We're a team. We've got your back.
We've started companies as immigrants—we get it. Our own journeys inspired us to create Unshackled Ventures, so that we could remove the bottlenecks of immigration and amplify your superpowers.
What we value
Continuity
Our Partnership has been together since 2015. This gives us an unfair advantage in collectively supporting our founders.
Discipline
Our approach creates an incredibly differentiated place in the market to avoid stereotypes and pattern matching.
Track Record
Liquidity is a long road. But our 60% graduation rate from pre-seed to seed means we prioritize your success.
Diversity & Impact
Our diverse team funds diverse founders who have a positive impact whileserving diverse communities.
Unshackled Team
Manan Mehta
Founding Partner
Manan is a founding partner of Unshackled Ventures and has successfully launched a business with a co-founder on a visa. Prior to Unshackled Ventures, Manan ran marketing for ed-tech startup Kno (acq. by Intel 2013) that raised over $90M of funding from top VCs including a16z, First Round Capital, and Floodgate. Before Kno, Manan was an investment banker with $3B in transactions, including the $1.9B acquisition of Skype. Manan was born in Silicon Valley and received a double major at UCLA.
Manan Mehta
Founding Partner
Nitin Pachisia
Founding Partner
Nitin is a founding partner of Unshackled Ventures. He has successfully built businesses while on a visa. Prior to Unshackled Ventures, Nitin ran finance and strategy for ed-tech startup Kno (acquired by Intel in 2013) that raised over $90M of funding from top VCs including a16z, First Round Capital and Floodgate. Before Kno, Nitin immigrated from India to work at Deloitte where he focused on helping tech startups with growth, exits, and strategic initiatives.
Nitin Pachisia
Founding Partner
Samala
Head of Community & Culture
Samala has had a storied portfolio career. Her hustle and entrepreneurial spirit kicked off when she was still single-digit-years-old. She built her first companies and DJ career in Philly while she was attending The Wharton School and playing D1 lacrosse. Her success in Philly helped her move across the country to launch a life and several companies in San Francisco.
Samala
Head of Community & Culture
Alexis Maciel
Associate
Alexis grew up in a small town outside of Guadalajara, Mexico before moving to the Bay Area at the age of ten. She received a BA in International Development from American University with minors in Economics and Portuguese. During her time in D.C. Alexis interned with international business advisory firm McLarty Associates, the Department of Justice, and on Capitol Hill. Following graduation, Alexis traveled to Brazil as a recipient of the Department of States Critical Language Scholarship, working at Brazil's top tech incubator, ACATE, while taking language and innovation courses at the University of South Santa Catarina.
Alexis Maciel
Associate
E'mani Davis
Associate
E’mani Davis is born and raised in San Francisco, CA and has a keen interest in startups and supporting entrepreneurs in her local community. E’mani spent most of her educational career honoring the community she came from by implementing and sharing new opportunities for people of color to excel in their personal and professional lives. She has obtained a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from San Francisco State University. Her previous experience in the finance industry including interning at Merrill Lynch Venture Services and Tishman Speyer. She is licensed by the CA Department of Insurance, Annuities, and Retirement Planning Solutions and a certified Community Doula.
E'mani Davis
Associate
Michael Serotte
Immigration Partner
Michael Serotte is the Founder and Senior Partner of Serotte Immigration Law. Michael serves as Immigration Counsel for Stanford’s StartX and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Duke’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, and numerous private accelerators including Alchemist and Founder Institute. In addition to his law degree, Michael is a member of the U.S. Alliance for International Entrepreneurs and holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance for the University of Miami.
Michael Serotte
Immigration Partner
Rita Georges
Immigration Partner
Rita Georges is the Managing Partner at Serotte Law. Rita is particularly focused on Treaty Trader and Treaty Investor (E-1/E-2), H-1B, and L-1 Intra-company transferee visa categories. Prior to Serotte Law, Rita held internships with the New York State Office of the Attorney General under Mario Cuomo. She is an immigrant from Lebanon and is fluent in English, French, and Arabic.
Rita Georges
Immigration Partner
In the media
The world is talking about immigrant founders and the importance of what we do for them
scroll left to see more
Swipe left to see more