West Co secures reported $29M seed round for Tangle
West Co, a new social media startup co-founded by Biz Stone and led by Evan Sharp, has raised a reported $29 million in new funding as it develops an invite-only app designed to rethink how people interact online.
Details of the financing and the company’s early product direction were reported by the Financial Times, which compiled information from public regulatory filings, job listings, and comments from the founders. The round was led by Spark Capital, according to the report, and is being characterized as a seed investment.
An attempt to counter social media’s harms
Evan Sharp, the co-founder of Pinterest and now CEO of West Co, framed the company’s mission as a response to the emotional and psychological toll associated with mainstream social platforms. In comments cited by the Financial Times, Sharp said the company emerged from a central question: what could be built to address “some of the terrible devastation of the human mind and heart” that technology companies have contributed to over the past 15 years.
That ambition places West Co in a growing cohort of startups attempting to reimagine social networking by emphasizing mental well-being, healthier interaction patterns, and more intentional design. Unlike traditional engagement-driven feeds, these efforts typically aim to discourage compulsive use and reduce the incentives for outrage, comparison, and misinformation.
Tangle: a social app built around daily intention
West Co launched an invite-only version of its first product, Tangle, in November. The app’s core prompt—“What’s your intention for today?”—signals a different organizing principle than likes, follower counts, or algorithmic virality.
In its initial concept, users can share daily goals or intentions with friends. The company’s premise is that this lightweight ritual could help people “plan with intention, capture the reality of their days, and see the deeper threads that shape their life,” according to the description summarized in the report.
The approach suggests a blend of social networking and personal reflection, borrowing cues from journaling, habit tracking, and small-group accountability—areas where consumer apps have seen sustained interest, particularly as users become more selective about where they spend attention online.
Still early: the product may change before a public launch
While Tangle is already in limited release, Biz Stone—a co-founder of Twitter—indicated that the product may evolve substantially before it is available to the broader public. Stone told the Financial Times that Tangle could “change significantly” ahead of a full launch, underscoring how early-stage consumer social products often undergo major iteration as teams test retention, community norms, and usage patterns.
The invitation-only rollout also reflects a common playbook for social apps seeking to set a particular tone and culture before scaling. By controlling access, startups can gather feedback, refine onboarding, and reduce the risk of rapid growth overwhelming moderation systems or distorting the intended user experience.
Why the funding matters
A reported $29 million seed round is sizable by typical early-stage standards, particularly for a consumer social startup entering a crowded market. The backing from Spark Capital—a prominent venture firm known for investing in internet and consumer companies—signals confidence that there is room for new social products that challenge the dominant engagement model.
It also highlights how investor interest persists in social platforms, even as the sector faces heightened scrutiny over privacy, safety, and mental health outcomes. For founders with track records like Stone and Sharp, the bar will be high: users will expect not only a fresh interface, but also credible design choices that meaningfully reduce the negative dynamics associated with mainstream social media.
What to watch next
Key questions for West Co will revolve around whether an “intention-first” prompt can translate into sustained daily use without sliding into the same engagement traps it aims to avoid. The company will also need to clarify how it plans to handle growth, community management, and potential monetization without compromising its stated mission.
For now, Tangle remains invite-only, with the founders signaling that the app is still in flux. As West Co expands testing and moves toward a public release, the startup’s progress will offer a notable case study in whether social media can be rebuilt around healthier incentives—without sacrificing the social connection that keeps people coming back.
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