Sequel

Sequel Research Investment Thesis Sequel is a digital family office and venture co-investment platform founded in 2022, headquartered in Miami with offices in London and San Francisco. The firm was co-founded by Alex Macdonald — formerly the founder of Velocity Black (AI concierge platform raised $40M+, acquired by Capital One for ~$297M in 2023) — and Philipp Omenitsch, a tech entrepreneur and angel investor based in Vienna. At its core, Sequel's mission is to back founders "who bend reality" — people who believe "impossible is an opinion" — with an emphasis on longevity over hype. Unlike traditional VCs, Sequel combines capital with a powerful membership network of elite athletes, artists, Grammy winners, Oscar winners, and Y Combinator alumni who provide startups with authentic storytelling, cultural reach, and warm network introductions. The firm's stated focus areas include companies addressing global challenges in healthcare, climate, education, sports tech, and financial inclusion, with a preference for mission-driven founders building culturally resonant products. Sequel's most recent thesis publication, "The Age of Agelessness," signals growing interest in longevity and agetech-adjacent investments. Investment Model Sequel operates as a co-investor alongside leading venture firms rather than leading deals independently. Their portfolio sits alongside institutional leads including Goodwater Capital, Partech, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Google Ventures, FJ Labs, Puma Growth Partners, Smedvig Ventures, and Guinness Ventures. This positioning allows Sequel to deploy value-add check sizes into deals already validated by marquee institutional investors. Sequel's technology platform includes two proprietary tools: Senna : A data-driven sourcing engine that matches startup opportunities to member interests and earning profiles. PitchLeague.ai : A pitch deck analysis tool that generates a proprietary "sequel score" measuring cultural fit between a startup and the Sequel community. Founders can apply directly via the Sequel website. Membership (for athletes/artists/entrepreneurs) requires referral from existing members plus demonstrated net worth thresholds and investment learning ambition. Stage Focus and Check Size Sequel primarily invests at Seed and Series A stages: Pre-seed / Seed: average checks of $100K–$200K Series A–C: average checks of $500K–$3M The firm's co-investor positioning is reflected in these small but meaningful check sizes. They focus on providing value beyond capital — storytelling, network, media access — rather than competing on check size. Portfolio Highlights Sequel has made 5 known investments to date across the UK, Denmark, and the US: Howbout (howbout.app): Social calendar app for Gen Z, built around shared calendars and group event planning. $8M Series A (September 2024) led by Goodwater Capital, with FJ Labs, Sequel, and footballer Harry Maguire. London-based, founded in 2020. 4M+ registered users, 50M+ events created. CEO: Neil Tanna. YASO (goyaso.com): E-commerce operating system enabling global consumer brands to grow in the Chinese market — simplifying access to fragmented platforms like Tmall, JD.com, and WeChat. £8.25M Series A (September 2025) led by Puma Growth Partners, with Guinness Ventures, Playfair Capital, and others including Sequel. London-based. Track Titan (tracktitan.io): AI-powered motorsport coaching platform — the "Strava for motorsport." Provides telemetry analysis and personalized AI coaching for sim racers and real-world drivers. £3.7M Seed (December 2025) co-led by Partech and Game Changers Ventures (Alpine F1 backed), with Sequel. London-based. 275,000+ simracers on platform. CEO: Max Teichert. Understory (understory.io): AI-driven all-in-one booking, payment, and marketing platform for experience providers (tours, activities, events). €12M Series A (September 2025) led by Smedvig Ventures, with People Ventures and Sequel. Aarhus, Denmark. Serves customers across 10+ countries, 44 employees. Ranked among Europe's 100 most promising software startups by Notion Capital and Google Cloud in 2025. MobileServe (mobileserve.com): Volunteer management and service tracking SaaS. Seed stage. Louisville, KY. Founded 2015. Raised ~$1.67M total from Access Ventures, Sequel, and Mammoth View. Team Sequel's team of 15 spans Miami, London, Austin, and Boston: Alex Macdonald (Co-Founder & CEO): Based in London. Serial entrepreneur; founded Velocity Black (AI digital concierge) in 2014, scaled to 150+ employees, raised $40M+, sold to Capital One for a reported ~$297M in 2023. Active angel investor with ~30 portfolio companies globally for over a decade. Philipp Omenitsch (Co-Founder & CTO): Based in Vienna. Tech entrepreneur and angel investor. Leads Sequel's technical vision, product innovation, Senna sourcing engine, and PitchLeague.ai. Shawn Bose (Partner): Based in Austin, TX. Alex Attard-Manche (Venture Partner): Based in Boston, MA. Alberto Tenconi (Principal): Based in London. Leads investment research and authored the firm's "Age of Agelessness" thesis essay. Sophie Bettels (Principal): Based in London. Athlete Investor Network Sequel's core differentiator is its membership community of world-class athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs who co-invest in portfolio companies and provide authentic storytelling, cultural reach, and industry connections. The network includes NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, Premier League, F1, and Olympics participants, as well as Grammy and BAFTA/Oscar winners. Notable individual investors who have participated in Sequel portfolio deals include football stars Harry Maguire, Rio Ferdinand, and Mario Götze, as well as Shaquille O'Neal. Geographic Focus The current portfolio skews UK/Europe (London: Howbout, YASO, Track Titan; Denmark: Understory) with one US investment (MobileServe). The team operates across London, Miami, Austin, and Boston, and positions itself as a global platform investing wherever the best founders are. Decision Process Sequel operates as a partnership with a lean team. Founders apply via the Sequel website with no explicit warm intro requirement. The firm evaluates opportunities through its proprietary Senna sourcing engine and PitchLeague.ai scoring before committing capital alongside institutional lead investors.