Animal Capital

ActiveVenture Capital

Updated: Dec 5, 2025 ·

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Sep 1, 2025	Price.com	$12.0M Venture Round	—	01 Advisors, Kevin Hartz, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Hoxton Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Practical Venture Capital, REMUS Capital, Social Starts, UpHonest Capital, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Baron Davis, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson
Jun 1, 2024	Gynger	$20.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, Addition, Cocoa, Deciens Capital, Felicis Ventures, Flash Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Lazerow Ventures, Northzone, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Polychain Capital, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Tribe Capital, Vine Ventures LP, Andrej Henkler, Andy Leaver, Asif Moosani, Griffin Johnson, Tom Blomfield
Apr 1, 2024	MaxRetail	$15.0M Series A	—	Addition, Cisco Investments, Intel Capital, M13, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Vine Ventures LP, Griffin Johnson
Apr 1, 2023	Goals	$20.0M Series A	—	Casa Verde Capital, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, Griffin Johnson, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Rich Miner
Mar 1, 2023	MetaLink	$6.0M Seed	—	Accelr8, Aglae Ventures, Angel investor, Casa Verde Capital, Double Prime LLP, MATR Ventures, Pantera Capital, Pareto Holdings, Pfizer Venture Investments, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, AJ Vaynerchuk, Alexandre Prot, Alexis Bonillo, Benjamin Chemla, Didier Valet, Griffin Johnson, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Nicolas Julia, Pascal Gauthier, Rich Miner, Shayne Coplan, Steve Aoki
Dec 1, 2022	Nectar	$17.0M Series A	—	Addition, Juxtapose Capital, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Vine Ventures LP, Griffin Johnson
Aug 1, 2022	Neutral	$12.0M Series A	—	Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, C2 Investment, Craig Shapiro, Collaborative Fund, Darco Capital, ENIAC Ventures, Fifth Wall, Framework Ventures, Future Shape, Greylock, JLL Spark, Marc van den Berg, Paladin Capital Group, Pantera Capital, Paradigm, Parkway VC, REMUS Capital, Seed Club Ventures, Spark Capital, Sweater Ventures, Turing Capital, Wind Ventures, Aaron Levie, Arash Ferdowsi, Balaji Srinivasan, Bradley Horowitz, Bryce Hall, Charlie Cheever, Christina Cacioppo, Dylan Field, Frederic Kerrest, Griffin Johnson, Jawed Karim, John Collison, John Legend, Julia Hartz, Kevin Love, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, Rick Johanson, Ron Pragides, Shane Neman, Spencer Slaine, Tobias Lutke
Jul 1, 2022	SkillBank	$2.0M Seed	—	Addition, Hawke Ventures, LAUNCH, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Vine Ventures LP, Griffin Johnson
Jun 1, 2022	Gigasheet	$7.0M Series A	—	Accomplice VC, Aventures Capital, Casa Verde Capital, Collaborative Seed & Growth Partners, Cyberstarts VC, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Felicis Ventures, Founder Collective, Kindred Ventures, MizMaa Ventures, Okta Ventures, Project 11, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Stellar Capital, Team8, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, Griffin Johnson, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban
Apr 1, 2022	Mysterious	$2.0M Seed	—	Browder Capital, REMUS Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Vera Equity, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Steven Sarowitz, Zander Lurie
Mar 1, 2022	Gumball	$10.0M Series A	—	Browder Capital, REMUS Capital, Streamlined Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Vera Equity, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Steven Sarowitz
Mar 1, 2022	Nectar	$8.0M Seed	—	Addition, Juxtapose Capital, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Vine Ventures LP, Griffin Johnson
Feb 1, 2022	Mmmly	$600K Seed	—	REMUS Capital, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Kevin Love
Dec 1, 2021	Parallel Learning	$3.0M Seed	—	Addition, Brewer Lane Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, NFX, Obvious Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Redpoint Ventures, REMUS Capital, Rethink Impact, Tiger Global Management, Trousdale Ventures, Vine Ventures LP, Amir Jerbi, Griffin Johnson, Tomer Levy
