Alignment Growth

We believe today’s catalysts - technological, regulatory, and demographic - create fertile ground for the rise of a new cohort of companies with the ability to transform these sectors, yet again. S4S Ventures benefits from the support of S4 Capital and its operating arm - Monks, the global content, data and media powerhouse founded by Sir Martin Sorrell. The company has well over 8,000 people in 33 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Its clients include Meta, Google, BMW, Amazon and Epic Games, among others. And Stanhope Capital Group, the global investment firm with $40 billion under management, founded and led by Daniel Pinto. S4S invests in and cultivates early-stage technology companies riding the next wave of digital transformation across the marketing and media value chain. Our difference We are not generalistsline. We bring unparalleled insight into forces transforming the marketing and media value chain. We offer domain expertise and guidance based on decades of experience gained on the front lines as industry-shaping founders/CEOs, operators, and investors. And our 8,000-person-strong internal network of S4 Capital/Monks professionals with expertise across data technology, adtech, martech, creative technology, digital media & content development gives our portfolio companies a leg up in validating ideas, launching products, and accelerating adoption with customers and partners. Who we are We’re founders/CEOs, operators, and investors who understand the nuances of the industry’s changing dynamics. We represent a rare combination of domain, entrepreneurial and investment expertise. What we believe The marketing, advertising, and media industries are on the cusp of significant change, yet again. Today’s disruptive catalysts - a stricter privacy and regulatory environment for tech giants, the application of AI to media and content development, and the rise of Gen Z - are powerful and time-sensitive drivers of opportunity. Tomorrow’s marketing leaders are being incubated today. What excites us One word: change We are focused on early stage companies poised to disrupt the marketing and media ecosystem. If you’re an early-stage company and are building innovative solutions in our focus areas - data platforms, adtech, martech, creative technology, digital media & content - we want to hear from you. If you are a later-stage company, and we can accelerate your growth trajectory through our operational alignment with S4 Capital and Monks - we want to hear from you. Our value addIndustry Expertise: Our team's expertise and global S4 Capital and Monks network provides invaluable insights and guidance on product roadmap, go-to-market strategy, pricing, and competitive analysis. Gain access to a unique advisory team and a focus group like no other! Growth Catalyst: We aim to be early adopters and showcase the impact of companies we are investing in - globally, and at scale. Our portfolio companies benefit from access to Monks’ clients such as Google, Amazon, BMW, Netflix, Burberry, HP, and Meta - and from our presence at industry events, such as Cannes and CES. Strategic Partnerships & Network: Our portfolio can tap into our long-term relationships with the largest advertising and technology companies globally. We have the right connectivity to help bring about optimal opportunities - whether our portfolio companies require strategic partnership or corporate venture partners.

As a group, we bring varied, relevant and sometimes unexpected experience to our roles. Our team has dabbled in founding companies, management consulting, operations, film production, ski instruction, language instruction, ceramic making, sommelier services, and more! We are building the pre-eminent global community for high potential, early-stage digital content startups, where we focus on facilitating relevant connections that can support their growth. There are over 300 early-stage startups in our community, and 100 industry executives and mentors in our support network, across 40 countries. Every quarter, we proactively make 50 introductions to subject matter experts, potential partners and customers for our founder members. We also provide a platform for peer to peer knowledge sharing and host educational and networking events for members.

Advance Venture Partners ("AVP") combines the disciplined approach of an institutional venture and growth equity investor with the strategic insights, access, and impact made possible by a high-value strategic partner. Our initial investments in businesses range from $5 million to $30 million, and we have a broad investment mandate across software and consumer verticals, including digital health and insurtech. AVP is affiliated with Advance, the private, family-held holding company focused on fostering long-term growth and innovation across a diversified portfolio in media, technology, entertainment, education, communications, and other growth sectors. Advance’s portfolio includes Conde Nast, Advance Local, The IRONMAN Group, American City Business Journals, Turnitin, 1010data and is among the largest shareholders in reddit, Charter Communications, and Discovery. Our investment thesisWe are theme or sector-driven and are comfortable investing in companies serving either enterprise or consumer end markets. We work tirelessly to support exceptional founders and operators building disruptive, landscape-changing businesses. We write $10 to $25 million first checks into businesses with product in market, evidence of product-market-fit, sound fundamentals, compelling growth, and large end markets. Our evergreen fund structure allows us to be patient capital and long-term strategic partners to our portfolio companies. AVP is built in partnership with Advance, a family-owned multi-genera­tional holding company that owns and operates enduring media and technology companies. We concentrate our time in industries and verticals where we have built conviction around evolving market trends and the opportu­nities created for emerging platforms. We are actively pursuing investments in verticals including digital health, data platforms, insurance technology, and financial technology.

