Yale Students Raise $5.1M Pre-Seed for AI Social Network in iMessage

Two senior students from Yale University, Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, have successfully raised a significant $5.1 million in a pre-seed funding round for their innovative social networking app, Series. The funding round saw participation from notable investors including Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and GPTZero founder Edward Tian, underscoring the strong belief in the platform's potential. Series distinguishes itself as a next-generation social networking platform, rather than merely an AI application, and notably operates entirely within Apple's iMessage ecosystem, a pioneering approach in the social media landscape. The core functionality of Series revolves around a unique conversational interface. Users initiate contact by texting a dedicated phone number (Series AI) on iMessage, explaining their identity and the type of connections they seek. In response, Series AI provides a carousel of ten images, referred to as “shares,” showcasing posts from other users with similar interests or connection goals. Each card displays a person's photo and their request, allowing users to press and hold to start a private conversation within the Series AI chat, crucially without disclosing personal phone numbers. This method aims to foster more meaningful and secure interactions. Johnson, who studies computer science and economics, and Hargrow, a neuroscience student, founded Series early last year. They represent a new wave of founders whose ventures are inherently AI-first, leveraging the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and the abundant investor capital available. Johnson articulates a vision for a shift from traditional user interfaces to conversational ones, akin to the evolution from Google search to ChatGPT, where direct interaction with AI streamlines the process of finding information or connections, moving away from endless scrolling and clicking. The genesis of Series traces back to Johnson and Hargrow's freshman year at Yale, where they met while working on a podcast for the Yale Entrepreneurial Society. Through interviewing various founders and CEOs, they gleaned insights into building successful businesses and recognized the profound value of "warm connections." This realization spurred them to establish their own company during their freshman summer, focusing on using AI as a facilitator for these valuable connections. After multiple iterations and about a year after their initial prototype, they began fundraising in March 2025, rapidly assembling an eight-person team. Their fundraising journey included a now-viral LinkedIn video announcing Series' launch, which Johnson recounts was conceived and produced overnight. This immediate impact led to their first investor meeting just two days later. The platform, initially popular among college students, has expanded beyond its university base, now serving over 750 campuses and targeting Gen Z and professionals. Johnson highlights impressive user retention rates, with 82% of activated users retaining through Day 30, a figure he notes is higher than early Facebook's benchmark, indicating strong user engagement primarily for business networking, though dating and friendships are also emerging uses. With the fresh capital, Series plans to significantly expand its engineering team and enhance product capabilities. The founders have opted to keep the company on the East Coast, operating from an office in Chelsea, New York, making frequent commutes from New Haven, Connecticut. This decision reflects a growing trend among young consumer founders favoring New York's "Silicon Alley" over Silicon Valley. Remarkably, both Johnson and Hargrow have managed to balance their demanding academic schedules with running a burgeoning startup, a testament to their dedication and the efficient use of their time, proving that ambition and education can indeed coexist successfully.