Programme Thesis
Manual Ventures is a revenue-based investment firm providing non-dilutive growth capital to early-stage startups, typically in Canada but open to global pitches. It exists to fund founders who demonstrate traction and a clear, stage-matched ask, rather than those seeking traditional equity financing.
Selection Criteria
- Traction: Demonstrated revenue or clear growth metrics (e.g., MRR, user growth, pilot results).
- Stage fit: Early-stage startups, typically pre-Series A, with a revenue-based financing model.
- Clear ask: A specific, stage-appropriate funding request (e.g., $50K-$500K) and use of funds.
- Personalized pitch: Evidence of research into Manual Ventures' focus and a tailored outreach, not a mass email.
- Non-dilutive suitability: Business model that can support revenue-based repayments (e.g., predictable cash flows).
- Founder quality: Ability to execute, domain expertise, and commitment.
Past Winners / Cohort Profiles
No specific past winners are listed on the page. Based on the firm's model, typical recipients are early-stage SaaS, fintech, or health-tech startups with recurring revenue, often in Canada but with global reach. They are likely founder-led, capital-efficient, and seeking growth capital without giving up equity.
Ideal Candidate Fingerprint
The ideal applicant is a founder of an early-stage startup with proven product-market fit, consistent revenue, and a clear plan to scale. They have a compelling, data-backed pitch that aligns with Manual Ventures' revenue-based investment thesis, and they can articulate how non-dilutive capital will accelerate growth without equity dilution.
Recommended Framing
For Eniola, the strongest angle is to position his venture 'psyche-twin' as a scalable digital health platform with early traction (e.g., user pilots, partnerships) and a clear revenue model (e.g., B2B licensing to clinics or wellness providers). This aligns with Manual Ventures' focus on revenue-based growth capital, as psyche-twin's multi-scale knowledge-graph architecture offers a unique value proposition in personalized mental health, and Eniola's technical and clinical expertise (B.Pharm, M.Sc. Digital Health) provides credibility. He should lead with traction metrics and a specific ask for non-dilutive funding to expand the platform's user base and data infrastructure.
Watch Out
Eniola is an independent researcher, not a full-time founder with a registered startup; Manual Ventures funds companies, not research projects. His other research lines (CCT, TOPOLOGIX, etc.) are not commercial ventures and would not qualify. Additionally, he is based in Nigeria/Germany, which may be less familiar to a Canadian VC, though they accept global pitches. The lack of a formal business entity and revenue history could be a significant barrier.
Research History
2026-08-04 20:04 · medium confidence
2026-07-30 09:18 · medium confidence