Q3 2026 · Pre-Seed

Pre-Seed Startups Showing Engineering Acceleration

Earliest-stage technical startups — typically before any institutional round. Engineering activity at this stage is the clearest leading indicator because there is little press, no fundraise announcement, and few public breadcrumbs other than the code itself. Currently tracking 70 pre-seed startups across 15 sectors. ccao-data leads with 1 commits over 14 days (+999%).

TL;DR — At a glance

We rank 70 pre-seed startups by GitHub engineering acceleration for Q3 2026. ccao-data tops the list at 1 commits per 14-day window (+999%), against a cohort average of 87commits. The most common breakout pattern this period is “Framework migration”. Rankings refresh weekly and every number links back to a public GitHub source.

Commit velocityis the number of commits a startup’s public repositories receive over a rolling 14-day window, used here as a proxy for engineering throughput. A rising velocity paired with contributor growth is the earliest public signal that a pre-seed team is scaling ahead of a fundraise.

Investor insight

At pre-seed, the GitHub commit graph is often the only public signal of product velocity. Founders are heads-down shipping. A pre-seed startup showing sustained engineering acceleration over a multi-week window is a high-conviction outbound target before the seed round is live.

Sector breakdown — Pre-Seed

Legal Tech

8 pre-seed startups

PropTech

8 pre-seed startups

Gaming

8 pre-seed startups

Web3

6 pre-seed startups

Enterprise SaaS

6 pre-seed startups

Supply Chain

5 pre-seed startups

Robotics

5 pre-seed startups

EdTech

4 pre-seed startups

E-commerce Infrastructure

4 pre-seed startups

Healthcare

3 pre-seed startups

Data Infrastructure

3 pre-seed startups

HR Tech

3 pre-seed startups

Space Tech

3 pre-seed startups

AgTech

2 pre-seed startups

Social & Community

2 pre-seed startups

Ranked pre-seed startups — Q3 2026

#	Company	Stage	Geo	Commits (14d)	Change	Contributors	Contrib. Growth	New Repos	Signal
1	ccao-data The CCAO's Data Department creates models, tools, and analyses to improve Cook County's property tax system View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+999%	6	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
2	bic-org The BIC Provide technical details via API for shipping containers, global container facility codes and container prefix View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	3	+999%	3	+300%	0	Engineering hiring burst
3	eftechcombr View signal profile →	Pre-seed	LATAM	1	+999%	4	+0%	1	Deploy frequency spike
4	Flexxbotics View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	4	+999%	4	+400%	0	Engineering hiring burst
5	securitybunker View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+999%	3	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
6	radcrew We specialize in the convergence of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, building the infrastructure for a decentrali View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	28	+999%	6	+18%	0	Deploy frequency spike
7	bigprof-software Simple data tools for start-ups and small businesses View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+999%	3	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
8	rosteleset Ассоциация РОСТЕЛЕСЕТЬ View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	10	+999%	3	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
9	tae0y 🏠 Ask Claude about Korean apartment prices — powered by 국토교통부 open API View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	7	+999%	3	+133%	0	Engineering hiring burst
10	aelassas Rental Property Management Platform with Mobile App View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+999%	6	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
11	sapic We started as a simple website to crop backgrounds to showcases for Steam profiles, and we now do many projects that per View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	4	+999%	7	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
12	MothCocoon Collection of open-source projects. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	8	+999%	3	+33%	0	Deploy frequency spike
13	mercurjs Open Source Marketplace Platform View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	31	+933%	7	+28%	0	Deploy frequency spike
14	rpgppengine An experimental 2D RPG game engine written in C++. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	31	+520%	4	+34%	0	Deploy frequency spike
15	mloda-ai View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	18	+500%	7	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
16	TheVessels Yeah, so, basically, we do the things View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	55	+358%	5	+37%	0	Deploy frequency spike
17	OpenSCvx View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	7	+250%	6	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
18	stella Open-source legal workspace View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	219	+237%	3	+0%	1	Deploy frequency spike
19	XCO-Agency XCO Agency View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	30	+200%	6	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
20	o2-engine 2D Game Engine with visual WYSIWYG editor and JS scripting View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	18	+200%	4	+0%	0	Deploy frequency spike
21	phoenixctms Phoenix Clinical Trial Management System View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	17	+143%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
22	HCW-home Simple & Secure remote consultations View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	2	+100%	6	+25%	0	Framework migration
23	namiml Subscription growth platform for apps, web, and CTV View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	2	+100%	5	+100%	2	Engineering hiring burst
24	QuartermindGames Slamming on our keyboards since 2008. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	UK	2	+100%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
25	lifinance The DeFi Liquidity Mesh - Bridge & DEX aggregation out of the box View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	57	+78%	5	+0%	2	Framework migration
26	Synapsr View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	49	+63%	4	+25%	0	Framework migration
27	HasteHealth View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	47	+62%	5	+0%	0	Framework migration
28	starwards View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	14	+56%	5	+10%	0	Framework migration
