The campus social media platform Fizz has launched a legal battle against a venture capitalist, alleging the investor misappropriated confidential startup data and funneled it directly to a competitor, Sidechat. According to court filings, Fizz asserts that the VC, identified as Jerry Lu, leveraged private information to benefit Sidechat while maintaining a deceptive facade of interest in the plaintiff’s business.
Allegations of Data Misuse
Data from PitchBook confirms that Lu invested in Sidechat’s second seed round in October 2023. However, the lawsuit alleges that Lu’s entanglement with Sidechat began as early as 2022.
Fizz further contends that Jack Burlinson, an individual acquainted with both the startup founders and Lu, inadvertently facilitated the leak. According to the filing, Burlinson shared sensitive materials—including Fizz’s investor deck and internal fall summaries—with Lu, who allegedly passed the information directly to Sidechat.
Defense and Denials
In a statement to TechCrunch, Burlinson disputed the narrative regarding his involvement, stating he had “no knowledge that Sidechat existed until this article.” He added, “Jerry Lu had come to me under the false premise he was looking to invest. Jerry collected this information from me under false pretenses (that he wanted to invest in Fizz).”
Representatives for Lu and the firm Maveron did not respond to requests for comment. Fizz also declined to provide further details.
Kyle Venn, CEO of Yik Yak and Sidechat, addressed the litigation via email: “These are allegations, not court findings. We deny any wrongdoing and will address this through the legal process. The alleged events happened before the current Sidechat team acquired the business in 2025 and inherited the lawsuit. No one on today’s operating team was involved. We’re currently focused on making a great product, not suing other apps.”
Update: This story has been updated to include comments by founder Jack Burlinson, who is included as a “mutual acquaintance” of Fizz’s founders and Lu in the lawsuit between Fizz and Sidechat.
About the Author