Established in 2006, with over $180 million under management, BDMI makes early stage investments into innovative companies in the tech and media landscape. ENTERPRISE NETWORK Drawing upon the global reach of parent company Bertelsmann, BDMI is a financially-driven corporate venture investor that brings a wealth of experience and opportunities to emerging companies. BDMI provides not only capital, but also brings access to a worldwide collection of diverse businesses within Bertelsmann and via our broader network of media, platform and tech connections. Our goal is to partner with companies that can benefit from our expertise and global perspective. TWO FUNDS BDMI invests out of two funds: a seed fund and a traditional early stage fund. For the seed fund, we typically prefer to see a product or service that is live in the marketplace with some initial data points that demonstrate early signs of product-market fit. We don’t usually lead seed stage investments, but prefer to join a syndicate with a lead already in place. FLEXIBLE INVESTING In BDMI’s main fund, we typically pursue Series A and Series B rounds with an initial investment of $500k to $10m plus reserves for follow-ons. We are comfortable leading an investment, co-leading or joining a syndicate with other strategic or financial investors. Depending upon the size of our investment, we usually hold voting board seats or observer seats. We invest in companies based in North America, Europe and Israel. Bertelsmann Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the entertainment group RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato Group, Bertelsmann Marketing Services, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 165,000 employees worldwide and generated revenues of €20.2 billion in the 2022 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. RTL Group – Quality Entertainment on all Channels RTL Group is a leading entertainment company across broadcast, streaming, content and digital, with interests in 56 television channels, eight streaming services and 36 radio stations. The Group’s families of TV channels are either number one or number two in six European countries, while RTL Group owns or has interests in radio stations in France, Germany, Spain and Luxembourg. RTL Deutschland is the Group’s largest business unit and Germany’s first cross-media champion, operating across TV, streaming, radio, digital and publishing. RTL Group‘s streaming services include RTL+ in Germany and Hungary, Videoland in the Netherlands and 6play in France. Fremantle is one of the world’s largest creators, producers and distributors of scripted and unscripted content, responsible for more than 12,000 hours of programming per year, alongside an international network of teams operating in 27 countries. Bertelsmann is the majority shareholder of RTL Group, holding 75 percent of its shares. Penguin Random House – Number One in the World of Book Publishing Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers everywhere. The company employs more than 10,000 people globally. With more than 300 imprints and brands on six continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English-, German- and Spanish-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With over 16,000 new titles and more than 700 million print, audio and e-books sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read authors. Penguin Random House is wholly owned by Bertelsmann. BMG – Home for Songwriters and Artists in the Digital Age BMG – established in 2008 – is the world’s fourth-biggest music company, the first new global player in the music business of the streaming age, and a record label and music publisher in one. Named in 2020 as one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company, BMG’s pitch is unique – a relentless focus on fairness, transparency and service to its artist and songwriter clients. BMG’s 22 offices across 13 core music markets now represent over 3 million songs and recordings, including many of the most renowned and successful catalogs in popular music history. BMG’s fresh approach includes production music, films, books, artist management, merchandise, neighboring rights and live as well as music publishing and recordings off the same service platform. With its multi-platform perspective, integrated technology platform and commitment to help artists maximize their income, BMG aims to be the best company in music to do business with. BMG is wholly owned by Bertelsmann. Arvato Group – One-Stop Everything Arvato Group is an internationally active service group that develops and implements customised solutions for various business processes for customers in diverse industries in more than 40 countries. The group's solution portfolio, which ranges from supply chain solutions (Arvato) and financial services (Riverty) to IT services (Arvato Systems), is used by globally renowned companies from a wide variety of industries – from telecommunications providers and energy suppliers to banks and insurance companies as well as e-commerce, IT and Internet providers. Arvato is wholly owned by Bertelsmann. The services business also includes the global customer experience company Majorel, which is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam and in which Bertelsmann holds a stake of around 40 percent. Bertelsmann Marketing Services – Powerful Marketing and Printing Expertise The Bertelsmann Marketing Services division is a cross-channel full-service provider for the advertising industry in which all of Bertelsmann’s direct marketing and print activities are bundled. Bertelsmann Marketing Services comprises four divisions: First, the German offset printers Mohn Media, GGP Media and Vogel Druck; second, the Book Printing Group in the United States, which consists of several offset and digital printers specializing in the production of books; third, the Digital Marketing Unit, which includes Germany’s leading content agency Territory, Campaign, the DeutschlandCard and the Dialog business; and fourth, the Sonopress Group, with the storage media producer Sonopress and the printing and packaging specialist Topac. Bertelsmann Marketing Services is wholly owned by Bertelsmann. Bertelsmann Education Group – Shaping Learning in the 21st Century Bertelsmann Education Group is home to leading providers of education and workforce management solutions. The group’s companies focus on the healthcare sector, in particular education and training, and deliver innovative ways of teaching and learning for students and professionals, and performance management solutions for organizations. Portfolio companies include the leading US continuing education and workforce management solution provider Relias, the professional practice-oriented Alliant University, Brazil’s number one medical education group Afya; and further venture fund investments. The Bertelsmann Education Group is wholly owned by Bertelsmann. Bertelsmann Investments – International Investment Platforms Bertelsmann Investments (BI) comprises Bertelsmann’s global venture capital activities as well as the Bertelsmann Next growth unit. The venture capital arm includes the Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI), Bertelsmann India Investments (BII) and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) funds, as well as selected fund and direct holdings in markets including Europe, the United States, Brazil, Southeast Asia and Africa. The Bertelsmann Next unit advances the entrepreneurial development of new growth sectors and business areas, including digital health, mobile gaming and HR Tech. To date, around €1.7 billion has been invested in more than 400 innovative companies and funds through Bertelsmann Investments. Bertelsmann Investments currently holds over 300 active investments worldwide through its network of start-ups and funds.