29	subsquid Blockchain data infrastructure for Web3 developers: validated data across 225+ networks plus the Squid SDK and Pipes SDK View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	3	+50%	7	+0%	1	Framework migration
30	pyck-ai We build an Open-Source Warehouse Management Framework for the AI-driven era. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	30	+43%	4	+136%	1	Engineering hiring burst
31	RouteVN RouteVN Creator is a Visual Novel engine that enables anyone to create Visual Novels without coding. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	64	+42%	7	+54%	0	Engineering hiring burst
32	TrianaLab View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	15	+7%	3	+143%	0	Engineering hiring burst
33	sarvalabs View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+0%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
34	publicmap Public maps by the Public View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+0%	6	+0%	0	Framework migration
35	LacledesLAN A Saint Louis Charity LAN Party Group View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	+0%	3	+50%	2	Engineering hiring burst
36	open-space-collective Collaborative space. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	47	-6%	5	+0%	0	Framework migration
37	ut-issl 東京大学航空宇宙工学専攻船瀬・五十里研究室の公開リポジトリ View signal profile →	Pre-seed	APAC	54	-10%	4	+74%	3	Engineering hiring burst
38	relizaio View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Canada	24	-11%	5	+0%	2	Framework migration
39	gear-tech Powering Web3 decentralized computing View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	40	-17%	3	+0%	1	Framework migration
40	reductstore High Performance Data Backbone for Robotics and Industrial IoT View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	5	-17%	7	+31%	1	Framework migration
41	zapplyjobs Free job boards and career resources for students & new grads View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	3,300	-19%	3	+42%	2	Framework migration
42	MystenLabs We create foundational infrastructure to accelerate web3 adoption View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	172	-19%	4	+0%	1	Framework migration
43	ZemerTeam View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	61	-20%	5	+400%	2	Engineering hiring burst
44	moov-io At the core of #fintech. Moov creates open source infrastructure for financial technology. #OSS View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	22	-21%	3	+0%	0	Framework migration
45	StudyDrift View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	74	-27%	3	+14%	0	Framework migration
46	axone-protocol A protocol for governing acts across humans, agents, and resources View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	101	-27%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
47	logicaldoc Open source document management software View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	15	-29%	4	+79%	0	Engineering hiring burst
48	foundation50 OpenCourseWare and Open-Source Software View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	188	-31%	7	+400%	3	Engineering hiring burst
49	nmi-agro Nutriënten Management Instituut (NMI) is a knowledge and consultancy agency. NMI translates technical knowledge about so View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	100	-33%	7	+0%	0	Framework migration
50	metorial The open source AI integration platform for developers. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	98	-34%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
51	zapplyjobs Free job boards and career resources for students & new grads View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	810	-40%	7	+0%	2	Framework migration
52	speedyapply Streamlining career growth. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	9	-40%	5	+0%	0	Framework migration
53	HopHubProject Social ride sharing for events View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	6	-40%	5	+0%	0	Framework migration
54	towardsai The leading AI community and content platform focused on making AI accessible to all. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	US	28	-42%	3	+400%	3	Engineering hiring burst
55	churnkey View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	11	-42%	3	+18%	0	Framework migration
56	yzxingtu2026 AI 原生多租户 SaaS 开发框架 — FastAPI + Vue 3 + PostgreSQL，内置 AI Agent、RAG、插件系统、RBAC、异步任务等核心能力，助力快速构建行业 SaaS 应用。 View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	11	-45%	4	+171%	1	Engineering hiring burst
57	Mountea-Framework Mountea Framework is a list of tools for Unreal Engine developers. Free to use and ever-growing library. We aim to becom View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	18	-47%	4	+43%	0	Framework migration
58	selfpatch View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	62	-57%	7	+106%	0	Engineering hiring burst
59	iflytek iFLYTEK Open Source View signal profile →	Pre-seed	APAC	7	-59%	5	+0%	2	Framework migration
60	Synapsr View signal profile →	Pre-seed	EU	9	-70%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
61	bagisto A Free and Opensource laravel eCommerce framework built for all to build and scale your business. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	APAC	6	-77%	4	+0%	2	Framework migration
62	dealfluence View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	19	-77%	6	+0%	1	Framework migration
63	maize-tech View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	-80%	4	+0%	0	Framework migration
64	usertour an open-source user onboarding platform. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	APAC	13	-85%	6	+0%	0	Framework migration
65	AleksNeStu AI-powered real estate platform with conversational property search, analytics, and market insights. Built with FastAPI + Next.js + ChromaDB. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	6	-85%	6	+0%	0	Framework migration
66	kairos-io View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	19	-88%	5	+0%	2	Framework migration
67	i-dot-ai Incubator for Artificial Intelligence View signal profile →	Pre-seed	UK	2	-89%	6	+40%	1	Framework migration
68	trovu Web shortcuts, social, private. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	-89%	3	+0%	0	Framework migration
69	aws-samples View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	-96%	5	+400%	9	Engineering hiring burst
70	ahacker-1 The first comprehensive open-source AI-native framework for CRE acquisitions, turning diligence, underwriting, financing, legal, and closing into executable agent workflows. View signal profile →	Pre-seed	Unknown	1	-99%	3	+0%	0	Framework migration

