Floodgate

Floodgate is a distinguished seed-stage venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, California, co-founded by Mike Maples Jr. and Ann Miura-Ko. The firm is renowned for its 'super seed' investment strategy, often being the very first institutional capital provider for disruptive technology companies. Floodgate focuses on identifying visionary founders and nascent ideas that have the potential to create entirely new markets or significantly disrupt existing ones, emphasizing the importance of a strong founding team and a compelling product vision over immediate revenue.

Their investment philosophy centers on what Mike Maples Jr. terms 'Thunderbolts' – companies poised for exponential growth and market dominance. This approach has led them to invest in a diverse portfolio of successful companies across various sectors, including enterprise software, consumer technology, and artificial intelligence. Notable investments include early stakes in now-household names like Twitter, Lyft, Twitch, Okta, and Chegg, demonstrating their acumen for spotting future industry leaders at their earliest stages.

Floodgate typically engages with companies when they are still pre-product or pre-revenue, providing not just capital but also strategic guidance and access to their extensive network. The firm has consistently raised substantial funds to support its investment thesis; for instance, they secured $150 million for Floodgate Fund V in 2018 and followed up with $130 million for Floodgate Fund VI in 2021, underscoring their continued commitment to early-stage innovation. Their hands-on, founder-first approach aims to help startups navigate the critical initial phases of growth and market validation.

Ann Miura-Ko, a lecturer at Stanford University, complements Maples' vision with her expertise in areas like cybersecurity and machine learning, further broadening Floodgate's analytical capabilities. The firm's long-standing presence and track record in Silicon Valley have solidified its reputation as a crucial early partner for ambitious entrepreneurs. They are known for their deep conviction in founders and their willingness to take calculated risks on unproven concepts, believing that the greatest returns come from the earliest and most impactful bets.