[ GATE34 FUND I — MIAMI ]

    WE BACK SPORTS &
    SPORTS TECH FOUNDERS
    WHEN ARENAS ARE
    STILL EMPTY.

    Pre-seed to Seed. $50K–$150K checks. If you're building in Sports or Sports Tech, we want to hear from you.

    SEND YOUR DECK →LEARN ABOUT THE LOCKER ROOM →
    $50K–$150K
    Gate34 check size
    PRE-SEED & SEED
    Stage we invest
    SPORTS & SPORTS TECH
    Only
    MIAMI, FL
    Based
    [ THE PROBLEM ]

    EARLY-STAGE INVESTING IN SPORTS & SPORTS TECH IS STRUCTURALLY BROKEN.

    As funds move upstream to satisfy fees, tickets from $50k to $200k are largely gone. This creates a serious valley of death for most of the startups who need funding but are not ready for institutional money yet.

    CHECK SIZE
    Traditional VC Ticket Size →← $50K ticket2014201720212024PRESENT
    FAMILY &
    FRIENDS
    $400K–$2M
    FROM INDIVIDUALS
    GATE34 OPERATES HERE
    EXECUTE &
    PROVE TRACTION
    TRADITIONAL
    VCs

    Family & Friends gets you started. Traditional VCs want proof. The gap in between is where most founders die.

    THE GAP

    Traditional VCs have moved upstream. The $400K–$2M round — raised from angels, HNWIs, athletes, and individual investors — has no institutional support. Founders navigate it alone.

    HOW GATE34 ACTS AS CATALYST

    A $50K–$150K check from Gate34 does more than provide capital. It aggregates conviction. When Gate34 invests, other investors gain confidence to join. Scattered interest becomes a real round.

    THE OUTCOME

    Gate34 plus aligned individual investors equals a $500K–$2M round. Founders get runway. They execute. They build real traction. Then they approach VCs from a position of strength — not desperation.

    [ HOW TO WORK WITH US ]

    TWO WAYS IN. BOTH REAL.

    If you're building in Sports or Sports Tech, we want to hear from you. Pick the path that fits where you are right now.

    PATH 01

    SEND YOUR DECK

    RESPONSE IN DAYS

    You're building something real. Send us your deck. Gate34 evaluates every submission seriously, no gatekeeping, no warm intro required. We look at the founder first, the business second. If there's fit, we talk. If there isn't, we tell you that too.

    SEND YOUR DECK →

    We respond to every serious submission.

    PATH 02

    THE LOCKER ROOM

    COHORT #3 LAUNCHING IN DECEMBER!

    A small cohort for early-stage Sports and Sports Tech founders. We give them the tools, the contacts, the investor intros, the sessions, and the founder relationships that normally take years to build. Everything is built around one goal: getting them funded.

    LEARN MORE →

    15 spots. Cohort #3 upcoming.

    [ WHO'S BEHIND THIS ]

    TEEMU RUUSKA

    General Partner

    • → Multi-time founder who has built and raised
    • → Founded 5 companies, 2 exits
    • → 10+ angel investments
    • → Creator of the Fundraising Camp initiative
    • → All-time #1 contributor inside the Profluence Sports Community
    • → Founding Member of Vetted Sports — a private membership network for sports-focused investors and dealmakers.

    "I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BUILD SOMETHING REAL AND SPEND MOST OF YOUR ENERGY CONVINCING PEOPLE EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE NOT QUITE THERE YET."

    That experience is the origin of everything Gate34 does. We get in early because that's when it matters. Not after the metrics look good on a spreadsheet and it's obvious for everyone. We help founders stay in the game and win.

    [ SPORTS & SPORTS TECH ]

    IF YOU'RE BUILDING — WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

    SEND YOUR DECK →ENTER THE LOCKER ROOM →

    Or reach out to Teemu directly.

    Teemu Ruuska · General Partner · teemu@gate34.com