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Investor target list: 4 steps cut 554 NAUT funds to 12

By NAUT Research · · 8 min read

554 Investor target list venture funds on NAUT, 95 backed a 2026 round, 12 shortlisted with a partner. Logos: Lattice, Blockchain Capital, Faction, ParaFi Capital, Sequoia Capital, Variant, Borderless Capital, Maven 11 Capital, CMT Digital, Mirana Ventures, Pantera Capital, Big Brain Holdings.

An investor target list for a crypto raise comes from 4 filters: funds that backed a round this year, at your stage, at your round size, with a named partner you can write to. NAUT tracks 554 venture funds, and on its record 95 of them backed at least 1 round announced between 1 January and 13 November 2026, 47 of those 95 list a partner-level person, and 12 make the shortlist below.

Data note. Every count was read from NAUT's own database on 13 November 2026, read-only. A fund counts when its NAUT row is a live venture fund. A round counts when NAUT dates its announcement from 1 January 2026 on, and the round counts, lead counts and averages here are NAUT's record for that window, so a round NAUT has not logged is missing from them. A partner-level person is someone whose title on NAUT contains partner, principal, investment or founder; at 1 of the 47 funds the only such title is marked former. 10 rounds, 1 at each of 10 shortlisted funds, were put to a news source: 8 matched and 2 differed, as the last section sets out. The rounds at Pantera Capital and Big Brain Holdings were not put through that check.

How do you build an investor target list from NAUT funds?

Start wide, then cut on what predicts a reply: a fund that is writing checks now, at the size you are raising, with a person whose job is to take the meeting.

  • Step 1, active this year. 95 of the 554 venture funds backed a 2026 round on NAUT's record. 60 of those 95 backed exactly 1 round, 21 backed 2, and 14 backed 3 or more.
  • Step 2, your stage. 45 of the 95 backed at least 1 seed or pre-seed round in 2026.
  • Step 3, your round size. 3 of the 95 averaged $5M or less across 2 or more rounds with a disclosed amount. A fund that writes into $40M rounds is a weak first call for a $3M seed.
  • Step 4, the partner. 47 of the 95 list at least 1 partner-level person on NAUT. That is the name your first email goes to.
Build a target investor list in 4 steps
  1. Keep the active funds95 of 554 venture funds on NAUT backed a round announced in 2026.
  2. Match your stage45 of those 95 backed a seed or pre-seed round this year.
  3. Match your round sizeRead each fund's average round. Maven 11 Capital averaged $3.9M across 3 rounds.
  4. Name the partner47 of the 95 list a partner-level person on NAUT, such as Kinjal Shah at Blockchain Capital.

Which crypto investors belong on a 2026 investor target list?

The shortlist is drawn from the 47 funds with a partner on NAUT, counting only funds with 2 or more 2026 rounds that carry an amount. 11 funds backed 3 or more such rounds and all 11 are here. 10 more are tied on 2 rounds; Big Brain Holdings is the 1 of those 10 that averaged $5M or less, so it takes 12th place for founders raising small. Ranked by 2026 rounds on NAUT's record (the Rounds column), then by leads:

Fund Rounds (led) Avg Stage
6 (6) $18.55M 1/2/3
6 (1) $6.96M 5/1/0
5 (1) $23.2M 0/4/1
4 (4) $322.5M 1/0/3
4 (0) $40.13M 2/0/2
3 (2) $10.25M 3/0/0
3 (2) $3.9M 3/0/0
3 (2) $11.33M 1/1/1
3 (1) $17.5M 0/1/2
3 (0) $7.67M 0/1/2
3 (0) $37.83M 1/1/1
2 (0) $4.8M 2/0/0

The average is this article's cut of NAUT's record: it covers only the 2026 rounds that carry an amount, which is 5 of 6 for Blockchain Capital and Lattice, 2 of 3 for Variant and every round for the other 9. Each fund page shows its own rounds. Stage reads seed/A/later: seed or pre-seed, Series A, and everything else (Series B and later, strategic and unlabelled rounds). Sequoia Capital is a multi-sector technology venture firm on its NAUT description; it is listed because NAUT records 4 of its 2026 rounds.

How to read it for a raise:

  • Raising a pre-seed or seed under $5M: Maven 11 Capital ($3.9M average, led 2 of 3) and Big Brain Holdings ($4.8M average) sit at that size. Maven 11 led functionSPACE's $1.7M pre-seed, dated 24 September 2026 by Dealroom, which reports Maven 11 Capital as the lead.
  • Raising a seed between $5M and $15M: Lattice and Variant both joined Takenos's $7M extended seed on 4 November 2026 as participants, per AskSurf: "Variant, Lattice and Reverie joined as participants."
  • Raising a Series A that needs a lead: Blockchain Capital led all 6 of its 2026 rounds on NAUT's record, including Uranium Digital's $16.5M Series A. Fortune: "Blockchain Capital led the Series A for the startup, which uses blockchain to track ownership of physical uranium."
  • Check what drives a large average. Sequoia Capital's $322.5M is pulled up by Kalshi's $1B Series G, which Sequoia co-led with Wellington on 29 October 2026, per Pulse 2.0. Mirana Ventures' $37.83M is pulled up by Spiko's $90M Series B, which Mirana joined.

