A team of 20 former employees of Snap Inc. has recently established Ghost Angels, a venture fund with a focus on investing in early-stage startups that are transforming the landscape of online connectivity and creation. The initiative, initiated in 2025 by Max Rivera, a former leader in Snap’s global partnerships, concentrates on supporting pre-seed and seed-stage artificial intelligence (AI) companies within the realms of social media and consumer technology.
Ghost Angels has already provided support to a minimum of five startups and intends to allocate the remainder of its resources to 15 more ventures over the coming year, as per a report from TechCrunch. The exact amount of funding secured by the venture has not been disclosed.
Rivera, who is currently engaged in Microsoft’s AI sector, shared with TechCrunch that the team purposefully assembled a blend of seasoned former executives and individuals in earlier stages of their careers. Notable founding members include Alexandra Levitt, who oversaw Snap’s corporate accelerator in the past, and Will Wu, an original member of Snap’s product and design unit, alongside a select group of current Snap staff. Rivera emphasized to TechCrunch that this diversity in perspectives and backgrounds is fundamental in their approach to assessing opportunities and aiding startup founders.
In the midst of a social media landscape that Rivera perceives as fragmenting, Ghost Angels is taking a different path. Traditional platforms driven by algorithms and sustained by advertising are waning in popularity among users seeking connections with familiar faces. Ghost Angels is placing its bets on entrepreneurs who leverage AI to fulfill the initial promise of fostering social bonds. In addition, the fund is supporting AI-centric formats and innovative creative tools in areas such as music, gaming, sports, and fashion.
Rivera highlighted that the emerging generation of founders is launching ventures with streamlined teams, refining their products in public view, and exploring revenue streams beyond conventional advertising methods. Alternative monetization avenues like subscriptions, tokens, usage-dependent pricing, and outcome-driven models are being embraced. Additionally, founder-led marketing strategies are emerging as a critical component of success, according to Rivera.
