Series
In short: Series is a New York-based startup that runs an AI social network entirely inside iMessage. Founded by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, it has raised $5.1 million in pre-seed funding. Users text an AI number to meet people, mainly for networking, with some dating and friendship use. Business Insider listed it among funded startups tackling loneliness and dating app fatigue.
Key facts
| Type | AI social networking and introductions |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York, United States |
| Status | Active, pre-revenue startup (pre-seed funded) |
| Website | series.so |
| What it is | AI social network that runs entirely inside iMessage; users text an AI number and receive a carousel of profile cards from people with similar goals [Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an A, 24 April 2026] |
| Founders | Nathaneo Johnson (CEO) and Sean Hargrow, Yale students [Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an A, 24 April 2026] |
| Funding | $5.1 million pre-seed round with investors including Pear VC, Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Steve Huffman and Edward Tian [Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an A, 24 April 2026] |
| Earlier funding | $3.1 million raised in 14 days after a viral LinkedIn trailer; Anne Lee Skates of Parable led the round [Yale founders raise $3.1M in 14 days to build Series, the an, April 2025] |
| Headquarters | New York, with an office in Chelsea, Manhattan [Yale Seniors Raise $5.1M for iMessage AI Network (Technology, 27 April 2026] |
| Official website | series.so [The Feed is Dying. Social Network Series Hits 1M Messages (p, 2025] |
| Traction (company-reported) | Over 1 million messages exchanged and 10,000 daily active users [The Feed is Dying. Social Network Series Hits 1M Messages (p, 2025] |
| Use cases | Mostly business-oriented use, with some users looking for dates or friends; focus on Gen Z and young professionals [Yale Seniors Raise $5.1M for iMessage AI Network (Technology, 27 April 2026] |
| Revenue status | Pre-revenue, considering enterprise monetisation; now focused mainly on professional networking [Yale students' iMessage social network Series raises $5M, ta, 2026] |
| Business Insider coverage | Grouped with Gigi, Boardy, Filament and Goodword as AI-enabled networking tools in Business Insider's funded social and dating startup roundup [Consumer social startups raise millions to challenge dating , 2026] |
About Series
Series is a social networking startup that works entirely through iMessage rather than a separate app. Users text a dedicated Series AI number, describe who they are and who they want to meet, and receive a carousel of up to ten profile cards, each with a photo and a stated request. If two people show interest, they can talk in a private thread without sharing phone numbers. It was founded by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson, the chief executive, and Sean Hargrow, and is based in New York, with an office in Chelsea.
The company has raised $5.1 million in pre-seed funding in total. An initial $3.1 million round, led by Anne Lee Skates of Parable, was reported in April 2025, and the full $5.1 million was announced in April 2026. Investors include Pear VC, Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Reddit chief executive Steve Huffman and GPTZero founder Edward Tian. Series has said it passed one million messages and 10,000 daily active users, and that students use it across more than 750 campuses. These figures come from the company and have not been independently verified. The company is pre-revenue, and Dealroom reported that it was considering enterprise monetisation.
Series matters to the dating industry mainly as a signal of where investor money is going. Most use is business-oriented, according to Johnson, though TechCrunch-sourced coverage notes some users look for dates or friends. Business Insider grouped it with other AI networking tools in its list of funded social and dating startups, the piece DII cited when reporting on loneliness startups.
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Questions about Series
What is Series?
Series is an AI social network that runs entirely inside iMessage. Users text an AI number to describe who they want to meet and receive profile cards from people with similar goals.
Who founded Series?
Yale students Nathaneo Johnson, the chief executive, and Sean Hargrow founded it, according to TechCrunch.
How much has Series raised?
It announced a $5.1 million pre-seed round in April 2026, including an earlier $3.1 million round reported in April 2025.
Is Series a dating app?
Not mainly. Its founder says most use is business-oriented, although some users look for dates or friends.
Where is Series based?
It is based in New York, with an office in Chelsea, Manhattan.
What does Series do?
Series is a New York-based startup that runs an AI social network entirely inside iMessage. Founded by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, it has raised $5.1 million in pre-seed funding. Users text an AI number to meet people, mainly for networking, with some dating and friendship use.
Also known as: Series AI, series.so.
Sources
- Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an AI social network in iMessage (TechCrunch)
- Yale founders raise $3.1M in 14 days to build Series, the anti-Facebook (Yahoo Finance)
- Yale Seniors Raise $5.1M for iMessage AI Network (Technology Org)
- The Feed is Dying. Social Network Series Hits 1M Messages (press release)
- Yale students' iMessage social network Series raises $5M, targets 8-figure seed round (Dealroom)
- Consumer social startups raise millions to challenge dating apps (Traders Union)