Series is a consumer social networking platform built by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow that reimagines how Gen Z makes connections by living entirely inside iMessage. There is no separate app to install or profile to fill out. Instead, a user texts a phone number, the Series AI friend, and describes who they are and the kind of person they are looking to connect with, whether for business, friendship, or dating. The AI then takes over the matchmaking, surfacing relevant people from its growing network.
The interaction model is deliberately native to texting. When Series finds potential connections, it sends a carousel of about ten images of other users looking to connect for similar reasons. A user can swipe through these shares and press and hold a photo to start a private conversation, all without revealing their personal phone number. The Series AI friend becomes personalized to each user over time, learning their goals and making introductions either autonomously or on demand, positioning the AI as an active social broker rather than a passive feed.
Series has focused its early growth on the college market, requiring a .edu email to join in order to build a trusted ecosystem of verified students. The platform reports usage across more than 750 campuses and strong retention, with the company citing that more than 80 percent of active users are retained through their first month, a benchmark it compares favorably to early Facebook. While many users come for business and networking introductions, the platform is also used for finding friends and dating.
Series first launched from stealth with a $3 million pre-seed led by Parable, including Pear VC, Tim Draper's DGB.VC, and angels such as Reddit CEO Steve Huffman and GPTZero founder Edward Tian. It subsequently expanded its pre-seed to a total of $5.1 million, with backing that also includes Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail. The funding supports growth across campuses and continued development of its AI matchmaking.
Series is best suited for students and young professionals who want effortless, AI-driven introductions for networking, friendship, or dating without juggling another social app. Its bet is that the most natural place for a social network is the messaging app people already use constantly, with an AI friend doing the work of connecting them.