GoKawiilSeries, a social networking app, announced that it raised a $5.1 million pre-seed round, with investors including Venmo co-founder Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and GPTZero founder Edward Tian. The company was founded early last year by Yale students Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, both still seniors at the university.
Series considers itself to be a next-generation social networking platform, rather than an AI app, and hails itself as one of the first to work entirely through iMessage, Johnson, the CEO, told TechCrunch.
Users text a phone number (Series AI) on iMessage, explaining who they are and who they are looking to connect with. From there, Series AI messages the user back, offering what is called “shares”— or a carousel of 10 images that one can easily swipe through — of posts from other people also using Series AI looking to connect for a similar reason. Each carousel card includes a person’s photo and their ask, and users can press and hold the carousel photo to start a private conversation with another user in the Series AI chat, without sharing their personal number.
Johnson, who is studying computer science and economics, is a founder during a unique time in tech history, marked by rapid AI advancements and more investor money than ever before. He’s part of the next generation of young founders whose businesses and mindsets are AI-first from inception, something investors say gives young founders a head start over incumbents and older founders who are trying to pivot and catch up.
He sees the industry undergoing a massive technology shift from user interfaces to conversation interfaces, like from Google search to ChatGPT, “where you’re used to scrolling through libraries and clicking on websites versus conversing with AI or something else to quickly identify what you’re looking for.”
Johnson and Hargrow met while working on a podcast in their freshman year at the Yale Entrepreneurial Society. Johnson said they used to interview founders and CEOs to gain insights into building a successful business, and through those conversations, “realized the power of warm connections.”
“We then proceeded our freshman summer to start a business independent from the club and incorporate a company around that same thesis, using AI as a warm connection facilitator,” Johnson said. He and Hargrow, who studied neuroscience at Yale, went through multiple iterations of what is now Series. When they landed on a concept they liked, about a year after their first prototype, they began fundraising for it in March 2025, building a team of eight in the process.
Techcrunch event Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. Meet your next investor or portfolio startup at Disrupt
Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $410. San Francisco, CA | REGISTER NOW
... continue reading