Unshackled Ventures
Unshackled Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm exclusively focused on backing immigrant founders in the United States. Founded in 2015 by Manan Mehta and Nitin Pachisia, both immigrants themselves, the firm was born out of firsthand experience with the challenges immigrant entrepreneurs face.
Unique Value Proposition
Unshackled Ventures is the only early-stage VC fund that enables unrecognized and excluded immigrant founders to start companies in the US. They solve a critical problem: immigrants who cannot legally leave their jobs to start companies because their visas depend on employment.
The firm sponsors visas for founders they invest in, allowing them to quit their jobs and focus on building their startups. This is a transformative offering for immigrant founders who face unique barriers to entrepreneurship in the US.
Investment Approach
Unshackled invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, often at what they call "day 0" - when founders have nothing more than an idea and a team. They are sector-agnostic, investing in technology (software and hardware), life sciences, and materials.
The firm looks for bold ideas, not incremental improvements. There must be something foundationally new in the idea, approach, or technology. They back teams that are aware of and confident in their superpowers, while also being self-aware about their blind spots.
Check sizes vary, with some founders noting investments around $150,000 for solo founders through their Residency program.
Fund History
Unshackled has raised three funds. In June 2023, they announced a $35 million Fund III, continuing their mission to back immigrant founders. To date, they have deployed over $35 million into approximately 80 companies and provided over 200 founders with visa sponsorship.
Notable Portfolio Companies
Exited:
- Faeth Therapeutics - Metabolic cancer therapeutics, now listed on NYSE as SNSE
- 21 - Automated mobile testing (acquired)
Current:
- Destro AI - Embodied AI for warehouse and factory workflows
- Daxo Robotics - Dexterous robotic hands
- TextQL - Data analyst agents for messy data
- Cache Energy - Long-term energy storage solutions
- Atlas Wearable - Brain-computer interface for high-performing people
- Luminai - Enterprise task automation infrastructure
- Lynk - Direct-to-device satellite communication
- Pine Park Health - Healthcare provider for seniors
- Pod Foods - Tech-enabled grocery supply chain
- Plantible Foods - Plant-based nutrition
Residency Program
For solo immigrant founders, Unshackled offers Residency - a $150,000 investment for solo founders. This is the most reliable way for solo immigrant founders to explore their ideas while on a visa in the US.
How to Connect
Unshackled uses a pitch form for applications and guarantees a response after review.
Application process:
- Fill out their pitch form at unshackledvc.com
- Include your background and immigrant status
- Describe your idea and why it's boldly different
Key contacts:
- Manan Mehta - Co-Founder
- Nitin Pachisia - Co-Founder
What they look for:
- Immigrant-founded companies
- Bold, fundamental innovation
- Self-aware founding teams
- Big markets following big problems
Pro tips:
- Don't wait until you have more traction - they invest at day 0
- About 40% of their companies had capital from other sources before Unshackled
- Be ready to explain what makes your approach foundationally new
Website: unshackledvc.com