# Manan Mehta

> Manan Mehta is the Founding Managing Partner of Unshackled Ventures, the only venture capital firm in the US built exclusively to back immigrant founders at the pre-seed stage - before product, before revenue, and often before incorporation. A first-generation American born to Indian immigrants in Sunnyvale, CA, Manan turned a personal experience of watching his H-1B co-founder get shackled by visa constraints into a $35M+ fund that has sponsored 200+ founders, completed 231+ immigration filings, and helped build a portfolio that has collectively raised $730M+ and created 1,200+ jobs. He sits on the Nasdaq board, once helped ink the $1.9B Skype acquisition as a banker, and brings to every pitch meeting the lens of someone who knows exactly what it costs to build from scratch.

- **Role:** Founding Managing Partner at Unshackled Ventures
- **Organizations:** Unshackled Ventures, Nasdaq (Board Member), Fanery (co-founder, acquired), Kno / Intel, RBC Capital Markets
- **From:** Sunnyvale, California, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Engineering & B.A. Economics (Double Major), UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), Entrepreneurship / Management & Entrepreneurship, London School of Economics
- **Known for:** Co-founded Unshackled Ventures - the only VC fund in the US exclusively backing immigrant founders at pre-seed, Backed 80+ companies, sponsored 200+ founders through US visa/immigration processes, Portfolio has collectively raised $730M+ and created 1,200+ jobs

## Career timeline

- **2007-2010** — Investment Banker at RBC Capital Markets - participated in $3B+ in transactions including the $1.9B Skype acquisition by Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz
- **2010-2013** — Head of Marketing at Kno, Inc. / Intel - joined ed-tech startup with no prior marketing experience; Kno raised $90M+ and was acquired by Intel in 2013
- **2013-2014** — Co-Founded Fanery, a social media startup that was acquired by Smule
- **2014** — Co-founded Unshackled Ventures with Nitin Pachisia - the first VC fund exclusively backing immigrant founders in the US
- **2019** — Closed Unshackled Ventures Fund II (~$20M)
- **2023** — Closed Unshackled Ventures Fund III ($35M) and launched the Eighteen150 founder-in-residence program
- **2024** — Appointed to the Nasdaq Board of Directors

## Achievements

- Co-founded Unshackled Ventures - the only VC fund in the US exclusively backing immigrant founders at pre-seed
- Backed 80+ companies, sponsored 200+ founders through US visa/immigration processes
- Portfolio has collectively raised $730M+ and created 1,200+ jobs
- Closed $35M Fund III (2023) with 73% institutional backing including Bloomberg Beta and Emerson Collective
- Launched Eighteen150 program offering $150K + 18 months runway to solo immigrant founders
- Appointed to Nasdaq Board of Directors (April 2024)
- Participated in $1.9B Skype acquisition as an investment banker at RBC Capital Markets
- Helped build Kno from early stage through Intel acquisition as Head of Marketing
- Co-founded Fanery which was acquired by Smule
- Achieved 72% graduation rate from pre-seed to seed across portfolio
- For every $1 invested, portfolio founders raise $30 more

## Latest updates

- **2024-04** — Appointed to Nasdaq Board of Directors
- **2023-06** — Closed $35M Fund III for Unshackled Ventures with 73% institutional backing
- **2023-06** — Launched Eighteen150 program - $5M fund offering $150K + 18 months to solo immigrant founders
- **2026-01** — Published 'The Mispricing of Ambition' on Unshackled Substack arguing urgency in immigrant founders is systematically underpriced by VCs

## Links

- Website: https://unshackled.vc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mananm/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mananm

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/manan-mehta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29