Venture returns with less than venture risk
TinySeed applies a growth equity approach to (very) early-stage B2B SaaS investing targeting 3-5x returns and return capital sooner*.
*Target returns are aspirational and not guaranteed.
TinySeed invests broadly in a unique niche: early-stage, mostly bootstrapped B2B SaaS companies. These are companies that don’t need a ton of funding, because they’re already capital-efficient when they join TinySeed.
While there are no guarantees, we focus on capital preservation, reducing the risk of losses.
95% of our investments are still operating.
Dilution is minimal. And once you get past about $1m ARR, there’s a very liquid exit market. Even subscale B2B SaaS companies are regularly sold, providing some return even for investments that underperform1.
Unlike in traditional VC funding, success in indie SaaS doesn’t require founders to raise buckets of money to target an IPO (or die trying). We believe It’s possible to get venture-like returns without the venture risk.
Aggregate MRR across all funds
TinySeed provides the supportive community founders need to keep going
What’s the difference between a founder who gives up, and one who keeps going? Often, it’s community. When founders can lean on their peers, they get valuable insight, strategic advice, and support.
That’s why TinySeed isn’t just money. Our founders enter a structured, year-long accelerator program in “batches” of their peers. This tight-knit structure offers an antidote to the loneliness of startup life, and can even promote friendly competition among founders in the same niche.
With regular online and in-person events, useful subject matter training, a lively Slack group, and on-demand access to 100+ experts, more than 50% of TinySeed founders say the money matters less than the community.
“Joining TinySeed was one of the milestone decisions in my journey with Gymdesk. Through the accelerator program I gained clarity and focus on the repeatable processes every SaaS should implement in order to succeed and grow, as well as access to the amazing founder network they have. The partners especially were instrumental in us reaching a substantial liquidity event.”
Why invest with us?
TinySeed strategy is to invest broadly into post revenue, but very early stage B2B SaaS. Here’s how we do it:
Capital-efficient B2B SaaS
If a founder is already earning revenue, there’s room to grow
Horizontal (20%) and vertical (80%) SaaS
Most often, the riches are in the niches (cliché but true)
Here, a 8-figure exit to a private equity firm or a strategic partner is a home run. And far fewer companies outright fail and return $02.
Who should invest in TinySeed?
Our ideal investors
TinySeed investors are a helpful bunch. Our LPs bring cash, yes — but they also offer networking opportunities, mentorship, and guidance to founders. So it makes sense that our investment pool includes many exited B2B SaaS entrepreneurs looking to support and advise earlier-stage founders.
We also invite investors who might normally seek later-stage B2B SaaS PE growth funds to become part of the process earlier. You might be surprised at the returns available!
Larry Cobrin, MSPCFO
“I found I was missing the advice of mentors and a community. TinySeed has not applied any ‘get big or fail’ mandates, but has opened the door to great mentors. The feedback from the community has helped me address over a dozen problems I have faced as I grew my business.”
Jane Portman, Userlist
“With TinySeed, we extended our runway and focused on growing Userlist for a whole year, guilt-free and worry-free.
It's amazing to walk hand-in-hand with other companies from your batch, and get super-qualified advice whenever you need it.”
Keith Perhac, Segmetrics
“In just a few short months, TinySeed has helped SegMetrics grow more than I thought was possible in such a short time.
The help of not only the mentors, but also the other founders, has given us expert advice on every part of our business and marketing.”
Deal flow & pricing power
“I’m interested in supporting early-stage SaaS. Why shouldn’t I just pick one I like and write an angel check?”
Well, of course you can. But writing individual angel checks doesn’t provide the same level of deal flow and pricing power as investing through TinySeed.
We believe our strong brand and broad reach in the broader bootstrapped (or mostly bootstrapped) B2B SaaS ecosystem provides us with an enduring source of both of these.
TinySeed receives hundreds of applicants for every batch we run. This means we get to be extremely selective about the companies we choose to fund. Our deal flow isn’t limited by waiting for the right company to float along — it’s a river of high-quality opportunities.
Our unbeatable advantage:
We’ve built the entire B2B SaaS founder ecosystem
Co-founded by serial entrepreneur, author, and speaker Rob Walling, TinySeed is the only founder accelerator program that comes with an entire ecosystem built in.
Funding is just one part of the TinySeed experience. We’re plugged into every part of the SaaS founder journey, from pre-revenue ideas to 9-figure exits.
How it works:
Founders come to us through MicroConf, the premier B2B SaaS conference and community. Or they find us through our long-running podcast, Startups For The Rest of Us.
They learn from us on the MicroConf Connect community, YouTube, and in person. And then they apply to TinySeed.
Once founders are accepted into the TinySeed Accelerator, they grow their businesses alongside each other. With the support of our mentors and investors (that’s you!) they become the next TinySeed success stories.
Founders stay in the TinySeed community to advise and mentor future batches.
Compare this self-supporting ecosystem to many other startup accelerators, which offer no structure or support to their founders past the 6-month mark. (To say nothing of pushing founders to take enormous amounts of money, cede control of the direction of their business, and burn out.)
Jonathan Weinberg, Builder Prime
“After just a couple of months with TinySeed, I have already learned and applied so many new practices in my business and have seen my conversion rate more than double from where it was before. The mentors and other founders have been incredible to work with.”
Andy Hawkes, Loadster
“Joining TinySeed was a great move for Loadster. It's an incredibly supportive group of founders and mentors, and the well-aligned funding terms helped me move faster while staying true to the reasons I started the company to begin with.”
Craig Hewitt, Castos
“Joining TinySeed is one of the best decisions I've made for the future of the company. The community, mentors, and support we got during our year long program was invaluable to us, and the result now is we're on a fast growth trajectory in a competitive market.”
Invest in TinySeed
We believe investing broadly into the earliest stages of the Independent SaaS market — specifically, the set of B2B SaaS companies who are not necessarily reliant on traditional venture capital — can provide venture returns with less than venture risk.
The TinySeed funds are the core of our investment approach. We invest $120-$300k in batches of 10-20 companies, and run a year long remote accelerator for those companies.