Sorted by commit velocity change (14-day window). Stage from contributor count + enrichment data. Last updated Q3 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which pre-seed startups are showing the strongest engineering signals in Q3 2026?

In Q3 2026, ccao-data (EdTech) leads pre-seed startups with 1 commits over a rolling 14-day window (+999% change) and 6 active contributors. Across all 70 tracked pre-seed startups, the average 14-day commit velocity is 87 commits. The dominant engineering signal pattern is "Framework migration".

What should investors look for in pre-seed engineering signals?

Which sectors have the most pre-seed activity?

In Q3 2026, the top sectors by pre-seed startup count are Legal Tech (8), PropTech (8), Gaming (8), Web3 (6), Enterprise SaaS (6). Each sector page has its own ranked list and sector-specific context.

How is stage determined in these rankings?

Stage is derived from contributor count, team-size enrichment data, and funding history where publicly available. Stage classifications use broad buckets (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A/B, Growth) to provide meaningful sample sizes. These are estimates — always verify independently before any investment action.

Other stages

Seed Series A B Growth

Sector breakdown — Pre-Seed

Ranked pre-seed startups — Q3 2026

Five breakout startups, every Sunday — before the round gets crowded

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pre-seed startups are showing the strongest engineering signals in Q3 2026?

What should investors look for in pre-seed engineering signals?

Which sectors have the most pre-seed activity?

How is stage determined in these rankings?

Other stages

🚀 Explore Our Network

Sector breakdown — Pre-Seed

Ranked pre-seed startups — Q3 2026

Five breakout startups, every Sunday — before the round gets crowded

Frequently Asked Questions

Which pre-seed startups are showing the strongest engineering signals in Q3 2026?

What should investors look for in pre-seed engineering signals?

Which sectors have the most pre-seed activity?

How is stage determined in these rankings?

Other stages