Notation Capital
Brooklyn pre-seed firm writing first checks to technical, product-obsessed founders in NYC — often the earliest institutional capital in a round.
Typical check size
$250K-$750K (coverage-cited first-check estimate)
Founded
2015
Headquarters
Brooklyn, NY
AUM
N/A
Rounds they lead
Pre-Seed
Seed
Rounds they invest
Pre-Seed
Seed
Series A
Portfolio companies we track
Startups in our directory that list Notation Capital as an investor (2 total).
Related investment articles
Apr 29, 2026
Notation Capital Backs Photon Health $16M Series A
Aug 1, 2026
Notation Capital Check Size: Typical Range, Stage Focus, and Founder Fit (2026)
Jan 22, 2026
Notation Capital Portfolio: Talos Extends Series B, Alluvial Exits
Jul 24, 2026
a16z Portfolio Companies on Fire in 2026: AI, American Dynamism & More
FAQs about Notation Capital
Stage fit, check size, thesis, and how founders typically approach this firm — based on public sources and our directory.
Notation leads pre-seed and seed in our directory and may follow into Series A. The firm was among the first dedicated pre-seed funds in New York City when founded in 2015 by Nicholas Chirls and Alex Lines.
Our Photon Health coverage cites Notation leading first checks of roughly $250K–$750K into technical teams. For planning, see /notation-capital-check-size-2026. Exact sizing varies; the firm concentrates on being the earliest institutional partner rather than publishing a fixed ticket.
Notation is based in Brooklyn, New York. While NYC-centric, the firm has backed technical teams nationally in infrastructure, fintech, and Web3 — portfolio names include Livepeer and Near Foundation per our Talos portfolio article.
Our directory classifies generalist-tech with a technical-founder bias. Notation focuses on AI, infrastructure, fintech, and Web3/crypto — product-obsessed teams where the partners can add engineering and GTM depth from the first check.
Notation specializes in leading the first institutional round and following into Series A when conviction builds — Photon Health is the canonical example in our coverage (Notation led the earlier Series A and backed the $16M follow-on in April 2026).
Linked startups include Photon Health (/startup/photon-health) and Parsec Gaming (/startup/parsec-gaming). Our Talos portfolio article also references Alluvial (acquired December 2025) and Talos (Series B extension, January 2026).
Use notation.vc and seek warm intros from NYC technical founders or angels in Notation's network. The firm prioritizes deeply technical teams at the idea-to-product stage — cold outreach works best with a demo and clear infrastructure insight.
See /2026-notation-capital-photon-health-series-a and /2026-notation-capital-preseed-portfolio-talos for 2026 follow-on and portfolio activity, plus the Notation section in /nyc-early-stage-seed-firms-2025.