# Floodgate

Floodgate is a Private Equity based in Menlo Park, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Menlo Park, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Menlo Park, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 2006
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.floodgate.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/floodgate

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 160983
- **SEC file number:** 802-75588
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** Yes
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/160983

## About

Floodgate backs extraordinary founders at pre-seed and seed. The firm presents itself as founders' first true believers. It helped put seed investing on the map and make it a permanent part of venture funding.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML

## People

- Mike Maples, Jr. — Co-Founding Partner
- Ann Miura-Ko — Co-Founding Partner

## Questions

### What does Floodgate mean by a founder's "breakthrough insight"?

Floodgate's investment thesis explicitly requires founders to articulate a non-obvious, contrarian belief about the future that their company is built to realize. As described on the firm's website, the partnership screens for a "breakthrough insight" — a unique market thesis that most people either reject or don't yet understand. This forms the foundation of their seed-stage conviction model.

### Who runs investment decisions at Floodgate?

Investment decisions are led by Co-Founding Partners Mike Maples Jr. and Ann Miura-Ko, who have steered the firm since its founding. The partnership operates through a lean structure, concentrating authority within this small, senior group. Other team members, including Partners Iris Choi and Mike Heller, support origination and portfolio work.

### How does Floodgate source proprietary deal flow?

Floodgate sources through the personal networks of its Co-Founding Partners, who have been embedded in the Silicon Valley seed ecosystem since before the rise of Y Combinator and modern accelerators. The firm's public positioning around being a founder's "first true believers" and its historical role in backing Lyft and Okta as an initial check writer attract entrepreneurs seeking an early-stage partner with category-creation credentials.

### Does Floodgate participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

Floodgate's known investment activity, as reflected in its public materials, centers exclusively on direct investments into pre-seed and seed-stage technology companies. There is no public evidence that the firm acts as a limited partner in other venture funds or pursues a fund-of-funds strategy.

### What investment stages does Floodgate typically target?

Floodgate deliberately limits itself to the earliest stages of company formation, primarily targeting pre-seed and seed rounds. The firm defines its role as writing a startup's first institutional check, occasionally participating in follow-on financings for breakout portfolio companies but never leading growth-stage rounds as a primary strategy.

## Related profiles

- [F-LOG Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/f-log-ventures)
- [Flood Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/flood-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:06:49.768Z

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