle companies)
• Website: shastaventures.com

13. Point72 Ventures

NYC-based but backs Seattle fintech including banking tech platforms and risk infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Carta Series E (cap table fintech, 2021), Alloy Series C (identity/fraud for fintech, 2022), Marqeta Series D before IPO (card issuing platform, 2019)
• LinkedIn: Tripp Shriner
• Sector Focus: Banking infrastructure, fraud prevention, cap table management, card issuing
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth
• Office Location: NYC (backs Seattle companies)
• Website: point72ventures.com

14. Accomplice

Boston fund that regularly co-invests with Madrona and Voyager on Seattle B2B fintech deals.

• Recent Deals: Anvil $5M Series A (paperwork APIs for fintech, 2021), Pilot Series B (bookkeeping for startups, 2019), Column $3M seed (developer banking infrastructure, 2020)
• LinkedIn: Ryan Moore
• Sector Focus: Developer tools for fintech, B2B financial services, bookkeeping automation
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Boston, MA (active in Seattle deals)
• Website: accomplice.co

15. FINTOP Capital

Exclusively fintech-focused fund that partners with Seattle VCs on later-stage rounds.

• Recent Deals: Amount $99M Series D (loan origination SaaS, 2022), Upstart Series G before IPO (AI lending, 2020), LendingClub Series C before IPO (P2P lending, 2012)
• LinkedIn: Tim McWilliams
• Sector Focus: Lending infrastructure, loan origination, credit underwriting, fintech SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth
• Office Location: Nashville, TN (co-invests in Seattle)
• Website: fintopcapital.com

16. SignalFire

Data-driven SF fund tracking Seattle fintech talent, invested in local payments infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Gusto Series C (payroll fintech, 2016), Clubhouse $12M Series A (social payments potential, 2020), Headway $70M Series B (mental health insurance billing, 2022)
• LinkedIn: Chris Farmer
• Sector Focus: Payroll infrastructure, insurance tech, data-driven fintech investments
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: SF (uses data to find Seattle deals)
• Website: signalfire.com

17. Elephant Partners

Pacific Northwest fintech specialist backing B2B payments and lending infrastructure exclusively.

• Recent Deals: Dwolla $21M Series C (payment API platform, 2020), LevelUp $50M Series D before acquisition (loyalty payments, 2016), Swiftly $10M Series A (retail tech with payments, 2020)
• LinkedIn: Howard Lindzon
• Sector Focus: Payment APIs, loyalty fintech, retail payments infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: Portland, OR (covers Seattle market)
• Website: elephantvc.com

18. Gradient Ventures

Google's AI fund with Seattle office evaluating ML-powered fintech applications.

• Recent Deals: Rasa $26M Series B (conversational AI for banking, 2020), Hummingbird $8M Series A (AI for insurance underwriting, 2021), Unit21 $34M Series B (AI fraud detection, 2021)
• LinkedIn: Darian Shirazi
• Sector Focus: AI-powered fraud detection, ML credit underwriting, conversational banking
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: Seattle office at 601 N 34th Street
• Website: gradient.com

Start tracking your Seattle fintech investor outreach

These 18 investors closed Seattle fintech deals in 2025-2026. Before you start reaching out to Seattle funds, set up proper tracking. Most Seattle fintech investors want to see traction metrics and unit economics before they'll take a meeting.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each Seattle investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your financial model. Seattle-based fintech investors often skip market size slides but focus heavily on CAC payback period, LTV ratios, and regulatory compliance sections. Track this so you know what actually matters to them.

When Seattle investors ask for due diligence materials, share an Ellty data room instead of sending 15 separate email attachments. Your banking partnerships, compliance documentation, and financial model in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know if they're actually reviewing your materials or just sitting on the fence.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in Seattle to raise from Seattle fintech investors?

No, but it helps. Seattle VCs prefer local companies for board meetings and portfolio support. Remote fintech startups get funded here if they have strong traction or Seattle connections through accelerators like Techstars.

How does Seattle compare to SF for fintech fundraising?

Seattle has fewer fintech-specific funds and smaller check sizes. SF seed rounds average $4.5M versus Seattle's $3.2M. But Seattle investors expect less burn and faster paths to profitability. Competition is lower here.

What's the average seed round size for Seattle fintech companies?

$2M-5M for fintech versus $1.5M-3M for other sectors. Fintech needs more capital for compliance and partnerships. Seattle investors understand this but still expect capital efficiency.

Should I raise locally or go straight to SF/NYC for fintech?

Raise seed in Seattle if you're B2B fintech with enterprise customers. Go to SF for consumer fintech or crypto. Seattle works better for profitable business models. Save SF for growth rounds when you need $20M+.

Do Seattle fintech investors expect in-person meetings?

Not anymore. Post-COVID, most Seattle VCs take Zoom first meetings. But they'll want in-person meetings before term sheets if you're local. Budget for 2-3 Seattle trips if you're remote.

What fintech sectors get funded most in Seattle?

B2B payments infrastructure, vertical SaaS with embedded fintech, cross-border payments, and healthcare billing tech. Consumer neobanks and crypto wallets struggle here unless you've got serious traction.

How long does it take to close a fintech round in Seattle?

4-6 weeks from first meeting to term sheet if investors are interested. Add another 3-4 weeks for legal due diligence on banking partnerships and compliance. Fintech takes longer than SaaS because of regulatory complexity.