Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Gen Z TikTok stars The Sway Boys have enrolled in a VC training school: 'We are to be taken seriously.'

Gen Z TikTok stars The Sway Boys have enrolled in a VC training school: 'We are to be taken seriously.'

The Sway Boys are ramping up their venture capital ambitions by attending the Venture University program at VU Ventures, a 11-week program.

They're buying equity in Sillybandz. They're investing in Stir before its $100 million Series A valuation. They're celebrating Lendtable founder Sheridan Clayborne's birthday, before handing him a check.

The Sway Boys are already angel investors, and now the TikTok stars are going to venture capital school.

They've enrolled in Venture University, a program at VU Venture Partners that cofounder and general partner Skyler Fernandes calls the "YC of VC," referring to the prestigious startup accelerator Y Combinator.

The Sway Boys — Noah Beck, Griffin Johnson, Josh Richards, along with fellow Gen Z VC and vice president of TalentX Entertainment Michael Gruen, and Sway House's head of venture Marshall Sandman — will certainly be busy. The 11-week program, which starts this week, is designed to churn out top notch venture capitalists, giving participants the chance to source deals and pitch companies to VU partners.

And it works, Fernandes says. He estimates that two thirds of Venture University alumni land a job in venture capital or private equity within a year. Just like every hot startup these days seems to be a YC graduate, the venture world is filled with over 300 Venture University alumni.

"We're kind of infiltrating the entire industry in the nicest way possible with our talent," Fernandes said.

For the TikTok stars and their team, choosing VU Ventures wasn't an accident. The firm, which is about to celebrate its third anniversary, looks at around 20,000 young companies a year, but only invests in about 20, according to Fernandes. VU partners include Andrew Zalasin, an early investor in Facebook, Uber, and Twitter, and James Zhang, whose is also a partner at GRC Fund and Formation 8. Between Zalasin, Zhang, and Fernandes, they've invested in over 12 unicorns.

Although the Sway Boys have been writing angel checks for the last year —meaning investing their own money — Sandman says Venture University is an "unbelievable way to network" and a chance for the stars to work alongside institutional investors.

"For them, it's just sort of seeing how real this world is," he said. "This is a great legitimizing factor."

The "legitimizing" aspect could be huge. While some in venture welcomed them with open arms, others questioned their dedication. One venture capitalist, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, previously told Insider that some believed that the Sway Boy's interest in investing "is not that real." A founder, also speaking anonymously, said he found their manager, Gruen, to be rude when discussing a potential investment from the Sway Boys.

Gruen says no founder that they've actually invested in has complained.

"Find me a founder of ours that says I'm rude, then I'll care," he said.

Michael Gruen


The Sway Boys also have their reputations to overcome. Famous for their living-in-a-mansion lifestyle, dance videos and pranks, they have also have had their share of scandals. Neighbors at their old "collab house" said they blasted music and left trash on the sidewalk, and the group was called out for throwing parties against COVID-19 health guidelines over the summer.

For what it's worth, Venture University does have a code of conduct, though Sandman says it won't be an issue.

"We're just gonna make headlines for the right reasons," he said.

From hobby investing to institutional practices


Right now, the Sway Boys often sign checks from their luxury LA pads, complete with swimming pools and balcony views. It's a perk of being angel investors: they get to work when, where, and how they want.

But Christopher Gaeta, a Venture University graduate who now co-leads VU's healthcare team, said there's a key distinction between an angel investor and an institutional VC — someone who is investing other people's money in order to deliver those people returns.

While angel investors have personal strategies for scoring deals, firms have standard practices and procedures. He says Venture University teaches students the inner workings of "deal sourcing," meaning finding the companies to invest in and conducting due diligence, and exchanging "deal flow" with other funds, meaning lining up other institutional investors to participate in a deal.

It also whips you into shape.

After a few weeks of classes about venture capital and private equity, the bulk of student's time is spent finding deals to present at intense partner meetings.

Students give their best arguments for the companies they've sourced, and then partners either shut down the deal or potentially invest.

"I was the first person to pitch on a Monday partners meeting, and I half joke when I say I should have taken like a Tylenol before because I just got beat down so bad," Gaeta laughed, before quickly adding "in a good way!"

Christopher Gaeta


The exercise teaches students "pretty quickly" that they better have the data and analysis to back up their proposed investments. "You learn that you have to learn your numbers," he said.

Will the TikTokers crack under pressure? Sandman's not worried.

"At the end of the day, we have been successful already and so I hope that that competence spills over into those meetings," he said. "I hope that the partners see that the line of questioning for Noah, Griffin, Josh should never be softer."

Rather, he believes the Sway Boys, with their over 60 million TikTok followers and social media experience, can bring a lot of value to the firm.

"Their expertise in the space is going to be 'how does the product market fit really work?'" he said. "They're experts in that, and I don't think that there's anyone in the room who really could quite hold a candle to it."

Gaeta, who will be working alongside the Sway Boys, says he's excited to have the young investors on board.

"I'm 110% most looking forward to having the diverse perspectives," he said. "I am a firm believer in the fact that venture funds need to adapt to changing times."

And the times are certainly changing. Now that the TikTokers are headed to venture school, it seems official: the newest crop of influencers have infiltrated venture capitalism.

"We are to be taken seriously," Sandman said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×