Social Startups

ZOOP is a social media app for creators, fans, and brands that shares advertising revenue with its community, rewarding creators and fans based on engagement. It offers features such as 1-to-1 creator messaging, an in-app Creator Shop, interest-based community channels, and first-party data analytics.

1 investor

Zyper identifies a brand's most engaged social media followers and recruits them to create content and promote products within their own networks. The platform uses machine learning to find and activate these brand advocates, who generate authentic peer-to-peer marketing without the cost of traditional influencers.

1 investor

Atlanty operates a Russian business club and community for entrepreneurs and top managers, connecting over 1,300 members across 43 industries. It organizes networking events with speakers, and provides tools and contacts to help members find partners, investors, and grow their businesses.

1 investor

Likey is a platform where content creators build paid communities for their fans, offering monthly membership payments, exclusive communities, online classes, live video fan meetings, virtual gifts, and messaging. It provides creators with revenue analytics, payout dashboards, copyright protection, and merchandise tools, and accepts partnerships from agencies and MCNs.

1 investor

Reserve Holdings operates offline talk sessions ("Vision & Voice") that connect people's experiences, along with a social space for enjoying music, beer, and gatherings with friends. It is a Seoul-based community and offline experience venture.

1 investor

truloop is a mobile app that consolidates the scattered parts of organizing a get-together — planning, scheduling, and photo sharing — into a single thread, letting users create one invite and share a link. It offers a private space for friend groups to make plans and keep the memories and photos from time spent together.

1 investor

Axelmark is a Japanese company formed through mergers of several firms, operating in content, mobile advertising, and social gaming businesses. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market and traces its origins to firms founded in the 1990s.

1 investor

MUSCAT GROUP (formerly Rice Curry) is a Japanese company operating SNS/social media marketing support, community media, SaaS, and consumer beauty brands, running several subsidiaries across marketing and product lines. Listed publicly in June 2024, it groups businesses in social media marketing, media production, and cosmetics/oral care brands.

1 investor

WorkCircle operates an anonymous career social network ("WorkCircle") and a crowdsourced salary database ("OpenSalary") for working professionals in Japan. The company builds online platforms for sharing career information and compensation data.

1 investor

Castee operates a platform for content creators offering influencer collaboration video marketing ("Castee Challenge", priced by video views) and a music monetization service ("Castee Music") where creators earn rewards by posting videos using licensed tracks on TikTok and Instagram. It serves creators and brands in social media entertainment marketing, with an initial overseas commerce operation in Indonesia via TikTok Shop.

1 investor

issues is a Japanese online platform that lets residents submit everyday problems and requests, which are delivered to local government council members in their area. It provides progress updates from politicians and is free for both residents and legislators, earning revenue through paid options for politicians and advertising for companies.

1 investor

Japanese company that builds consumer mobile products, including tonton, an app that lets users earn pocket money while studying English vocabulary, and a social media operation service focused on street interviews.

1 investor

YOUPACE is a Japanese talent agency for live-streamers ("livers") that supports individuals in starting, continuing, and growing their careers on live-streaming apps such as Pococha and TikTok. It provides income-growth know-how and manages over 8,000 affiliated streamers in Japan.

1 investor

Tamemap ("ためまっぷ") is a location-based information platform that shows nearby community events users can attend from their current time onward, using GPS map integration to surface events within their reachable area. Operated by Tamema Inc. in Japan, it holds a patent for its event information management system and works with local governments and community organizers.

1 investor

Lizhi is a web-based audio content platform that provides recording technology services, information storage space services, and internet live streaming for audio creators and listeners in China.

1 investor

Auxxit is an all-in-one platform for running buy-sell-trade communities, offering live events, auctions, mystery boxes, chat, seller ratings, and payment/shipping tools in one place. Community organizers can set their own transaction fees and manage member profiles, verification, and communication for many-to-many marketplaces.

0 investors

BaseConnect builds a secure, private social network and communication tools (including its ReCaller feature) for military operators, designed to connect troops, communities, and businesses without collecting or monetizing personal data. Its primary customer is the U.S. Department of Defense and related military organizations, with a commercial extension called CityConnect.

0 investors

Beli is a mobile app for food lovers to find, rank, and track restaurants, offering personalized recommendations based on a user's tastes. It functions as a restaurant discovery and review product for consumers.

0 investors

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County is a nonprofit mentoring organization that matches adult volunteers ("Bigs") with local children ("Littles") for one-on-one and group mentorship, including a Little Leadership Academy group program run with community partners. It serves youth and families in Washington County, Maryland.

0 investors

Common House operates social clubs and gathering spaces offering design-focused venues, programming, and sourced food and beverage for members pursuing social and business activities.

0 investors

Emcee is an investment firm with teams covering equities, fixed income, and distribution. It provides investment management services through its leadership and internal investment team.

0 investors

Flower Ave Inc develops the anonymous social apps Sidechat and Yik Yak. The company operates in the consumer social media space.

0 investors

FlowPlay develops online social and free-play games built around player communities. The company also runs charitable giving programs through donations, sponsorships, and fundraising partnerships.

0 investors

Hangar Club operates a members-only social club in Denver offering social events, networking, and dining experiences. It announced a partnership with Clayton Club, another private club in Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood.

0 investors