TikTok’s Rising Venture Capitalists; Yanked Brand Deals; Viral Entomology

Some venture capital firms are experimenting with TikTok as a marketing tool to reach people in their mid-20s. Maitree Mervana Parekh, 29, a principal at Acrew Capital, sees it differently: As a way to portray her interests outside work and experience what it means to be a creator, which she says gives her a deeper understanding of founders and companies in the creator economy. 

Parekh has co-led deals for Acrew, which was founded in 2019 by Aspect Ventures co-founder Theresia Gouw. Parekh’s deals include startups in The Information’s Creator Economy Database such as Creative Juice, Afterparty and Pools.