Progression Fund Research
Investment Thesis
Progression Fund is the official TikTok alumni venture fund focused exclusively on early-stage consumer technology founders. The fund writes first checks in visionary founders who are leveraging AI to transform everyday consumer experiences. Their unfair advantage stems from deep relationships within the TikTok alumni community and across consumer tech ecosystems globally.
Sector Focus
Progression invests exclusively in consumer technology with emphasis on:
- AI-native consumer products and experiences
- Live streaming and engagement commerce
- Digital health and wellness
- Marketplaces and community platforms
- Content and social technology
Founded in 2020, the fund has positioned itself at the intersection of consumer demand and AI innovation, betting on a new wave of founders building AI-driven products.
Stage Focus
Progression is a pre-seed and seed-stage investor. They position themselves as "first-check" investors in visionary consumer founders. The fund focuses on founders at the conceptual stage and early product development, providing both capital and access to the TikTok alumni network.
Check Size
Based on portfolio analysis:
- Typical check size: $500K - $3M
- Pre-seed: $500K - $1M
- Seed: $1M - $3M
- Follow-on capacity in fund
Lead Tendency
Progression leads or co-leads early-stage rounds. Their positioning as a "first-check" investor suggests conviction-based investment and active round structuring.
Recent Activity
As of Q4 2025, Progression Fund is actively deploying:
- Recent investments (2024-2025): Nimbus (Dec 2025), and 3+ new investments in the last 12 months
- Portfolio of 47+ active companies with 70+ total invested
- Consistent deployment rhythm indicates active fund in growth phase
- Recent focus on AI-native consumer products
Portfolio Highlights
Notable portfolio companies include:
- Perplexity - AI search and research platform
- Luma - AI-powered visual content creation
- Candle - Consumer AI application
- Omeda Studios - Gaming/interactive content
- PalmStreet - Marketplace platform
- AssetHub - Investment/finance platform
- Prophetic - Predictive analytics for consumers
- TourHero - Travel marketplace
- Permanent Agriculture - Sustainability/agriculture tech
Portfolio demonstrates strength in AI infrastructure, marketplaces, and consumer engagement tech.
Team
Progression's team combines venture investing expertise with deep consumer tech operations:
Core Investors:
- Matt Lee - Managing Partner, consumer tech veteran
- Vincent Diallo - Investor, international expansion expertise
- JJ Aguhob - Investor, platform operations background
- Tomoya Ogawa - Investor, Asia-Pacific expertise
- James V - Investor, consumer product expertise
Team includes seasoned investors, founders, and operators with geographic reach across US, Asia, and Europe. TikTok alumni background provides unique founder network and domain expertise.
Geographic Focus
Primarily US (Los Angeles base), with significant activity in Asia-Pacific and Europe. The TikTok alumni network spans globally, enabling international investment sourcing.
Founder Preferences
Progression explicitly seeks:
- Visionary consumer technology founders
- Builders leveraging AI to transform everyday experiences
- Founders with bold, breakthrough thinking
- Teams with international experience or ambitions
- Operators comfortable with rapid experimentation
Decision Process
Based on team structure and website positioning, Progression appears to use a partnership model with relatively flat decision-making. Their emphasis on community and founder engagement suggests collaborative conviction-building.
Fund Status
Progression Fund is actively deploying from their primary fund. The consistent investment activity (3+ new investments in 12 months across 47+ portfolio companies) and website sophistication suggest a fund in mid-to-late deployment phase.