Social Starts is an early-stage venture capital partnership based in San Francisco, CA, USA, known for its data-driven approach to identifying and investing in startups at the “moment of inception” and into Series A rounds. Founded in 2012, the firm deploys analytic methodology to uncover emerging companies across tech sectors such as social software, health tech, e-commerce, and digital brands.

Pre-Seed / Seed: Actively participates in very early institutional financings to help founders accelerate growth from initial traction.
Early Institutional / Series A: Focuses on pre-seed through Series A, ensuring pro-rata rights into later rounds.

Typical Check Size: Approximately $50K–$500K per investment in early rounds.
Equity Taken:
• Social Starts does not publish a fixed ownership target it always takes in every deal; like most traditional venture firms, the equity percentage is negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis with founders based on valuation, round size, and investor mix.
• Industry-Standard Founder Expectations: At early institutional rounds where a firm writes checks in the $50K–$500K range, founders typically offer meaningful minority equity for that capital — often roughly ~5%–15% for that firm’s stake if it leads or materially participates, with total investor dilution across all participants in a seed or early round commonly around ~10%–25%. (This range reflects general early-stage VC terms rather than a Social Starts published rule.)
Equity Structure: Investments are typically priced preferred equity, SAFEs, or convertible instruments aligned to early institutional norms.
Governance: Depending on deal size and lead role, Social Starts may negotiate board or observer rights, consistent with meaningful minority positioning.

Submission Method: Startups typically engage via direct outreach or introductions through networks; Social Starts does not prominently advertise a broad public application portal on its website.
Portfolio Engagement: Because Social Starts evaluates thousands of early opportunities via its data methodology, inbound connections through ecosystem partners are common. 

Sector Focus: Broad tech sectors including software, e-commerce, health-related tech, mobile/social platforms, digital brands, and emerging sciences.
Geography: Primarily U.S.-based companies, though the firm evaluates opportunities worldwide through network extensions.
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, and early institutional (Series A). 
Company Profile: Scalable technology ventures with early product traction and clear market opportunity.

Initial Intake: Review of deck, product, traction, and alignment with thesis.
 Partner Evaluation: Internal assessment of team, market, and product differentiation.
 Due Diligence: Deep dive into business model and competitive landscape.
 Term Negotiation: Deal terms including valuation, equity, governance rights, and pro-rata participation negotiated with founders.

Strategic Capital: Early institutional funding from a seasoned VC team with data-oriented sourcing. 
 Network & Support: Access to Social Starts’ broader ecosystem of investors, mentors, and follow-on financing paths. 
 Follow-On Rights: Pro-rata access into later rounds where agreed in initial terms.