What Uncommon Projects does

Uncommon Projects is a privately held, early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2019 and based in Fair Oaks, United States, operating with a team of 1-10. The firm invests pre-seed and seed capital in startups with unconventional approaches to how people communicate and grow together. Its core technology and analytical edge derive from the founding team's shared experience working on product at Snapchat, which informs proprietary deal sourcing and thesis development in consumer social, communication, and AI-enabled interaction platforms.

The firm does not build or sell products; its offering is capital plus strategic guidance. It generates revenue through management fees on its fund(s) and carried interest on portfolio exits, though it does not publicly disclose fund sizes, AUM, or revenue. Distribution occurs through direct founder relationships and personal networks rather than traditional VC marketing channels. Portfolio composition (70+ companies across 2019-2026, including Speechify, BeReal, PhotoRoom, Captions, Farcaster, Granola, Felt, Locket, Retro, friend.tech, and Dialogue AI) reflects a deliberately opinionated, thesis-driven approach to seed-stage investing rather than a broad-market allocation strategy.

Recent strategic activity indicates sustained or accelerating capital deployment, with multiple 2025-2026 investments including Series ($5.1M pre-seed), Flashpass ($4.25M seed), and Dialogue AI ($6M seed). The portfolio also includes at least one confirmed exit (Gizmo, acquired by Meta). The firm is privately held with no parent company, and detailed information on its LP base, fund vintages, and ownership structure is not publicly available.

Name

Uncommon Projects

Legal name

Uncommon Projects

Website

https://uncommon.fyi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Uncommon Projects is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2019 by former Snapchat product employees. It invests pre-seed and seed capital in startups with unconventional approaches to human communication, social platforms, and AI-enabled interaction, serving early-stage founders across the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investing

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

SDG / Thematic Sustainable Investment Funds (FSANAJAN)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Early-stage investing
• Seed funding
• Communication platforms
• Social technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Fair Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Uncommon Projects is a venture capital firm that invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in early-stage companies with unconventional approaches to how people communicate and grow together. The firm provides equity capital and strategic guidance to portfolio companies spanning social networking, AI-powered platforms, communication tools, and digital upskilling technologies. Founded by former Snapchat product employees, the firm leverages its network and domain expertise to identify and back founders working on novel communication and social products.

Product overview

Uncommon Projects is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies, particularly those with unconventional approaches to how people communicate and grow together. The firm was founded by a group of friends who met while working on product at Snapchat. Their portfolio consists of companies they have invested in, not products or services they directly offer. The portfolio includes companies across various years (2019-2026) spanning areas such as social networking, AI-powered platforms, market research tools, and communication technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early-stage venture capital investment Pre-seed and seed stage equity investment in early-stage startups building communication, social networking, and AI-powered platforms with unconventional approaches, combined with strategic guidance and access to the firm's Snapchat alumni network. Recent investments include Series ($5.1M pre-seed, 2026), Flashpass ($4.25M seed, 2026), and Dialogue AI ($6M seed, 2025).

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau: Seed-stage fund with a consumer and media-leaning portfolio that has backed several of the same vintage companies (BeReal, others). Comparable in stage, check size, and sector tilt.
• Weekend Fund: Pre-seed/seed fund focused on consumer social and AI-native startups, often co-investing alongside operator-led small funds. Highly comparable in stage, check size, and thematic focus.
• Slow Ventures: Early-stage thematic investor with a strong consumer/social portfolio including many of the same-era companies (Locket, BeReal adjacent). Comparable in stage and category.
• Betaworks: Thematic early-stage investor that builds and backs startups at the intersection of culture, communication, and emerging technology. Closely comparable thesis around 'how people communicate.'
• Founder Collective: Seed-stage fund known for early checks in technical consumer and enterprise software. Comparable in stage and willingness to back unconventional theses.

Broad incumbents

• Lightspeed Venture Partners: Multi-stage fund that led the Dialogue AI round in which Uncommon Projects participated. Comparable investor in AI/communication categories but at much larger scale.
• Khosla Ventures: Large early-stage-oriented fund with significant exposure to consumer social and AI. Comparable in aggressive early-stage posture but operates at institutional scale.
• Forerunner Ventures: Larger consumer-focused early-stage fund that overlaps thematically on social and communication platforms. Comparable consumer thesis but operates at meaningfully larger fund size.
• Goodwater Capital: Consumer-tech-focused venture firm that has backed several of the same vintage companies. Comparable consumer thesis, larger fund and broader mandate.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Broad incumbent mega-fund that invests across stages in consumer, social, and AI, often co-investing with Uncommon Projects' portfolio companies. Comparable in category but not in stage or check size.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UncommonHQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uncommon Projects