Pitch Deck: Sequence Raises $3M to Assist Gen Z Community Utilizing AI

May AI shake up skilled networking?

Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, each college students at Yale College, assume so.

The 2 faculty juniors based Sequence, an AI social community that matches individuals over textual content messages, in 2024 as a brand new approach for Gen Z college students to search out skilled connections. The startup simply secured $3.1 million in pre-seed funding.

The founders stated one of many greatest issues they noticed in skilled networking was that social media platforms — like LinkedIn, X (previously Twitter), or Instagram — had grow to be bloated with self-importance metrics like follower counts and likes.

“I see it inside our era, the FOMO, the I am not adequate, I will not attain out to that particular person, he is higher than me,” Hargrow informed Enterprise Insider. “Overlook your likes, neglect your followers, let’s deal with who you might be and what you possibly can convey to the desk and what you want, and what any individual else can convey to your desk if it is sensible.”

Sequence lets customers chat with an “AI Pal” over iMessage or SMS about the kind of connection they’re searching for, comparable to a cofounder, investor, or mentor. The AI agent will search the Sequence community to discover a match. For example, I bought assigned an AI Pal “Stevie,” who informed me over textual content that it will “begin scouting for the perfect connections” and hit up one in every of its different AI Buddies, “Oliver.”

If each — human — customers choose into the match, Sequence will join them instantly over textual content in a gaggle chat, simulating a heat introduction.

The startup matches right into a broader pattern of AI disrupting client know-how, which has revitalized investor curiosity in corporations making use of AI to areas like social networks and even relationship.

“There’s this new space opening up due to the know-how,” Johnson stated. “Now, it is about who can seize that house the quickest.”

Since launching its first chatbot in the summertime of 2024, Sequence has expanded to over 500 universities. When you can arrange an account with no scholar e-mail (like I did), utilizing a university scholar e-mail lets customers entry options like group chats. As Sequence grows, the founders stated in its pitch deck shared with traders that it plans to increase past scholar entrepreneurs {and professional} networking.

The startup can also be constructing out early monetization with premium options for enterprise customers, which can embody totally different paid tiers that unlock extra AI brokers and extra customization.

Sequence’ $3.1 million pre-seed spherical was led by Anne Lee Skates, a former associate at Andreessen Horowitz. It included participation from Pear VC, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and Tim Draper’s Draper Goren Blockchain, amongst others.

Learn the 11-page pitch deck Sequence used to lift its $3.1 million pre-seed:

Observe: The corporate redacted some slides and particulars within the deck.