Nov 1, 2021	VNTANA	$4.0M Series A	—	50 Partners, Anorak Ventures, Balderton Capital, Casa Verde Capital, FirstMark Capital, Navigate Ventures, Partech Ventures, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Stadia Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, Andrew Lacy, Brendan Iribe, Griffin Johnson, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Rich Miner
Sep 1, 2021	AON3D	$12.0M Series A	—	Pegasus Tech Ventures, REMUS Capital, SineWave Ventures, SVG Ventures-THRIVE, UpHonest Capital, Brent Traidman, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Kevin Love, Spencer Slaine
Sep 1, 2021	Roll	$10.0M Series A	—	AirAngels, Amasia, Andreessen Horowitz, Archetype, Audacity, Awesome People Ventures, Battery Ventures, Casa Verde Capital, Chapter One Ventures, CoinFund, Divergence Ventures, Electric Ant, Electric Capital, Entrée Capital Ventures, Ethereal Ventures, Future Perfect Ventures, Hack VC, Hashed, Infinity Ventures Crypto, Intonation Ventures, Kearny Jackson, Kleiner Perkins, M34 Capital, Makers Fund, Nascent, Not Boring Capital, Pioneer Fund, REMUS Capital, Robot Ventures, Sarona Ventures, Seed Club Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, SID Venture Partners, Solana Ventures, Sound Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Thirty Five Ventures, Todd and Rahul's Angel Fund, Turing Capital, Vayner RSE, Version One Ventures, Vibe Capital, Weekend Fund, WPP Ventures, Adam Jackson, Alex Pack, Aliaksandr Hudzilin, Alice Lloyd George, Ali Moiz, Anastasia Andrianova, Andrew Steinwold, Balaji Srinivasan, Biz Stone, Bo Shao, Brad Holden, David Nage, Do Kwon, Eric Feng, Eric Wu, Griffin Johnson, Immad Akhund, Imran Khan, Jeff Morris, Jess Sloss, Jimmy Donaldson, Julie Zhuo, Karim Atiyeh, Kevin Hart, Luis Cuende, Mark Cuban, Nathaniel Whittemore, Regan Bozman, Rene Reinsberg, Rich Miner, Scott Belsky, Sina Habibi, Stani Kulechov, Steve Weinstein, Tegan Kline, Tyler Scott Ward
Aug 1, 2021	Poppi	$14.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, 7BC Venture Capital, Kevin Hartz, Acrew Capital, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Bain Capital Ventures, Big Idea Ventures, Bono, Casa Verde Capital, Craft Ventures, Curie.Bio, Curious Capital, FJ Labs, Griffin Gaming Partners, Hoxton Ventures, Intuition Capital, Motivate Ventures, Muchmore Ventures, NewView Capital, Night Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Operator Partners, Practical Venture Capital, QueensBridge Venture Partners, REMUS Capital, Serena Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Social Starts, SOSV, Sound Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Timespan Ventures, UpHonest Capital, Vayner RSE, Vera Equity, Version One Ventures, Visionaire Ventures, VNTR Capital, WndrCo LLC, Abe Burns, Anthony Saleh, Baron Davis, Brian Sugar, Bryce Hall, Casey Neistat, Gee Roberson, Gokul Rajaram, Griffin Johnson, Ian Borthwick, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Logan Paul, Mark Cuban, Mark Pincus, Pir Granoff, Rich Miner, William Adams
Jul 1, 2021	Popshop Live	$20.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, Abstract Ventures, Kevin Hartz, Accel, Advancit Capital, AirAngels, AIX Ventures, Alt Capital, Alumni Ventures, Antler, Ascension Ventures, Aurora Forge, Banana Capital, B Capital Group, Benchmark, Bling Capital, Camber Creek, Canvas Ventures, Defy Partners, Dreamers VC, Earl Grey Capital, Equity Alliance, Feenix Ventures, First Round Capital, Floodgate, Forerunner Ventures, Founders Fund, Greylock, Andrew Wheeler, David Krane, Hoxton Ventures, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Jude Gomila Rolling Fund, Kearny Jackson, Kleiner Perkins, Lakestar, Long Journey Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, Makers Fund, Malex Enterprises, Mantis VC, Menlo Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Mischief Venture Capital, Oak HC/FT, Offline Ventures, Operator Ventures, Otherwise Fund, Pareto Holdings, Pioneer Fund, Practical Venture Capital, Presight Capital, REMUS Capital, Roosh Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Smash Capital, Social Starts, Spark Capital, Stripe, Sunset Ventures, TQ Ventures, Trucks Venture Capital, Trust Fund, UpHonest Capital, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Witz Ventures, Y Combinator, YLEM, Aaron Levie, Alison Pincus, Arash Ferdowsi, Bryce Hall, Casey Neistat, Dan Wright, David Petersen, Eric Ries, Frederic Kerrest, Gordon Wintrob, Griffin Johnson, Jared Leto, Jeremy Cai, Jon Runyan, Manuel Bronstein, Marissa Mayer, Mathilde Collin, Mattia Astori, Max Mullen, Paul Rios, Ryan Carlson, Ryan Chan, Scott Belsky, Siqi Chen, Steve Stoute, Tom Williams, Tony Hawk, Tony Xu, Troy Carter, Zack Kanter
