Social Starts
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Social Starts has been around the block since 2012 and claims to be "uniquely data-driven" - though honestly, every VC says that these days. What's actually interesting is their founder William Lohse's track record - the guy was an early Pinterest investor and has been doing this since the 1990s, which gives them real pattern recognition. They've been named the top fund under $100M since 2013 and were the fifth most active early stage fund worldwide in 2015, suggesting they actually move fast and deploy capital. The health and happiness thesis sounds a bit fluffy, but their portfolio shows they're willing to bet on everything from AI diagnostics to alternative proteins. They focus investments in 4-5 key areas that change every six months as they evaluate market shifts, and their early investing locks in pro rata for Series A - so they're not one-and-done investors.
- —Best for: Early-stage founders in health tech, food tech, or ed-tech who want experienced operators
- —Watch out for: Their shifting focus areas every 6 months - make sure you're in their current sweet spot
- —Known for: Data-driven approach, strong follow-on investing, and partners with deep operational experience
Social Starts is a set of early-stage venture funds that uses analytics to uncover and invest in the strongest companies in the strongest segments. Based on our uniquely data-driven methodology, we have found companies with huge value in e-commerce, employment platforms, digital brands, next-generation food, and education.
Social Starts is a venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage investments in sectors including e-commerce, employment platforms, digital brands, next-generation food, and education. The company employs a data-driven methodology to identify and invest in startups. It has a fund, Social Starts Health and Happiness, which targets startups that aim to improve longevity and quality of life. It primarily invests in Seed round in United States based startups.
William is an industry pioneer, having begun his career in the days of pre-Apple hobbyist computers. After founding and selling TimeLine software company to Symantec, he became the turn-around publisher of PC Magazine and president of Ziff Davis Publishing. In 1990, he began Software Venture Partners, an angel fund which, among other unicorns, invested in the first round of Pinterest.
Bradley has been a venture investor and operator for over a decade. He was a Partner at Tusk Ventures in NY and an Investment Partner at Morpheus Ventures. Bradley holds a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior, he was a Principal at BMW iVentures in Silicon Valley, leading VC and growth equity investments. He spent his early career on the Equity Capital Markets desk at Morgan Stanley, where he was the bank's Technology Sector Specialist.
Charles has been an active NY angel investor since the mid-2000s who has invested in more than a dozen companies, and has worked for and sat on the boards of ten more. Charles spent three years as the Vice President of Etsy Inc., was Vice President of Sales at Tacoda, and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Planning at RealMedia. He is also a Partner at Joyance Partners.
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