Gateway Capital Partners

What Gateway Capital Partners does

Gateway Capital Partners is a Milwaukee-based venture capital firm founded in 2020 and led by managing partner Dana A. Guthrie. The firm specializes in pre-seed and seed-stage investments in pre-revenue startups across the U.S. Midwest, deliberately positioning itself as the first institutional investor into portfolio companies. Gateway Capital invests approximately $300,000–$600,000 per company and reserves capital for follow-on participation, supporting founders through a roughly four-year investment period. The firm explicitly targets underserved geographies and underrepresented founders, including Black, Brown, and women entrepreneurs who face systemic barriers to traditional VC funding.

The firm operates two fund vehicles: Fund I, an oversubscribed $13.5 million vehicle that closed in August 2021, and Fund II, which announced a first close of approximately $25 million in April 2026 with a target of about 20 portfolio companies. Capital is sourced from a diversified limited partner base that includes Northwestern Mutual, the Badger Fund of Funds (lead LP, up to $5 million), the Greater Milwaukee Foundation ($1 million impact investment), West Bend Mutual Insurance, and a mix of individual and institutional investors of which one-third are African American and one-quarter are women. Gateway Capital co-invests with regional accelerators including gener8tor, Young Enterprising Society's Blueprint, and the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator, and co-founded the VC MKE event to source Midwest deal flow. The investment committee includes external members Cory Nettles, Dan Voell, Don Layden Jr, Jill Schwieters, and Ken Johnson.

Gateway Capital's portfolio spans more than a dozen named companies across fintech (Tip A ScRxipt), biotech/health tech (Geno.Me, Novir), manufacturing AI (Golgix), climate tech (Setpoint), justice tech (The Way Out), short-term rental commerce (Houstr), document automation (IcTect), publishing (DropCap), insurance tech (Insuraviews), medical devices (Sonoptima), food and beverage (The Pink Bakery), and immersive commerce (Outhad). Returns are generated through equity ownership stakes realized via exits (acquisitions, IPOs), not through product or subscription revenue. The firm operates as a privately held fund manager with a small team (1–10 employees) headquartered in Milwaukee, with Fund II expanding its stated investment footprint to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio.

Name

Gateway Capital Partners

Legal name

Gateway Capital Partners

Website

https://gwaycapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gateway Capital Partners is a Milwaukee-based venture capital firm founded in 2020 that invests as the first institutional backer in pre-seed and seed-stage, pre-revenue startups across the U.S. Midwest, deploying $300K–$600K per company through its $13.5M Fund I and $25M-target Fund II.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investing

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAC)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage startups
• Seed stage funding
• Pre-revenue investment
• Impact venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. VC Fund Management: Gateway Capital generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. The firm takes ownership stakes in portfolio companies and realizes returns through exits (acquisitions, IPOs). Fund II targets $25M to invest in ~20 Midwest startups at $500K-$600K per company.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gateway Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that deploys institutional capital into pre-revenue, pre-seed and seed-stage startups, primarily in the Midwest. The firm invests approximately $500,000–$600,000 per portfolio company through Fund I ($13.5M, closed 2021) and Fund II ($25M target, first close April 2026), and supports founders with capital, social capital, networks, and operational guidance over a roughly four-year investment period.

Product overview

Gateway Capital Partners is a Milwaukee-based venture capital firm that provides investment funds rather than traditional software products or services. The firm operates two investment vehicles: Fund I (an oversubscribed $13.5 million fund closed in 2021) and Fund II (a $25 million fund that reached first close in April 2026). The firm focuses on early-stage, pre-revenue startups in the Midwest region, particularly in Wisconsin and surrounding states, with investment criteria targeting startups at pre-seed and seed stages, typically investing approximately $500,000 per company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gateway Capital Fund I

Quantifiable outcome

• Fund I raised $13.5 million oversubscribed within 8 months
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VC MKE (Co-founders)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2022Gateway Capital Managing Partner Dana Guthrie co-founded VC MKE with Ed Javier (Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.), Que El-Amin (Young Enterprising Society), Tarik Moody (88Nine Radio Milwaukee), and Maggie Fernandes (MKE Tech Hub Coalition). The two-day event connects Midwest founders with venture capitalists, particularly supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs.
• gener8torminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributorgener8tor, a nationally ranked accelerator, co-invested $100,000 in Tip A ScRxipt alongside Gateway Capital's $400,000 lead investment. Gateway Capital connected with Tip A ScRxipt founder Chad Johnson through Young Enterprising Society's Blueprint accelerator where Johnson is an alumnus.
• Northwestern Mutual Black Founder AcceleratorminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTip A ScRxipt founder Chad Johnson is an alumnus of Northwestern Mutual's Black Founder Accelerator, through which Gateway Capital made its first investment connection.
• Young Enterprising SocietyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGateway Capital connected with portfolio company founders through Young Enterprising Society's Blueprint accelerator program. The organization, led by Que El-Amin, produces Summerfest Tech Pitch Competition which Gateway Capital leverages for deal sourcing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sun Mountain Capital: New Mexico-based fund-of-funds manager that runs the Badger Fund of Funds program alongside Kegonsa Capital Partners. Relevant as the institutional manager overseeing Gateway Capital's state-program capital source.
• Badger Fund of Funds: Wisconsin's $25M+ state-funded VC program and Gateway Capital's portfolio parent (invested up to $5M as lead). Relevant as the ecosystem enabler and capital anchor that supplies Gateway's fund-of-funds leverage.

Direct peers

• Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund: Revolution's geographic-focused seed fund explicitly targeting startups in emerging U.S. ecosystems outside coastal hubs. Highly comparable mission (fund the underestimated geographies) and stage focus.
• Great North Ventures: Minneapolis-based early-stage VC fund investing in Midwest technology and consumer startups. Comparable geography (Upper Midwest), pre-seed/seed stage focus, and similar check-size profile to Gateway Capital.
• Capital Midwest Fund: Wisconsin-focused early-stage venture fund investing in Midwest technology and life sciences companies. Comparable geography, stage, and check-size profile to Gateway Capital.
• gener8tor: Milwaukee and nationally ranked accelerator that combines a structured accelerator program with an investment fund. Direct peer given overlapping Midwest early-stage investment focus and documented co-investment relationship (e.g., Tip A ScRxipt).
• Idea Fund of La Crosse: Wisconsin-based early-stage VC fund affiliated with the Badger Fund of Funds network. Comparable as a regional pre-seed/seed investor in Wisconsin targeting startups with regional ties.
• Cultivate(MN): Minnesota-based early-stage VC fund investing in Midwest ag-tech, food-tech, and technology startups. Comparable regional focus, similar check-size range, and shared emphasis on regional economic development.

Regional players

• 1871: Chicago-based technology innovation hub and startup accelerator serving Illinois and the broader Midwest. Comparable regional mission to support early-stage founders and connect them to capital, though more of a community/incubator than an active lead investor.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator and early-stage investor with presence in multiple U.S. markets including the Midwest. Comparable in stage and accelerator-driven deal flow, but operates at substantially larger scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gwaycapital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/dana-guthrie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gateway Capital Partners