How to Invest in NYC Startups (2026 Guide)

By Solomon Wiesen, editor. Updated October 2026. Editorial standards | How this site is funded

You do not need to be rich to own a piece of a New York startup. Here is how each route works, who can use it, what it costs, and how much a non-accredited investor is allowed to put in each year.

Four ways to invest in New York startups

Which route you can use depends mostly on one thing: whether you are an accredited investor. Most private startup rounds are limited to accredited investors. Everyone else can still invest through equity crowdfunding under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF).

Route	Who can use it	Typical minimum	Best for
Equity crowdfunding (Wefunder, Republic, StartEngine)	Anyone 18+, within annual limits	$50 to $250	Small checks, consumer brands you already use
Angel groups (New York Angels, Golden Seeds)	Accredited investors	About $25,000 per deal; NYA expects $50,000 a year	Seeing a steady flow of vetted NYC deals
Direct angel checks	Accredited investors, usually	$10,000 to $50,000	Investors with a network or sector expertise
Venture funds and syndicates	Accredited (some funds require qualified purchasers)	$1,000 to $250,000 depending on vehicle	Diversification without picking companies

Are you an accredited investor?

Under SEC Rule 501, you qualify if any one of these is true:

• Income over $200,000 (or $300,000 with a spouse or spousal equivalent) in each of the last two years, with the same expected this year.
• Net worth over $1 million, alone or jointly, not counting your primary home.
• You hold a Series 7, 65 or 82 license in good standing.

Changes in progress: in December 2025 the House passed the INVEST Act, which would add an exam route, but the Senate has not passed it. On September 30, 2026 the SEC published notices proposing new credential pathways (a FINRA accredited investor exam, CPA, CFA and CFP holders, and Series 79 and 86/87). These are proposals open for comment, not final rules. The income and net worth tests are unchanged.

Equity crowdfunding: the route open to everyone

Under Reg CF a company can raise up to $5 million in 12 months from the public through an SEC-registered portal. Non-accredited investors face a yearly cap across all Reg CF deals combined:

• If your annual income or net worth is below $124,000: the greater of $2,500 or 5% of the larger of the two figures.
• If both are $124,000 or more: 10% of the larger figure, capped at $124,000.

How much a non-accredited investor can put into crowdfunding each year

12-month Reg CF limit by the greater of annual income or net worth, assuming both figures sit in the same bracket. The rule jumps from 5% to 10% at $124,000.

Below $124,000: greater of $2,500 or 5%$124,000 and up: 10%, capped at $124,000

$40k5% rule, $2,500 floor

$2,500

$75k5% rule, $2,500 floor

$3,750

$100k5% rule, $2,500 floor

$5,000

$150k10% rule

$15,000

$300k10% rule

$30,000

$750k10% rule

$75,000

$1.5M10% rule

$124,000

$0$25k$50k$75k$100k$124k

Portal fees differ more than most investors realize. Paying by card on Wefunder costs nearly three times what a bank transfer does.

What you pay a crowdfunding portal on a $1,000 investment

Investor-side fees as published by each portal in October 2026. Many StartEngine offerings waive the fee.

WefunderBank transfer (2%)

$20

RepublicAdmin fee (2.5%)

$25

StartEngineProcessing fee (3.5%)

$35

WefunderCard or Apple Pay (5.5% + $2)

$57

$0$20$40$60

NYC angel groups you can join

Group	Focus	Published terms	Track record
New York Angels	Generalist, early stage	Accredited; $4,000 annual dues; expected to invest $50,000 a year and join at least one deal a year	360+ companies since 2004
Golden Seeds	Women-led companies	Accredited; fees on request	275+ companies, about $200M invested
Pipeline Angels	Trains women and non-binary angels	Fees not published	550+ members, 130+ companies
HBS Alumni Angels of Greater NY	Harvard Business School alumni	Applications through Gust	n/a

Harlem Capital, often listed alongside these, is a venture firm, not a membership group. Individuals cannot join it.

State and city money that invests next to you

You cannot put money into these funds directly, but they co-invest alongside private investors, which can make an angel round bigger and less risky to close:

• NY Ventures Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund (Empire State Development): $50,000 to $250,000 per company, matched at least 1:1 by private money, for New York companies that have raised $2 million or less.
• NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund: co-invests from seed to Series B, never leads.
• NYC Catalyst Fund (NYCEDC): a fund of funds. Fund I committed $40 million to 11 managers; Fund II started with $25 million.

Tax breaks for startup investors

• QSBS (Section 1202): for qualifying C-corporation stock bought after July 4, 2025, you can exclude 50% of the gain after 3 years, 75% after 4 and 100% after 5, up to $15 million or 10 times your basis. The company's gross assets must be $75 million or less when it issues the stock. Ask a CPA whether New York State follows the federal treatment for your situation.
• New York QETC capital tax credit: a credit of 10% of your investment in a certified Qualified Emerging Technology Company if you hold 4 years (lifetime cap $150,000), or 20% if you hold 9 years (cap $300,000). Owners of more than 10% are excluded. See Form DTF-622.

Where to find NYC deals

• Filter Wefunder, Republic and StartEngine by New York location.
• Read SEC Form D and Form C filings, which list every company raising under these rules.
• Follow our weekly list of NYC startups that raised money in 2026 and our NYC startups directory.

The risks, plainly

Most startups fail, and the shares are illiquid: you usually cannot sell for 5 to 10 years, if ever. Reg CF shares cannot be resold for a year. Invest only money you can afford to lose entirely, and spread it across many companies rather than one.

Where to go next

General information, not investment, legal or tax advice. Startup investing is high risk and illiquid. Rules and fees change; confirm them with the SEC, the portal and a tax professional.