Jun 1, 2021	Autograph	$35.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, Kevin Hartz, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Hoxton Ventures, Latitud, Lazerow Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Practical Venture Capital, REMUS Capital, Social Starts, UpHonest Capital, Velvet Sea Ventures, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Baron Davis, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Michael Shoemaker
Jun 1, 2021	Ellipsis Health	$26.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, 8090 Industries, 8VC, Kevin Hartz, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Chapter One Ventures, Craft Ventures, Creandum, Edison Ventures, Eunoia Capital Partners, Fika Ventures, Flucas Ventures, General Catalyst, Hoxton Ventures, Lakestar, LGF, LiveOak Venture Partners, MaC Venture Capital, Next47, Oak HC/FT, Practical Venture Capital, REMUS Capital, Roosh Ventures, Seven Seven Six, SJF Ventures, Social Capital, Social Starts, Sound Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thirdbase Capital, Tribe Capital, UpHonest Capital, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Weekend Fund, WorkLife Ventures, Austin Ogilvie, Baron Davis, Bradley Horowitz, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson, Jeff Morris, Jeff Seibert, Jim Pallotta, Jon Runyan, Kunal Shah, Martin Li, Michael Ma, Peter Ackerson, Ryan Chan, Sahin Boydas, Shervin Pishevar, Sung ho Choi, Valentin Gui, Wayne Chang
Jun 1, 2021	Imburse	$12.0M Series A	—	01 Advisors, Kevin Hartz, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Hoxton Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Practical Venture Capital, REMUS Capital, Social Starts, UpHonest Capital, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Baron Davis, Bryce Hall, Griffin Johnson
Jun 1, 2021	WonderFi	$18.0M Series A	—	Accomplice VC, Casa Verde Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Math Capital, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, Griffin Johnson, Jason Robins, Jeff Seibert, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Rich Miner, Wayne Chang
May 1, 2021	Jerry	$28.0M Series B	—	01 Advisors, 50 Partners, Kevin Hartz, AIX Ventures, Aurora Forge, Big Sky Health, Bow Capital, Buckley Ventures, CapitalX, Coinbase Ventures, Connect Ventures, Creative Juice, DVx Ventures, ENIAC Ventures, Eunoia Capital Partners, Eurazeo, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Expa, Exponent Founders Capital, Firstminute Capital, Freestyle Capital, Future Africa, General Catalyst, Goodwater Capital, Hoxton Ventures, i/o Ventures, Launch Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, Luno Expeditions, Niu Ventures, Norrsken VC, Oak HC/FT, Outrun Ventures, Pareto Holdings, Pebblebed, Plug & Play Ventures, Practical Venture Capital, Precursor Ventures, QED Investors, Quona Capital, REMUS Capital, Social Starts, Stellar Capital, Stride VC, Target Global, Tekton Ventures, The Community Fund, UpHonest Capital, Valar Ventures, Vera Equity, Visionaire Ventures, Alexis Le-Quoc, Andre Mohamed, Baron Davis, Brad Garlinghouse, Brandon Krieg, Bryce Hall, Charles Delingpole, David de Picciotto, Eric Hahn, Eric Nadalin, Gabriel Weinberg, Griffin Johnson, Immad Akhund, Iqram Magdon-Ismail, Jason Gardner, Jason Goldberg, Jean-Sébastien Wallez, Johan Lorenzen, Louis Beryl, Oliver Jung, Raffael Johnen, Richard Chen, Tom Blomfield, Trevor Noah
May 1, 2021	Just Women's Sports	$4.0M Seed	—	Casa Verde Capital, REMUS Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sound Ventures, Thirty Five Ventures, Vayner RSE, Griffin Johnson, Jimmy Donaldson, Kevin Hart, Mark Cuban, Rich Miner