Paige & Josh met as most people do now, through a mutual friend on the internet. They quickly became best friends & co-investors, and founded Behind Genius Ventures. Investment ThesisTypes of Companies Future of Work Future of Play Sub-categories in the Future of Work Dev Tools API-First Products Fintech No Code Sub-categories in the Future of Play Health and Wellness Entertainment & Media Gaming E-Commerce The Passion Economy Stage of Investment Pre-Seed Seed Geography USA and Canada only Check Size $100K - $200K Investment Process Even though we invest unanimously, we try to move as quickly as possible as Solo GPs. Companies we invest in will go through all the steps below before an investment decision is made. On average, our entire due diligence process takes between 2-3 weeks to complete. ‍Step 1: Partner #1 Zoom Call Step 2: Additional questions asked through Loom or asked through email asynchronously Step 3: Partner #2 Zoom Call Step 4: Additional questions asked through Loom or asked through email asynchronously Step 5: Potential third call with all partners available - product demo if applicable Step 6: Review additional information internally‍‍ We try our best to be as transparent with founders as possible. If we meet with you and decide to pass on the opportunity, we try our best to either: Tell you immediately at the end of our meeting Provide a personalized email response as to the reason we are passing

GFR Fund is a San Francisco-based venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology startups disrupting the digital media and entertainment space. We work with founders who are ahead of social trends, understand their audience and creatively combine existing technologies to offer new experiences to users. Domain Expertise: Decades of experience in operating and investing in digital media entertainment ventures in Silicon Valley. Investment Stage: Pre-seed, seed and Series A Asia Connections: Backed by strategic investors in the Digital Media Entertainment space from Asia. Affiliated with GREE, a Tokyo-based global leader in mobile gaming. Geography: Based in San Francisco and Tokyo. Investing across North America, Europe, as well as SEA. Areas of FocusXR/Metaverse Games/Esports Creator Economy Social Media Web3/NFT Blockchain Consumer Fintech