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Gateway Capital Fund II

United States
Pre Seed
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About Gateway Capital Fund II

Gateway Capital Fund II is a $25M pre-seed VC fund investing across seven Midwest states. Founded by Dana Guthrie in Milwaukee, focusing on overlooked Midwest markets with strengths in supply chain, logistics, and manufacturing AI.

Investment Focus

Location / RegionUnited States
Funding StagePre Seed
Industry Focus
Ai Ml
Manufacturing
Supply Chain

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

Resourceful Midwest pre-seed founder solving problems before the market has named the category

pre-seed
midwest-geography
overlooked-founders
LMI-communities
founder-community

Bullish Signals

First close completed; Fund II actively deploying across eight Midwest statesblog
Fund I produced follow-ons from regional and national VCs plus acquisition exitsblog
Structurally lower entry valuations and less competitive deal flow in Midwest pre-seedblog
Confirmed acquisition exit: Geno.Me acquired by Outcomes4Melinkedin
Co-invests with HealthX Ventures — national healthtech syndicate accesslinkedin
Guthrie personally celebrated exit alongside co-investors — active LP relationslinkedin
Geno.Me: consumer genomics matched to clinical trials — healthtech exit confirmedlinkedin
Outcomes4Me acquirer is Boston-based — national buyer validates Midwest betlinkedin
Co-hosting founder events with Mastercraft Ventures — active community engagementlinkedin
First-In Breakfast: intentional founder access, no-pitch-required networking modellinkedin
Forward Festival Madison August 18: Lamarr and team hosting direct founder accesssocial

Contrarian Signals

First close amount undisclosed — fundraising momentum unverifiedblog
Eight-state coverage risks portfolio fragmentation for a small teamblog
Fund I portfolio names and return metrics remain undisclosedblog
Acquisition terms undisclosed — exit size unverifiablelinkedin

Founder Do's

Be based in IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH or WI — geography is a feature not a bug
Pitch before your category has a clean narrative — Gateway writes checks into undefined markets
Highlight resourcefulness and bootstrapped validation over network pedigree
Show a path to attracting regional or national Series A follow-on investors
Attend Gateway events (First-In Breakfast, Forward Festival) for direct low-pressure access

Founder Don'ts

Don't approach if you are post-seed or already have institutional capital
Don't rely on coastal VC social proof as validation — it won't land here
Don't obscure LMI or non-traditional background — Guthrie treats it as an asset

Key GPs & Partners

DG
Dana Guthrie
Managing Partner
hands-onex-founderthesis-driven
LB
Lamarr Banks
Partner
founder-friendlyevent-buildercommunity-focused
M
Mason
Team Member
accessibleevent-active

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Fund Overview

Fund Size$25M
Saves0
Website
LinkedIn

Key People

Dana Guthrie

Dana GuthrieManaging Partner
Lamarr BanksPartner
MasonTeam Member

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