Speed is everything in startups, and Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow learned that firsthand. In just 14 days, the 21-year-old Yale juniors raised $3 million for their AI-powered networking platform, Series.
But their story goes beyond a fast fundraising round — it’s about two young Black founders navigating an industry where people like them are still underrepresented.
“We’re 6’5″, Black and technical — a direct foil to the Harvard story,” Johnson says, referencing Facebook’s origin story. “And that difference is the reason Series tells a new story of how people connect online.”
Johnson and Hargrow jumped into the world of entrepreneurship with the deep belief that artificial intelligence can reimagine how people build relationships online. They believed that professional networking faces a major issue because social media platforms are filled with meaningless numbers and futile connections.
Series was born from that belief: a platform built to challenge legacy social networks by facilitating meaningful connections via AI.
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‘Serendipitous’ luck
Johnson, a computer science and economics major, and Hargrow, a neuroscience major, weren’t going into entrepreneurship totally blind. They hosted The Founder Series podcast, where they interviewed successful founders and entrepreneurs, focusing on college entrepreneurship.
One common theme emerged in those interviews: the importance of luck.
“Luck is what led to their first funder, the first customer, their first investor,” Johnson tells Entrepreneur. “So we thought, this is somewhat serendipitous, but it ends up being the difference-maker. How could we engineer that luck?“
That idea became the foundation for Series. Their platform uses AI-driven agents, or “AI friends,” to facilitate introductions. Rather than relying on cold outreach or chance meetings, like one would do on LinkedIn, Series’ users train their AI agents on iMessage to understand their needs and connect them with the right people in their extended network.
In other words, users can text and train their “AI friend” and describe the kind of connection they need — whether it’s a cofounder, investor, mentor or friend — and the AI then searches the Series network to find a suitable match.
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The anti-Facebook or the next metric of human connection?
Series offers a fresh, “anti-Facebook” solution to social networking. It’s not trying to be a newer, cooler Facebook — it’s trying to fix what Facebook and other platforms get wrong. While traditional social media focuses on sharing content and posting about yourself, Series is built around private introductions. “Social media is great for broadcasting, but it doesn’t necessarily help you meet the right people at the right time,” Johnson says.
Image credit: Series
Rather than broadcasting to followers or curating content, Series is building what Johnson describes as “the next iteration of human connection.” Traditional platforms, he says, are rooted in networks and presentation.
“You’re posting pictures on Instagram, you’re posting videos on TikTok, and you’re posting job posts on LinkedIn… and that’s where you essentially have this micro-influencer syndrome,” Johnson says.
In other words, existing platforms — whether intentionally or not — pressure users to appear polished and curate posts. Series’ users interact with sentient AI friends who “can get to know you on an intimate level” and allow for true authenticity.
Rather than projecting an image, users can receive guidance and support based on their true personalities. They can then be matched with real people who might become mentors or friends.
“We’re not trying to replace real-world relationships — we’re trying to make it easier for people to find the right relationships in the first place,” Hargrow says.
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The fundraising battle
Johnson and Hargrow come from different parts of the country — Irvine, California, and Queens, New York, respectively — but found common ground at Yale, where both were drawn to entrepreneurship.
Johnson has been building things since childhood, including making walking sticks for visually impaired people when he was 8. Hargrow, a former athlete, saw startup life as the closest thing to the grind and unpredictability of sports.
The two understand how to tell a compelling story in order to sell a startup idea. What started with cold emails and warm intros quickly turned into a crash course in pitching, learning from initial “nos” and figuring out how to sell more than just a product.
They stuck with their core and positioned Series as the next step in human connection. They also learned to present Series with “ethical confidence.”
“If I am approaching a girl, I’m not going to tell her, ‘Well, I’m okay, but there are a lot of hot guys out there as well,'” Hargrow says. “I’m going to find a way to ethically tell her I’m the best guy ever.”
Image credit: Series
At Yale, the two have immersed themselves in the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, joining startup clubs and networking with other founders. They quickly realized that success wasn’t just about intelligence or hard work. Access played a huge role.
“Being at Yale gives us an unprecedented level of access to networks we wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Hargrow says.
One pivotal connection led to Anne Lee Skates, a well-known Bay Area investor. After an impulsive decision to take a flight 36 hours later to California and a dinner that sealed the deal, she became their lead investor.
Then, momentum picked up. They met with VC groups in the Bay Area, and within two weeks, they secured $3 million in funding, attracting investors eager to bet on the future of AI-powered networking.
“That dinner changed everything,” Hargrow says. “I’ll always remember it as a million-dollar dinner, quite literally.”
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‘Don’t write anyone off’
For Johnson and Hargrow, two young Black founders, building Series has always been about more than just tech. It’s about representation, access and creating the kind of connections they wish they’d had as children.
“When I was younger, I didn’t see a lot of people who I could look up to because they didn’t look like me or build what I was building,” Johnson says. “I can see my childhood self looking up to me now.”
As communication shifts toward AI-assisted interactions, Johnson and Hargrow are betting that people will embrace a platform that prioritizes genuine connection instead of over-curated online personas.
“Don’t write anyone off,” Hargrow says. “In building a platform that relies on you literally not taking someone’s face value but actually getting to who they are… that requires someone who is down with the idea of never writing anyone off.”
This article is part of our ongoing Young Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a young business owner.
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