It’s not just a start-up, it’s a new life.
Gridraster
— backed by Unshackled Ventures
The proof of immigrant potential, is America itself. But to reach the peak, immigrants need a champion. A partner who believes in them, and what they can do. With us to support, catalyze, and accelerate,
the sky is open.
(as of Q3'23)
122
Immigrant founders
We have supported through their immigrant journey
14
Immigration categories
Used for filings: E3, EB1, H1B, H4, J1, L1, O1, OPT, PERM, and TN
$3.3B
Total value
Total enterprise value of our investments
100%
Success
In securing a solution for our portfolio companies
260+
Filings
Have been filed to support our founders
1,100+
Jobs created
Jobs created by the companies in our portfolio
Our founders represent all 6 continents and 36 countries
64%
Of our investments has been alongside the incorporation of the business
34%
Of our portfolio led by a female founder
Career Karma
— backed by Unshackled Ventures
When you invest in the best, others take notice
72%
Of our pre-seed investments have graduated to a seed round.
31x
For every $1M we invested, our companies have raised $31M more
What makes us unique
We believe U.S. immigrants possess incredible entrepreneurial talent, and could change the world if given the opportunity to focus more on their vision and less on immigration.
That's why at Unshackled Ventures, we make immigration counsel part of our founding team. We secure the necessary work-authorization and permanent residency for our founders at no cost—because we see it as a vital part of our investment.
We're on a mission to create 100,000 American jobs
read story on Forbes
Case story
From H1B to EB-1 Permanent Residency
Prateek Joshi was born in India and came to the US for higher education. After graduating from USC and working in Silicon Valley for 4 years, he was ready to start his applied-AI company. However, his H1B visa status required him to work for an employer.
Unshackled invested in the startup and hired Prateek (sponsored his visa), allowing him to focus exclusively on building his team and software solution. Alongside, our immigration team worked with him on actions that would make him O1 eligible, which aligned with the growth of his startup (e.g., publishing books & papers, speaking at conferences, judging startup pitches, competing for and winning awards, etc.). As the company started growing, he received his O1. Immediately, the immigration team started his Extraordinary Ability EB1 petition, which was prepared, filed, and approved in less than six months, unshackling him from visas. Prateek is now an investor at Moxxie Ventures.
Plutoshift
— backed by Unshackled Ventures
Case story
From F1/OPT to EB-1 Permanent Residency
Andrej Danko was born and raised in Slovakia. He completed a Ph.D. in Applied Computer Science in Slovakia and worked at SAP in Slovenia and the US. Subsequently, Andrej went to MIT for his MBA, where he met his co-founders and started a company while on OPT.
Unshackled led the pre-seed round, and our immigration team immediately initiated his O1 petition (his previous petition was denied). The O1 petition was successful, and was followed by an EB1 green card which has allowed Andrej and his spouse to stay in the US, build startups, and create jobs.
Shortlist
— backed by Unshackled Ventures
FAQ
Have questions? We've gathered a lot of answers while raising early stage venture funding for immigrant–founded startups.
start getting answers
Mylk Guys
— backed by Unshackled Ventures
FAQ
Start getting answers.
What makes us different?
We take risks with you
We lead pre-seed investments.
Our Mission is...
We expedite your time
We sponsor visas and provide full immigration support.
We make success faster
You join a community with access to all our resources.