Notation Capital is a Brooklyn, New York–based early-stage venture capital firm that defines itself as one of the first dedicated pre-seed investors in the NYC ecosystem, partnering with technical, product-obsessed founders from “day 0” — often investing when companies are pre-product or pre-market and helping teams go to market. 

Specific Funding Stage
Pre-Seed: Core focus on very early institutional capital, frequently leading pre-seed rounds and working closely with founders to accelerate product development and early traction.
Seed: Invests in seed rounds as founders demonstrate early momentum, with the firm often being the first institutional check in a startup’s journey. 

Typical Investment Size
Initial checks usually range from ~$100K–$500K and can scale higher in later pre-seed or seed financings depending on round dynamics and co-investors. 

Venture Capital & Growth
Notation operates a set of early funds (e.g., Notation Capital III, among others), with capital deployed to help founders traverse pre-seed to later seed milestones; subsequent rounds typically involve follow-on participation alongside broader venture and strategic capital. 

Application & Engagement
Founders engage with Notation primarily through warm introductions from the founders’ networks, accelerator alumni, ecosystem partners, or direct outreach via the firm’s website (“[email protected]”) to share pitch materials.
Notation tends to value founder quality, technical depth, and product focus over strict sector boundaries, and its team celebrates transparency (e.g., publishing parts of their operating manual and engaging in community content). 

Sector Focus: Broad technology focus including software, developer tools, fintech, health, infrastructure, web3/crypto, ML/AI, and other evolving categories — Notation is not strictly thesis-driven, instead backing compelling product and founder opportunities.
Geography: U.S. (with strong roots in the NYC tech ecosystem, but portfolio companies span across the country).
Corporate Profile: Early-stage companies, often pre-revenue or with early signals of product-market fit.
Team: Preference for technical founders and product builders deeply engaged in execution. 

Initial Intake: Submission of pitch deck and founder materials for high-level alignment on stage and team fit. 
 Partner Review: Deep dives by partners (e.g., Nick Chirls and Alex Lines) on product, team, and strategy; focus on technical differentiation and early signals of progress. 
 Due Diligence: Market, technical validation, and founder conversations to assess long-term opportunity. 
 Deal Structuring: Negotiated on a case-by-case basis using standard early-stage instruments aligned with founder needs.

Strategic Capital: Pre-seed and seed equity investments to enable product build-out and go-to-market scaling. 
 Mentorship & Network: Access to Notation’s community of founders, advisors, Limited Partners (LPs), and strategic introductions. 
 Follow-on Support: Facilitation of future financings alongside broader venture investors as companies scale. 

Notable Portfolio Activity
Notation has made dozens of investments (80+ startups) across sectors including software, consumer tech, health, and infrastructure. Recent portfolio activity includes companies such as IP Copilot and Photon Health at seed-stage financings.