Fizz, a social app targeting college students, has expanded its ongoing lawsuit against rival Sidechat with new allegations against Jerry Lu, a venture capitalist at Maveron. Fizz claims that Lu met with its founders under the pretense of exploring an investment but subsequently passed confidential business information to Sidechat. This includes sensitive details on Fizz’s growth plans, user metrics, fundraising efforts, and product roadmap, which were shared during a March 2022 meeting.

The litigation highlights concerns around venture capitalists' roles in highly competitive startup sectors, where founders often share proprietary information during fundraising with the expectation of confidentiality. Fizz’s complaint alleges that Lu not only shared data with Sidechat’s owners but also invested in Sidechat’s seed round in October 2023 after discussions reportedly began in 2022. Additionally, a mutual acquaintance, Jack Burlinson, is accused of providing Fizz’s investor deck and reports to Lu, who then allegedly forwarded them to Sidechat.

Fizz and Sidechat compete in the anonymous social networking space focused on college campuses, a market with fierce rivalry for users’ engagement. Both apps have faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny; for example, the University of North Carolina system banned them alongside similar platforms due to concerns over bullying and harassment. Fizz originally sued Sidechat in 2023 over alleged unfair tactics, including false rumors, sabotage attempts, and incentivizing app deletions by students, though Jerry Lu was not named in that initial complaint.

Sidechat’s CEO Kyle Venn responded to the allegations by denying wrongdoing and stating the current Sidechat team was not involved with the matters raised, as the business was acquired in 2025 after the disputed events. Neither Jerry Lu nor Maveron responded to requests for comment. The new accusations intensify the ongoing dispute between the two apps as they jockey for dominance in the college social media market.