Pre-seed & seed VC, US
Precursor Ventures
Venture capital firm · San Francisco · Founded 2015
Quick read
Precursor Ventures is a pre-seed and seed VC firm founded in 2015 by Charles Hudson, headquartered in San Francisco, CA. The firm backs founders before products are fully formed — investing in people over product — across software, hardware, consumer, and enterprise. With 325+ investments and four unicorns, it's one of the most active micro-VC firms at the earliest stage in the US.
Key facts
- Founded
- 2015
- Founders
- Charles Hudson
- Employees
- 14
- Sectors
- generalist
- Website
- precursorvc.com
Investment thesis
Precursor backs founders at the first institutional check — pre-seed and seed — across software, hardware, consumer, and enterprise, investing in people over product before companies are fully formed. The firm writes early checks into US, Canadian, Latin American, and select international markets with a generalist mandate, deliberately entering new markets ahead of trends.
Recent activity
- Jun 2025pressPrecursor Ventures co-hosted a consumer investing dinner with Benchstrength and J.P. Morgan, bringing together investors focused on consumer-stage companies. linkedin.com
- Feb 2026investmentPrecursor Ventures participated in a $5M Seed round for Sentra.app, the most recent tracked deal per Startup Intros data. startupintros.com
- 2025investmentPrecursor Ventures participated in a Seed round for Pilot, led by Version One Ventures, alongside Night Capital, Todd & Rahul Capital, and angels Lenny Rachitsky and Ben Tossell. linkedin.com
- 2025investmentPrecursor participated in the Seed round of dopl (round size undisclosed), per Tracxn data showing 12 new investments in the last 12 months. tracxn.com
- 2025leadershipMBA interns Aleena Ismail (Wharton, ex-Thrive) and Braylen (Ross School of Business, ex-Google) joined Precursor's intern program, replacing outgoing interns Missy and Youcef. linkedin.com
- Jun 2024pressCharles Hudson spoke with Fortune about Precursor's approach to early-stage investing, confirming $230M AUM and check sizes of $250K–$500K. He cited Bobbie, Carrot Fertility, Modern Health, Pair Eyewear, Rad AI, and The Athletic as portfolio examples. fortune.com
- Jun 2026investmentPrecursor Ventures made a pre-seed investment in Courtroom, its most recent tracked deal per CB Insights as of June 11, 2026. cbinsights.com
- Apr 2026pressCB Insights published a profile of Managing Partner Charles Hudson, covering how he built the firm to $175M under management by backing founders before traditional signals of traction. cbinsights.com
- Mar 2026investmentPrecursor co-invested in a seed round for Peltier alongside Palm Drive Capital. crunchbase.com
- Mar 2026investmentCourierPath raised $1M, with Precursor Ventures participating alongside FUSE. The startup targets last-mile delivery navigation. crunchbase.com
- Mar 2026pressPrecursor announced plans to visit London in Spring 2026 to help European founders understand US venture fundraising. Applications for the program closed April 12, 2026. linkedin.com
- Feb 2026investmentFeltsense raised $5.1M. Precursor was noted as an investor in the round, which backs agentic tools for founders building companies from scratch. crunchbase.com
Notable investments
- Sentra.appSeedFeb 2026startupintros.com
- PilotSeed2025linkedin.com
- doplSeed2025tracxn.com
- CourtroomPre-SeedJun 2026cbinsights.com
- PeltierSeedMar 2026crunchbase.com
- CourierPathSeedFeb 2026crunchbase.com
- FeltsenseSeedFeb 2026crunchbase.com
- TansySeedJan 2026crunchbase.com
- PlayMakerPre-Seed2025vcbacked.co
- Juniper SquareVenture - Series Unknown2025vcbacked.co
- SecludySeedMay 2026tracxn.com
- Limitless (acquired by Meta)SeedDec 2025precursorvc.com
Key people
Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.
- Charles Hudson · Managing Partner & Founder
- Ayanna Kerrison · Team Member
- Mia Farnham · Team Member
- Danielle Lincoln · Team Member
Sources
- Precursor Ventures — Pre-Seed & Seed Stage Venture Capital
- Precursor Ventures — Investment Thesis & Preferences
- Precursor Ventures - Tracxn
- Precursor Ventures investment portfolio | PitchBook
- Precursor Ventures | LinkedIn
- Charles Hudson - Precursor Ventures | LinkedIn
- News | Precursor Ventures
- Precursor Ventures - News & Analysis | Crunchbase
- https://www.cbinsights.com/investor/precursor-ventures
- https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/precursor-ventures/signals_and_news/timeline
- https://startupintros.com/orgs/precursor-ventures
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-farnham-a3295b68/
- https://tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/precursor-ventures/__Vknk80xpoqiEfIvYCsqOsjnH6qOYzIs0G-ky9qlRf0c
- https://fortune.com/2024/06/19/precursor-ventures-founder-charles-hudson-on-investing-early-how-the-landscape-for-black-entrepreneurs-is-evolving-and-opera/
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Frequently asked
What is Precursor Ventures?+
Precursor Ventures is a pre-seed and seed VC firm founded in 2015 by Charles Hudson, headquartered in San Francisco, CA. The firm backs founders before products are fully formed — investing in people over product — across software, hardware, consumer, and enterprise.
Where is Precursor Ventures headquartered?+
Precursor Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States.
When was Precursor Ventures founded?+
Precursor Ventures was founded in 2015 by Charles Hudson.
What sectors does Precursor Ventures invest in?+
Precursor Ventures focuses on generalist. They primarily invest in these sectors.
How do I prepare for a meeting with Precursor Ventures?+
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