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Why we incubated and invested in Pop Inc.
Talks about Investment, Imessage and Marketplaces
MJ
Michael Jones
Founding Partner at Science
Aspen, Colorado
Overview
Michael Jones is a Founding Partner at Science, a venture firm known for helping founders scale successful companies like Liquid Death, Dollar Shave Club, Rover, and Scopely, with notable acquisitions totaling billions. He has a strong track record in business development, product marketing, and strategic partnerships, focusing on investing in early-stage startups in sectors like social networks, analytics, e-commerce, and AI.
Jones' notable career highlights include being a key investor and board member in successful companies like Dollar Shave Club, Scopely, and DogVacay, which were later acquired for significant sums, demonstrating his expertise in identifying and supporting high-growth ventures.
Work Experience
General Partner
2011 - Current
Science is a Los Angeles-based investment firm and startup studio partnering with and investing in disruptive technology companies. Science has invested in and built household names like Dollar Shave Club, MeUndies, and Liquid Death. Science's portfolio has seen $1.3 billion in exits including Dollar Shave Club (acquired by Unilever), FameBit (acquired by Google), and HelloSociety (acquired by New York Times).
Science partners with founders to develop and fund disruptive tech-based companies.
Raised $72,298,073.00 from Andreas Schwartz.
Investor & Board Member
2019
As one of the fastest growing non-alcoholic beverage brands, Liquid Death is the first beverage company using comedy and entertainment to make health and sustainability 50 times more fun. We take the healthiest thing you can drink and package it into infinitely recyclable tallboy cans that can actually compete with the fun marketing of unhealthy brands across energy drinks, beer, and junk food. A portion of Liquid Death’s proceeds goes to nonprofits who are helping to fight plastic pollution and bringing clean drinking water to those in need.
Liquid Death is a non-alcoholic beverage brand that is focused on health and sustainability.
Raised $267,600,000.00 from Deandre Hopkins, Neal Brennan, TO Ventures, SuRo Capital, Derrick Green, Live Nation Entertainment, Gasima Global Asset Management, LLC, Josh Brolin, Science and Gray’s Creek Capital Partners.
Investor & Board Member / Acquired $1B
2012
Dollar Shave Club started in 2011 delivering quality, affordable razors straight to your door. Since then, Dollar Shave Club transformed into a multinational, omni-channel, lifestyle brand with a retail presence nationwide, and a goal to offer simple solutions for your shave and grooming journey at a great price.
DSC is a lifestyle brand and e-commerce company that delivers razors and other personal grooming products to customers by mail.
Raised $163,500,000.00 from Venrock, Ascend Venture Group, Founders Circle Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, KG Investments, Forerunner and TCV.
Investor & Board Member
2023
Mindset was founded to create a better experience for those with a mental illness and their caregivers in applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Their team of Social Security Disability lawyers and representatives has helped thousands of individuals through the arduous process of obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security income (SSI) through the Social Security Administration.
Mindset assists those with a mental illness and their caregivers in applying for Social Security Disability benefits.
Raised $13,000,000.00 from LivEdge Capital, Enable Ventures, Wellington Management, Tubbs Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital and Science.
Investor & Board Member
2017
Pray.com is the world's No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content. Reaching more than 16 million people worldwide through its mobile app and website, Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life. Pray.com provides encouragement and inspiration through daily devotionals, Pastor podcasts, and Bedtime Bible Stories.
Pray.com Westlake Village is a IT and internet industry.
Investor & Board Member
2016
Mammoth, previously known as Mammoth Media, is on a mission to revolutionize the way brands approach marketing by pushing the boundaries of what's possible with its cutting-edge technology, VTAGZ, a Direct-to-Retail SaaS Platform designed for brands in retail. With VTAGZ, brands can gain valuable insights into their marketing efforts, understand consumer sentiments, and effortlessly enhance connections with them. Utilizing granular attribution, first-party data, and direct consumer connectivity, VTAGZ empowers brands to navigate the consumer landscape in retail with precision.
Investor & Board Member
2017
PlayVS is North America's leading scholastic esports platform, on a mission to unlock the many benefits of esports for players everywhere. PlayVS offers a single community in which players, coaches, educators, and parents come together to compete, connect, and grow through the power of esports. PlayVS is the official high school esports partner to the NFHS Network, the Special Olympics, and state and regional organizations in the U.S. and Canada that offer officially sanctioned scholastic esports leagues.
PlayVS operates an eSports platform to organize high school and collegiate esports.
Raised $106,211,719.00 from Blue Pool Capital, SoftBank, Open Opportunity Fund, New Enterprise Associates, Sapphire Ventures, Dick Costolo, Dennis Phelps, Adam Bain, Battery Ventures and Michael Ovitz.
Strategic Advisor / Acquired $4.9B
2011 - 2023
Scopely, Inc. is an American interactive entertainment company and mobile-first video game developer and publisher. The company is headquartered in Culver City, California, with offices across the US, EMEA and Asia. Scopely has both internal game development studios as well as partners with external development studios to create free-to-play games. Scopely also partners with intellectual property holders to create video games based on popular entertainment brands. Savvy Games Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), acquired the company in July 2023 for $4.9 billion.
Scopely is an entertainment and video game company that creates, publishes, and live-operates immersive games.
Raised $998,500,000.00 from Empede Capital, Maximize Capital, Veligera Capital, Nelstone Ventures and Employee Stock Option Fund.
Investor & Board Member / Acquired
2015 - 2016
Self-service influencer marketplace where brands, influencers and creators collaborate for branded content endorsements on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
Fame Bit is a YouTube marketing platform where brands collaborate with YouTube influencers and create videos.
Raised $1,500,000.00 from VentureOut.
Investor & Board Member / Acquired $2.4B
2012 - 2016
Dogvacay/Rover Group, Inc. is an American company which operates an online marketplace for people to buy and sell pet care services including pet sitting, dog boarding, and dog walking. Rover.com was founded in 2011 in Seattle, Washington and is formally incorporated under the name "A Place for Rover, Inc." The company serves as a broker and takes roughly 20% of each transaction booked through its site. The company was publicly listed on the Nasdaq since 2021, until it was taken private by Blackstone Inc. in 2024.
Education
BS
1993 - 1997
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Science Inc.-backed Mammoth Media Raises Series A From Greylock Partners
Talks about Investment, Media and Venture Capital
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Google Acquires FameBit from Science Inc.
Talks about Influencer Marketing, Social Media and Google acquisition
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What the next Dollar Shave Club can learn from failure
Talks about failure in business, direct-to-consumer commerce and entrepreneurship