How Instagram Became A Venture Capital Deal Engine – Yahoo Finance

Ian Shepherd, Contributor Thu, May 21, 2026 at 3:04 PM CDT 4 min read Closeup of woman’s holding smartphones, connecting with social media, leaving comments, sending messages and sharing photos. Technology connecting people. getty For decades, venture capital depended on closed networks. Founders needed introductions. Investors relied on private circles. Geography mattered. The strongest deal flow often stayed concentrated around Silicon Valley, New York and a handful of elite startup communities. Marshall Sandman believes that model is starting to break down. The founder of Animal Capital has spent the last 139 days posting daily videos on Instagram @marshallsandman explaining venture capital in unusually direct terms: fundraising mechanics, dilution, startup mistakes and how investors evaluate businesses. What began as a content experiment has become a sourcing engine. “We’ve already written our first check from someone that reached out cold to us,” Sandman told me on my podcast. The approach reflects a larger transformation happening across venture capital. Investors are increasingly operating like creators, using content to build trust, attract founders and generate proprietary deal flow. Why Investors Are Turning To Content Sandman originally started posting for operational reasons. He travels constantly between Raleigh, New York and portfolio companies across the country
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