Manresa Ventures

What Manresa Ventures does

Manresa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022 and headquartered in San Francisco. The firm operates as a solo-GP structure under Founder and Managing Partner Jackson Gates, who brings over 25 years of operating and investing experience, including executive roles at Pandora (through its 2011 IPO) and Affirm (following its acquisition of Gates' prior startup Sweep Inc.), as well as early-stage investing at Lehman Brothers Venture Partners and Vulcan Ventures. Manresa invests exclusively in products targeted at the US market, citing deeper understanding of the regulatory landscape, competitive set, and customer needs in its home market.

The firm deploys capital through Manresa Ventures Fund I, a $40M vehicle with a 2022 vintage and a 3-5 year investment period. Fund I is designed for approximately 20 portfolio companies, with an average investment size of $1.5M and an investment range of $500K to $3M. The firm executes a concentrated strategy, making only 1-2 investments per quarter, and prefers to act as lead or co-lead investor in nearly all rounds. Sector focus spans consumer applications, enterprise software, and new financial infrastructure, with a portfolio that has tilted notably toward AI-native companies across fintech, insurance, healthcare, real estate, and risk management (including Alcove, AIUC, Axle, Bondway, Camber, Coverwatch, Edge, Ralo, Rejigg, and Tempo).

Revenue is generated through traditional VC fund economics: management fees on committed Fund I capital and carried interest from successful portfolio exits. Deal flow is sourced through Jackson Gates' personal network, prior executive relationships, and direct outreach to founders, with the firm's website serving as its primary public-facing channel. As a solo-GP lean operation with 1-10 employees, the firm relies on Gates' operating background and reputation rather than a broad institutional platform to differentiate in the early-stage market.

Name

Manresa Ventures

Legal name

Manresa Ventures

Website

https://manresaventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Manresa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022 in San Francisco by solo-GP Jackson Gates, deploying a $40M Fund I into roughly 20 US-focused consumer, enterprise software, and fintech startups with concentrated $500K-$3M checks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Early stage venture capital
• Seed stage investing
• Fintech venture capital
• Enterprise software investing
• Startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Manresa Ventures generates revenue through traditional VC fund economics, including management fees on committed capital (Fund I: $40M) and carried interest (carry) from successful portfolio company exits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Manresa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys a $40M Fund I (2022 vintage) into US-targeted consumer applications, enterprise software, and new financial infrastructure companies. It typically makes 1-2 investments per quarter as lead or co-lead investor, with average check size of $1.5M (range $500K-$3M), targeting approximately 20 portfolio companies over a 3-5 year investment period.

Product overview

Manresa Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that operates as a single unified offering through its Fund I. The firm was founded in 2022 by Managing Partner Jackson Gates and typically makes 1-2 investments per quarter, preferring a concentrated portfolio approach. Fund I is a $40M vehicle targeting approximately 20 portfolio companies in consumer applications, enterprise software, and financial infrastructure sectors within the US market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manresa Ventures Fund I A $40M early-stage venture capital fund (2022 vintage) deployed across consumer applications, enterprise software, and new financial infrastructure companies in the US market. The fund makes 1-2 investments per quarter as lead or co-lead investor and is designed to back approximately 20 portfolio companies over a 3-5 year investment period. Limited partners (institutional and individual) commit capital and receive exposure to early-stage US startups through the fund vehicle.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eniac Ventures: Seed-stage venture firm focused on enterprise software, fintech, and AI-native companies. Comparable stage and check size band to Manresa Ventures and a direct competitor for similar founders.
• Right Side Capital Management: Seed-stage venture firm that leads or co-leads rounds across consumer, fintech, and enterprise software. Similar concentrated fund structure and check size band to Manresa Ventures.
• BAM Ventures: Early-stage consumer and fintech-focused venture fund with concentrated portfolio construction and lead-investor commitment. Directly comparable to Manresa Ventures on stage, sectors, and structure.
• Hustle Fund: Pre-seed and seed investor with a community-driven, high-volume model targeting similar early-stage consumer and fintech founders. Comparable stage, check size, and geography to Manresa Ventures.
• Matchstick Ventures: Early-stage seed fund backing founders outside of traditional coastal tech hubs, with concentrated fund sizes and lead-investor posture. Comparable stage and structure to Manresa Ventures.
• Notation Capital: Pre-seed and seed fund with a concentrated portfolio approach focused on enterprise infrastructure and AI. Operates at a similar fund size and stage focus to Manresa Ventures.
• Uncork Capital: Early-stage seed/Series A fund based in San Francisco with a concentrated portfolio approach and similar check sizes (~$500K-$2M), making it one of the closest structural comparables to Manresa Ventures.
• Cowboy Ventures: Early-stage venture fund led by Aileen Lee, focused on 'crackpot' consumer and enterprise bets with concentrated portfolio construction. Similar in stage focus and fund-size band to Manresa Ventures.
• Lerer Hippeau: Early-stage venture firm based in New York investing in consumer, enterprise, and fintech startups at seed and Series A. Comparable fund size, stage, and sector mix to Manresa Ventures.

Broad incumbents

• Lightspeed Venture Partners: Multi-stage venture firm with an active early-stage practice in AI, fintech, and consumer — frequently co-invests in the same founders Manresa backs and represents the larger competitive set the firm must coexist with.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/manresaventures

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

Investments10 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Manresa Ventures