🍓The Bulletin #74: Yale Students Raise $3M, China Claps Back With Tariffs, a16z Goes All-in on AI
In this week's bulletin - Yale students give LinkedIn a run for its money, China retaliates in the trade war, and a16z launches its largest fund.
Welcome back to the weekly VWV Bulletin and what a week it’s been!
📌 For this semester, keep up with our content if you’re interested in:
Demystifying & breaking into VC
Finding opportunities in the start-up world
Keeping up with VC investment news at Brown & beyond (pro tip: this is essential to breaking in and finding opportunities)
Enjoy the Bulletin!😇
👨🎓Two Yale Juniors Raise $3M in 14 Days
In an era where digital platforms often feel more isolating than connective, two Yale juniors are flipping the script on how we build relationships online.🤝
Sean Hargrow and Nathaneo Johnson, Yale class of ‘26, are the co-founders of Series.💡 Series is an AI-powered social networking platform looking to compete with giants like LinkedIn. They just raised $3.1M in 14 days from Parable Ventures, Pear VC, DGB VC, 47th Street, and high-profile angel investors. This quick success highlights a growing demand for new ways to network.🚀
Series is looking to reimagine how people interact online and facilitate meaningful connections. While other platforms have relied on the “cold outreach” technique, Series utilizes AI to connect people with similar interests and goals. Each member has an “AI agent” that they train via iMessage to better understand their needs and personality.🤖 This agent then searches Series for suitable matches and makes warm introductions to people in your extended network who match your needs. Unlike other platforms, the focus is on building genuine connections, not just expanding your digital footprint.💬
As Hargrow notes, “[Series] is not trying to replace real-world relationships, we’re trying to make it easier for people to find the right ones in the first place.” This contrasts heavily with LinkedIn’s model, where users spend hours searching for connections that may or may not be of value. With Series, the AI does the legwork, ensuring that the connections made are both relevant and meaningful.🔍
The belief that AI can help facilitate these kinds of relationships is what Johnson calls the “next iteration of human connection.” Clearly, the frenzy around Series’ fundraise shows that there’s a real appetite for a new kind of social platform—one that prioritizes connection over content.🌍
🇺🇸🇨🇳U.S.-China Trade War Continues to Heat Up
The two largest economies are in a trade war that continues to escalate. Trump pushed tariffs as high as 145% in hopes of cornering China into negotiations.💰 However, China fired back with retaliatory tariffs totaling 125%, signaling to the world that they are not backing down anytime soon.💥
Following Liberation Day, while some U.S. trade partners sought compromise, China hasn’t budged. President Xi Jinping has been vocal to EU countries about his stance against “unilateral bullying.” Xi doubled down in his first public statement since the tariffs, saying China “is not afraid of any unreasonable suppression.” This has made it clear that Beijing isn’t about to cave to Trump’s aggressive negotiating style.🇨🇳
The consequences of this trade war have already rippled across the globe, with fears of disrupted supply chains. Economists warn that rising prices, inflation, and a recession could follow suit if the trade war drags on. For America, this means a higher cost of living and worsening quality of life.💸 For China, it translates to a potential rise in unemployment and a significant hit to small businesses.📉
With $542B in annual trade on the line, the economic entanglement between the U.S. and China makes this more than just a political power play.⚖️
💰Andreessen Horowtiz Raises $20B Megafund
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has announced the launch of a $20B megafund, marking the largest in the firm’s history.📈 Clearly, a16z is doubling down on its commitment to AI, targeting high-growth stage AI companies that need substantial capital to scale.🚀
A16z is not new to AI – they have backed some of the most high-profile names in the sector including Databricks, xAI, Mistral, and Safe Superintelligence.🧠 The new fund is designed to pool resources across multiple sectors instead of focusing on one.🌐
This strategic move comes at a time when a16z’s political alignment has come to light. 🗳️ The firm’s founders publicly supported Trump in 2024 as noted in one of our previous bulletins. This stark departure from the Silicon Valley norm could potentially align the firm with Trump’s agenda of boosting US tech dominance. 📊 So far, this has served as an advantage in attracting foreign investments to the fund.🏦
The $20B fund will be a test to whether compelling returns can be achieved at this unprecedented scale, all while positioning a16z as a conduit for global capital into American innovation.🇺🇸 Stay tuned to see how this massive fund evolves in the months ahead.👀
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That’s it for this week, feel free to email me abigail_gonzalez@brown.edu with any thoughts or inquiries! 💌
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