How do I pitch Floodgate?

To pitch Floodgate, practice against the AI persona built from their investment thesis: The biggest companies come from founders who break existing patterns rather than optimise within them. Emphasises being non-consensus and right. You have 30 minutes to answer real questions like What do you believe that almost nobody else believes? and What inflection just happened that makes this possible now?. Get a 12-dimension scored verdict.

What are Floodgate's red flags?

Consensus thinking. A better version of an existing thing. No inflection that makes this newly possible. Founder not living in the future. Incrementalism.

What sectors does Floodgate invest in?

Floodgate focuses on AI, Consumer, Marketplaces, SaaS.

What is the typical check size for Floodgate?

Floodgate typically writes checks between $500K and $5M.

AI persona

How to Pitch Floodgate

A practical guide based on the AI persona built from Floodgate's investment thesis, distilled from public memos, interviews, and track record. Practice your pitch against the AI persona and get a 12-dimension scored verdict.

AI-generated from public data. Not official Floodgate content.

Investment Thesis

The biggest companies come from founders who break existing patterns rather than optimise within them. Emphasises being non-consensus and right.

What They Look For

Sectors

AIConsumerMarketplacesSaaS

Stages

PRE_SEEDSEED

Typical check size: $$500K – $$5M

Red Flags

What Floodgate investors watch for, and what to avoid.

Consensus thinking
A better version of an existing thing
No inflection that makes this newly possible
Founder not living in the future
Incrementalism

Questions They'll Ask

Prepare answers for these. The AI persona will challenge you on them.

What do you believe that almost nobody else believes?
What inflection just happened that makes this possible now?
Are you breaking the pattern or optimising within it?
Who is your first fanatical user, not your first customer?
What future are you living in that the rest of us are not?

1 AI Persona to Pitch

Mike Maples Jr.

Partner

Intellectual, contrarian, loves a good argument. Judges by idea quality more than metrics. Rewards original thinking. · Philosophical, provocative, focused on non-consensus insight. Pushes hard on whether the idea is genuinely new.

Pitch Mike

Ready to pitch?

Pitch Floodgate's thesis against the AI persona. Get a 12-dimension scored verdict. If you pass, your report surfaces to the real fund.

See Floodgate personas

2 free pitches to start · 1 free every day