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Animal Capital.

Operating Partner and cofounder

Michael Gruen

General Partner

Leadership Team

Key people at Animal Capital.

Operating Partner and cofounder

Michael Gruen

General Partner

Deep Dive

Animal Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments primarily in consumer and financial technology, health and wellness, and media sectors. The firm leverages the social media influence of its founders—TikTok mega-influencers—to drive growth and brand awareness for its portfolio companies, engaging over 150 million consumers globally. Animal Capital invests mainly in the U.S. and Canada across pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, with check sizes typically ranging from $100K to $1M. Its investment philosophy centers on combining innovative marketing channels with strategic capital deployment to accelerate startup growth and market presence[1][2][3].

Founded in 2022 by social media stars Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson, and Noah Beck, Animal Capital emerged to capitalize on the founders' direct access to Gen Z audiences and their deep understanding of digital consumer trends. The firm’s origin is rooted in the founders’ transition from content creation to venture investing, aiming to back startups that resonate with younger demographics and leverage social influence for rapid scaling. Early traction includes building a portfolio that spans consumer packaged goods (CPG), e-commerce, Web3/crypto, and financial services, supported by a hands-on approach to marketing and brand development[2][4].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Combines venture capital with proprietary marketing channels driven by founders’ social media reach, enabling portfolio companies to tap into large, engaged Gen Z audiences.
Network Strength: Founders’ status as social media influencers provides unparalleled access to consumer trends and direct marketing opportunities.
Track Record: Over 50 deals backed with a strong history of successful exits and above-average returns, particularly in emerging markets like Asia and Latin America.
Operating Support: Hands-on management style focused on growth through innovative marketing and brand influence rather than traditional capital alone[1][2].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Animal Capital rides the wave of Gen Z consumer influence and digital-native marketing trends, which are reshaping how startups grow and engage audiences. The timing is critical as Gen Z’s purchasing power and cultural impact increase, making social media-driven growth a powerful market force. The firm’s focus on sectors like fintech, health and wellness, and media aligns with broader shifts toward digital-first consumer experiences and decentralized finance. By bridging venture capital with influencer marketing, Animal Capital influences the ecosystem by validating new marketing-driven investment models and accelerating startup scaling in consumer tech[1][4].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Animal Capital is poised to expand its influence by deepening its portfolio in emerging consumer technologies and financial services that appeal to younger demographics. Trends such as the rise of Web3, personalized health tech, and social commerce will likely shape its investment focus. The firm’s unique blend of social influence and venture capital could redefine early-stage investing, making it a key player in the evolving startup ecosystem. Its ability to leverage founder-driven marketing channels will remain a critical advantage as competition for consumer attention intensifies[1][2][4].

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Animal Capital?

Animal Capital was founded by Josh Richards (Operating Partner and cofounder).

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Animal Capital?

Animal Capital was founded by Josh Richards (Operating Partner and cofounder).

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Combines venture capital with proprietary marketing channels driven by founders’ social media reach, enabling portfolio companies to tap into large, engaged Gen Z audiences.
Network Strength: Founders’ status as social media influencers provides unparalleled access to consumer trends and direct marketing opportunities.
Track Record: Over 50 deals backed with a strong history of successful exits and above-average returns, particularly in emerging markets like Asia and Latin America.
Operating Support: Hands-on management style focused on growth through innovative marketing and brand influence rather than traditional capital alone[1][2].