Unshackled Ventures

Pre-seed fund dedicated to investing in and unlocking opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs.

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Our Pitch Us form is open.

Unshackled backs the top 1% of technical immigrant entrepreneurs at Day Zero — pre-product, pre-revenue, sometimes before you've left the job that holds your visa. We write first checks of $150–750K, and for many of our founders we're the friends-and-family round that was never available to them.

No warm intro needed. The form gives every founder the same access, regardless of introduction source.

If you want a sense of how we think before you submit, we wrote about what we look for at day zero: the two archetypes we've seen recur across a decade of pre-seed investing (article in thread).

They're lenses, not filters. See article in the comments.

If you're building something that feels too early, too technical, or too complex for traditional investors, we want to hear from you.

Send us what you're building here: https://t.co/zE5Rxpx5kt

[Ale Zamira Maciel @alexiszamira]

Congratulations to the Destro team on their oversubscribed $8.37M Seed round, led by @bonfire_vc and @Base10Partners, with participation from CoFound.

Proud to have backed this team at the pre-seed!

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

https://t.co/7M8kPU4cSI

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Congratulations to Unshackled portfolio company, Destro on their $8.37M Seed round led by @bonfire_vc & @Base10Partners w/ participation from CoFound!

Destro is building the AI intelligence layer that coordinates robots and people on the warehouse floor.

Read more below!

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

https://t.co/lko3DLgntd

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Introducing @elveomobile (f/k/a Lynk) 🛰️

Lynk Global has been a portfolio company of ours since 2018, back when it was called UbiquitiLink and "direct-to-device satellite connectivity" wasn't even a category name yet.

On August 14th, Lynk closed its merger with Omnispace. The combined company introduced itself to the world as Elveo Mobile and became the first unicorn in our portfolio.

Omnispace brought 60 MHz of globally coordinated S-band spectrum, assembled over decades through the ITU. Lynk brought a proven, flight-tested satellite architecture. Together, Elveo now owns the spectrum it operates on outright. A foundational asset that can't be recreated from scratch.

The company already has 56 signed agreements with mobile carriers across 60+ countries and a partnership with SES for global ground-station reach. Commercial service is targeted for early 2028.

Eight years, multiple rounds, one company that stayed the course. This is exactly what we mean when we say we back founders from Day Zero and stay in the arena with them.

Congratulations to Ramu Potarazu and the entire Elveo Mobile team — and to the founders and early builders who started this as Lynk, proving the impossible thing was possible.

Full story linked in thread.

[TechCrunch @TechCrunch]

Starting a company as an immigrant founder is like playing the entrepreneurship game on hard.

On this episode of Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen talks with @mananm from @UnshackledVC about how immigrant founders should think about funding, immigration petitions, personal runway, and when it’s time to take the leap of faith and start building.

Watch the full episode: https://t.co/F2pFI33SAX

[TechCrunch @TechCrunch]

More money isn’t always better. @mananm from @UnshackledVC breaks down why investors who understand your story, your purpose, and why you’re building can be far more valuable than a bigger check from someone who’s misaligned.

Check out the full interview on Build Mode: https://t.co/WGgph3ia9g

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

@mananm sat down with Isabelle Johannessen on @TechCrunch’s Build Mode to unpack how Unshackled finds and backs exceptional immigrant founders before the market recognizes what makes them exceptional.

They talked pattern recognition, resilience as signal, and why the industry’s biggest blind spots are often its biggest opportunities.

Full episode here: https://t.co/JRYNiuSKnj

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

What we look for at day zero:
https://t.co/drBORYyGfn

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Our Pitch Us form is open.

Unshackled backs the top 1% of technical immigrant entrepreneurs at Day Zero — pre-product, pre-revenue, sometimes before you've left the job that holds your visa. We write first checks of $150–750K, and for many of our founders we're the friends-and-family round that was never available to them.

No warm intro needed. The form gives every founder the same access, regardless of introduction source.

If you want a sense of how we think before you submit, we wrote about what we look for at day zero: the two archetypes we've seen recur across a decade of pre-seed investing (article in thread).

They're lenses, not filters. See article in the comments.

If you're building something that feels too early, too technical, or too complex for traditional investors, we want to hear from you.

Send us what you're building here: https://t.co/zE5Rxpx5kt

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Unshackled portfolio company, @plantible, announced a $35M package to scale commercial production of Rubi Protein: a $25M USDA-backed loan (X-Caliber Rural Capital, via the USDA B&I Loan Guarantee Program) and $10M in equity from RA Capital and existing investors.

The funding will increase annual production capacity fivefold to more than 1,000 metric tons, allowing the team to fulfill its existing customer pipeline and enter new markets.

Read more here: https://t.co/FqEyzkoUiC

[AgFunder @AgFunder]

.@plantible raises $35m in debt, equity, to increase RuBisCO protein production fivefold #foodtech #protein #plantbased #eggreplacement https://t.co/oWm8zOfJYT

[Apolink @apolinkHQ]

We confirm the successful deployment of IPoS-TDsM!! (Credit: @SpaceX)

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

https://t.co/7VcA9xF0o6

[ethan ding 📊 @TheEthanDing]

We (@TextQL) raised $17M led by @blackstone to build agentic analytics for enterprises with messy data.

The round was joined by @HOFCapital, @neo, @DCM_VC, @PickensAllison, @UnshackledVC, @Dropbox , @varsharao, & other angels

[Arjun Dev Arora @ArjunDArora]

The Immigrant Bet, by @UnshackledVC https://t.co/RFcLElvBXU

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Two immigrant founders. Both 19. Both raised millions.

At our AGM, founders @kesava_kirupa (@luminai ) and @ionkarbatra (@apolinkHQ) shared how rejection and resilience defined their journeys, and how belief turned into momentum.

https://t.co/11Jrzw9av4 @mananm

[Andrea Wong @heyitsdreee]

Incredible afternoon at @UnshackledVC AGM. If you’re an immigrant founder they are one of the best partners you could work with. Inspired by founders of @luminai and @apolinkHQ.

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

https://t.co/0Jyh8VtawG

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

Recently, the administration’s changes to the H-1B visa program have sparked renewed discussion across the startup ecosystem. We believe America's economic renewal has always been driven by immigrant founders. Our policies should reflect that reality.

Read our full perspective:

[Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC]

We've been waiting for this day. We are thrilled to announce that our portfolio company, Atlas, is officially coming out of stealth! 🧠

As their first investors in their pre-seed round, we are excited for the world to see the brilliance we saw in them from the very beginning.

[Atlas Mankind @atlasmankind]

We track steps, heart rate, sleep…

But nothing has ever helped us understand the mind,

our most vital organ.

Until now.