Yale seniors land $5.1 million to build an iMessage based AI social network, and it’s already spreading on campuses

Series, a new social networking startup built to run inside Apple’s iMessage, has raised a $5.1 million pre-seed round as it expands beyond its early college roots.

The company was founded by Yale seniors Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, who say they are trying to make introductions feel as natural as texting.

The round included backing from Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman and GPTZero founder Edward Tian. The early investor list signals continued appetite for consumer social products that lean on AI-driven discovery rather than new standalone apps.

How the iMessage network works?

Instead of asking users to download a new platform, Series starts with a text to a dedicated phone number in iMessage. Users describe who they are and who they want to meet, and the system returns swipeable carousels of profiles and requests, designed to spark quick, relevant conversations.

Series says users can initiate private chats through the Series thread without revealing personal phone numbers to each other. The company positions this as a lighter-weight alternative to public posting, aiming for warmer introductions and more purposeful connections.

A bet on conversational interfaces

Johnson argues that social products are shifting from feeds and menus to conversational interfaces, where people can describe intent and receive curated matches. That view echoes a broader industry push toward chat-style experiences, even as platforms compete over discovery and user trust.

The founders began iterating on the concept after meeting through Yale’s entrepreneurial community and experimenting with AI-assisted networking. They started fundraising in March 2025 and have grown to a small team while finishing their degrees.

Growth claims and next steps

The company says students now use Series across more than 750 campuses, and it reports strong early retention among activated users through day 30. It has also opened access beyond college, targeting Gen Z and young professionals, with some users also trying it for dating or friendships.

Series plans to use the new funding to hire more engineers and expand product capabilities, while keeping its base on the U.S. East Coast. The team is working out of an office in New York and says it is betting on Silicon Alley momentum rather than relocating to Silicon Valley.