Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund

Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund

Invests in early-stage New York technology startups with private matching capital from New York Ventures.

Eligibility · United States · US-NY

The Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund Program (NYVPSSF) is administered by New York Ventures, the venture capital arm of Empire State Development, using $40 million in federal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) capital. The program provides equity investments of $50,000 to $250,000 to early-stage technology startups headquartered in New York State. Every dollar of state investment must be matched 1:1 by qualified private sector capital, and the state mirrors the terms of the private round — whether convertible debt, SAFE notes, or priced equity.

Eligible companies must be pre-seed or seed stage with no more than $2 million in prior dilutive funding. At least one C-suite employee must be based in New York State, and the company must be registered to do business in New York and in good standing. C-Corporation structure is preferred. The program serves technology sectors including advanced manufacturing, agtech, climate and energy tech, consumer tech, data and SaaS, AI, deep tech, fintech, healthcare, life sciences, and medical devices, with a stated preference for underserved geographies and historically marginalized founders.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no stated deadline. The submission portal is open at nyventuresapply.esd.ny.gov, and NY Ventures holds weekly office hours on Mondays for prospective applicants. A separate $1 million technical assistance grant through LaunchNY provides legal, accounting, and financial advisory support to help early-stage companies prepare for or close their funding rounds. Contact: nyventures@esd.ny.gov.