How many 2026 rounds did each fund on the list back?

2026 rounds backed, on NAUT's record to 13 November
  1. Blockchain Capital6
  2. Lattice6
  3. Faction5
  4. Sequoia Capital4
  5. ParaFi Capital4
  6. Variant3
  7. Maven 11 Capital3
  8. CMT Digital3
  9. Borderless Capital3
  10. Mirana Ventures3
  11. Pantera Capital3
  12. Big Brain Holdings2

Round count says who is deploying, and the led figure hints at who sets terms. 4 of the 12 show 0 leads on NAUT's record for 2026. For 3 of them (Borderless Capital, Mirana Ventures and Big Brain Holdings) no checked source names them as a lead, so pair them with a lead from the same table. The 4th, ParaFi Capital, co-led Birch Hill's pre-seed according to The Block, so treat its 0 as a gap in the record.

Who is the partner to contact at each fund?

Each fund's NAUT page lists its team. This is 1 partner-level name per fund, with the title NAUT holds for them on 13 November 2026:

Fund First name to try
, Co-Founder
, General Partner
, General Partner
, Partner and COO
, Partner
, Investment Partner
, CIO and Managing Partner
, Investment Partner
, Partner
, Managing Partner
, Partner
, Partner

The fund page shows the full team, often with operating and venture partners next to the investing ones. Read the title before you write: an investment partner who covers your sector beats a managing partner who covers none of it. Anyone listed can ask NAUT to remove their page at https://naut.so/legal/data-deletion.

What this tells a founder doing crypto fundraising

  • Most active funds backed 1 round this year: 60 of the 95 backed 1 round on NAUT's record, so a fund with 3 or more (14 of the 95) is a stronger signal of an open checkbook.
  • Lead and follow lists are separate lists. Blockchain Capital and Sequoia Capital carry a lead flag on every 2026 round NAUT holds for them; 3 shortlisted funds show none and no checked source names them as a lead.
  • Co-investors travel together. Lattice and Variant joined the same Takenos round, and Pantera Capital led Fission Labs' $10M Series A, which Borderless Capital joined, per Pulse 2.0. A yes from 1 makes the other a warmer email.
  • Small checks are rare at the top. 3 of the 95 active funds averaged $5M or less across 2 or more priced rounds, so a sub-$5M raise should add angels and funds with 1 round this year to the list.

What to check before the first email

8 of the 10 rounds checked matched their source. Beyond the quotes above, CMT Digital led Luxor's $16M strategic round, which Cointelegraph dates 27 October 2026, and Mirana's Spiko round is dated 6 October 2026 by CoinCarp and The SaaS News. 1 company name differs: NAUT lists Fission Labs where Pulse 2.0 writes Fission.

2 rounds differed. NAUT holds Birch Hill as a $4M seed for ParaFi Capital dated 28 October 2026, while The Block reported a $2.5M pre-seed co-led by ParaFi and Castle Island Ventures on 11 February 2026. NAUT dates LO:TECH's $12M Series A for Faction 2 November 2026; Startup Rise dates it 3 November and reports MMC as the lead, with Faction joining as an existing investor. Before you send, open the fund's NAUT page, confirm the round is the one you think, and check the partner's title on their own X bio.

Related reading on NAUT: Cold email templates for investors: 5 for 557 crypto funds and How to research a VC fund: 6 checks, 23 rounds, 27 partners.

Can you pull this data through the NAUT API?

Yes: GET https://api.naut.so/v1/investors/lattice with Authorization: Bearer $NAUT_KEY returns 1 fund with its team and its portfolio, and each portfolio row carries the company, roundType, amountUsd, announceDate and isLead, which are the fields behind every column above. Each call costs 5 credits, so the 12 funds on this list take 60 credits of the 3,000 in the Essential plan ($49 a month); see the API docs and pricing. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn for each partner unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.

Investor target list FAQ

How do I build a target list of crypto investors for a raise?

Filter funds by 4 things: a round in 2026, your stage, your round size and a named partner. On NAUT's record to 13 November 2026, 95 of 554 venture funds backed a 2026 round, 45 of them backed a seed or pre-seed round, and 47 list a partner-level person.

Which crypto funds write checks for a seed round under $5M?

Of the 95 venture funds active in 2026 on NAUT, 3 averaged $5M or less across 2 or more rounds with an amount. 2 of them list a partner on NAUT: Maven 11 Capital at $3.9M and Big Brain Holdings at $4.8M.

Which funds on the list lead their rounds?

On this 12-fund shortlist, Blockchain Capital carries a lead flag on all 6 of its 2026 rounds on NAUT's record to 13 November 2026, and Sequoia Capital on all 4 of its rounds. Variant, Maven 11 Capital and CMT Digital led 2 of 3 each.

Where can I find crypto fund partners and their contact channels?

NAUT lists the team on each fund page: 47 of the 95 funds active in 2026 carry at least 1 partner-level person, from Regan Bozman at Lattice to Kinjal Shah at Blockchain Capital, and GET https://api.naut.so/v1/investors/<fund-slug> returns the same team. Verified Telegram, email and LinkedIn unlock on any paid NAUT plan, so start a 7-day trial.

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