Geek Ventures is raising a second fund, as stated in a recent SEC filing, according to TechCrunch. The New York-based tech venture fund is the brainchild of Ihar Mahaniok, an engineer with over 20 years of experience in building code and machine learning. The second fund has raised $9 million so far but has no set target amount; its first sale was recorded on Monday, January 13, as stated in the filing. Helping immigrants in the tech industry Mahaniok grew up in Belarus, where he did an undergraduate in computer
Geek Ventures announced its first immigrant-focused fund, Geek Ventures Fund I, LP, to support pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups. Geek Ventures Ihar Mahaniok, an immigrant engineering leader with over 20 years of experience building code and machine-learning models for startups, founded Greek Ventures in 2021. He saw immigrant entrepreneurs’ difficulties when raising capital and making connections within the U.S. venture capital ecosystem. They aim to invest in bold, innovative, and brilliant immigrant entrepreneurs worldwide and believe the challenges immigrants face when coming to a new environment nurture resilience and determination.
