AI, Grit & Global Talent: Two VCs Shaping Silicon Valley’s Future - S3 E12

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we have Mala Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures; and Manan Mehta, Co-Founder and General Partner of Unshackled Ventures.

Mala is a founder, venture capitalist, and product executive focused on AI, enterprise SaaS, and emerging technologies. As Founder and Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures, she invests in high-growth startups across ecosystems including YC, StartX, and SkyDeck, with portfolio companies such as Anthropic, xAI, and Perplexity AI.

A multi-exit entrepreneur and operator, Mala has spent more than two decades building and scaling products and companies from 0-to-1 and 1-to-100. She has held leadership roles at Meta, Cloudera, Oracle, Veeva Systems, and Ethyca, while also co-founding and exiting multiple ventures deployed at Fortune 500 scale.

In addition to investing and operating, Mala is the founder of Founders Creative, a Silicon Valley AI community of 18,000+ builders, a contributor to Forbes Business Council, and a member of Stanford Women on Boards. She is known for her operator-first mindset, strategic product leadership, and passion for helping founders scale transformative technologies.

Manan is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Unshackled Ventures, a pioneering venture fund built to support immigrant founders navigating the complexities of building startups in the United States. A former founder and CEO whose social media company was acquired by Smule, Manan co-founded Unshackled Ventures to remove immigration barriers for entrepreneurs by providing visa, legal, and employment infrastructure that enables founders to start companies from day one.

Known for investing at the earliest stages—often pre-product, pre-revenue, and even pre-incorporation—Manan backs founders based on execution ability, resilience, and personal connection to the problems they are solving rather than traditional traction metrics. He is widely respected for his unwavering support of immigrant entrepreneurs and for viewing global talent as one of America’s greatest competitive advantages.

Beyond capital, Manan emphasizes the human side of entrepreneurship, positioning Unshackled as both an investment partner and a support system for founders navigating the emotional realities of building a company. He is also deeply committed to authentic community building, founder trust, and cultivating diverse, high-performing teams across the venture ecosystem.

This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.