Our story
To us, "one way" doesn’t mean there’s only one path to get to your destination. The journey is always forward, any one way.
At One Way Ventures, we back exceptional immigrant founders in the US and Canada at the pre-seed and seed stage. One Way Ventures exists because immigration and entrepreneurship are both one way journeys. To us, “one way” doesn’t mean there’s only one path to get to your destination. Rather, we believe that the journey is always forward, any one way. Just as there is no looking back when immigrating to a new country, there is no looking back when taking the leap into entrepreneurship.
Immigrants have founded or co-founded 55% of America’s billion-dollar startups.
We invest in companies founded by immigrants because we believe immigrant success is not priced into the market. After exiting multiple startups and three years as Director of Techstars Boston, One Way founder Semyon Dukach noticed a trend: immigrant-led companies repeatedly outperformed. Studies at Harvard and MIT back this up.
People should be given the opportunity to succeed regardless of birth location
Immigration naturally self-selects for the entrepreneurial minded, and that the experience itself prepares founders for the parallel hardships that accompany entrepreneurship. While immigrants only make up 13% of the U.S. population, we start 24% of high-tech startups, and have founded or co-founded 55% of America’s billion-dollar startups.
Through our network of advisors and supporters, we are bringing together successful immigrant founders and operators with those who are still at the early stages of their journey. By sharing our collective experience and network, we know that we can help even more immigrant founders succeed.
Our ethos is borderless and global in nature. At our core, we’re driven by our beliefs that:
Technology must be a force for good.
Talent is widely distributed, but opportunities are not.
People should be given the opportunity to succeed regardless of birth location.
The arctic tern travels over 70,000 km a year, holding the record for the world’s longest migration
We’ve chosen the arctic tern to be our mascot. This tenacious creature has a presence on all seven continents and travels over 70,000 km a year, holding the record for the world’s longest migration. Arctic terns are also strongly fearless, known to take on animals many times its size, including polar bears!
Immigrants never forget the moment they bought their one way ticket. To us, "one way" doesn’t mean there’s only one path to get to your destination. The journey is always forward, any one way.
Immigrants have founded or co-founded 55% of America’s billion-dollar startups.
People should be given the opportunity to succeed regardless of birth location
