Series, a social networking application, has revealed that it has secured $5.1 million in a pre-seed funding round, with notable investors such as Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and GPTZero founder Edward Tian participating. The startup was established early last year by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, who are both currently seniors at the institution. 

Series positions itself as a cutting-edge social networking platform rather than an AI application, and it claims to be among the pioneers in operating entirely via iMessage, as stated by CEO Johnson in an interview with TechCrunch.

Users can send a text to a phone number (Series AI) on iMessage, describing their identity and whom they wish to connect with. Subsequently, Series AI responds to the user with “shares”— a carousel containing 10 images that users can effortlessly swipe through — showcasing posts from others who are also utilizing Series AI for similar purposes. Each carousel card features a person’s photo along with their request, and users can press and hold the carousel image to initiate a private discussion with another user in the Series AI chat, all without disclosing their personal phone number. 

Johnson, who is pursuing studies in computer science and economics, is founding a company during a distinctive moment in technology history, characterized by swift AI progress and unprecedented levels of investment. He is part of a new generation of young entrepreneurs whose ventures and perspectives are AI-centric from the outset, a factor that investors believe gives these young founders an advantage over existing players and older entrepreneurs adapting to new trends. 

He observes a significant transformation in the industry from traditional user interfaces to conversational interfaces, similar to the shift from Google search to ChatGPT, “where you shift from browsing through libraries and clicking on websites to engaging with AI or other entities to quickly pinpoint what you’re after.” 

Johnson and Hargrow crossed paths while collaborating on a podcast during their freshman year at the Yale Entrepreneurial Society. Johnson mentioned that they would interview founders and CEOs to extract valuable lessons for building a successful enterprise, and through these dialogues, “realized the value of warm connections.” 

“We then took a step forward during our freshman summer to launch a business independent of the club and formalized a company rooted in that same concept, leveraging AI as a facilitator for warm connections,” Johnson stated. He and Hargrow, who majored in neuroscience at Yale, experimented with various iterations before arriving at what is now Series. Following a year post their initial prototype, they initiated fundraising in March 2025 while assembling a team of eight along the way. 

Johnson and his team opted to create a now-viral LinkedIn video to announce the launch of Series. “We devised the trailer concept at 1 a.m. the night prior, stayed up all night filming the video, and posted it at 3 p.m. on the same day,” Johnson recounted. Within two days, they were able to meet their inaugural investor.

The platform has recently expanded its reach beyond just college students but continues to focus on Gen Z and professionals. Most users engage with it for business purposes, according to Johnson, although they have noticed some utilizing it for dating or friendship. “Students are using Series on over 750 campuses,” he stated. “Active users on Series have an 82% retention rate through Day 30, surpassing early Facebook’s metrics.” 

Competitors in this sector include Boardy AI, which similarly harnesses AI to cultivate networking introductions.

The new funding will be directed towards recruiting additional engineers and enhancing product features. After graduation, the startup plans to remain on the East Coast and is already operating from an office in Chelsea, New York (they frequently commute two hours from New Haven, Connecticut, where Yale is located, to New York, according to Johnson).

“We have established an initial network for Series among the Ivy League and particularly at schools along the East Coast. Additionally, we firmly believe in the potential of Silicon Alley,” Johnson explained regarding the choice to stay on the East Coast, which aligns with the trend of young consumer entrepreneurs favoring New York over Silicon Valley. 

Notably, both he and Hargrow have chosen not to drop out of college. Johnson remarked that a good day is characterized by everything running smoothly, while a challenging day can involve numerous exams and essays to complete, all while managing a team. He decided against dropping out, believing he had sufficient time to balance his studies with running a business. He appears to have made the right choice.

“Your additional time outside of your expected obligations can be leveraged to propel you towards your true calling,” he stated. “People are often too apprehensive to make the most of their extra time.”