A Kansas City Company Changed the Rules
Most mission-driven startups rely on good intentions. One company decided to encode its mission directly into its legal foundation—and it changes everything.
Written by Lauren Aleshire
The & is the trusted
symbol for connection.
The & Company. Where the internet works for people.
The & is the trusted
symbol for connection.
The & Company. Where the internet works for people.
Interested in getting a premium &tag for a brand or public figure? Contact us!
Your &tag proves you're human — and so does everyone else's. Every connection is real.
the foundation
We built for the long game
We made the harder choices early — legally, structurally, in the brand itself — so trust wouldn't be something we bolted on later.
legal
Public Benefit Corporation
Purpose before profit, written into our legal structure. Moving the world toward trust has been our mission since day one.
i.p.
Trademarks + Patents
Your name — your &tag — is globally trademarked, for life. Two U.S. patents covering data exchange, pay-by-presence, and asymmetric relationships.
brand
and.com
A simple brand, built around the literal symbol of connection between things: "&". A people-first story where we all have ownership and agency.
how it works
Powerful Connection.
Private by Design.
→ generated privately, on-device.
Your profile, your insights all remain on device.
→ human-in-the-loop.
You approve your data and your connections.
→ plugs into anything that speaks MCP.
Connects to the tools you already use. One &tag, and any app that supports it can get real context about you — only with your permission.
what it unlocks
Moving the world toward joy
For the first time, your shared interests become visible with &tags. You and your connections can think together, grow together, and experience better.
01
Identity
Every person owns their identity. Your &tag is a legally verified guarantee that you're a real, unique human.
02
Profile
A living picture of who you are, not just where you’ve worked, but your interests, how you move through the world, and the insight that comes from it.
03
Connection
You decide what's shared and who you connect with. Your &tag works for you — opening new ways to interact that can only happen with your &tag.
mentorship
coffee
new skills
bagels
board seats
films
career pivots
hikesmentorshipcoffeenew skillsbagelsboard seatsfilmscareer pivotshikesmentorshipcoffeenew skillsbagelsboard seatsfilmscareer pivotshikesThis is what culture looks like when people — not platforms — decide what's worth sharing.
the team
Our culture is people-first
We believe that the only way to build what we're building is to put people first at every turn. That allows us to move at the speed of trust — which enables us to serve humanity at scale.
&dan
Dan Carroll
Co-Founder
&aaron
Aaron Sloup
Co-Founder
&jeff
Jeff Mendelsohn (advisor)
&lesa
Lesa Mitchell
&kevin
Kevin Manase
&waira
Waira Mungai
&amanda
Amanda Zimmerman
&michael
Michael Phillips
&jodi
Jodi Mathews
&santiago
Santiago Carrasco
&makenzie
Makenzie Montgomery (advisor)
&yogev.shifman
Yogev Shifman (advisor)
&jason.houseworth
Jason Houseworth (advisor)
&justin.nesci
Justin Nesci (advisor)
aligned investors
Henry Crown Fellows Fund
8808 Ventures
8 Angel Investors
advisor *
news
Read more: A Kansas City Company Changed the Rules
What We Mean by Joy
The & Company exists to move the world toward joy. That's a big statement—so let's talk about what we actually mean, because we're not talking about what most people think.
Written by Aaron Sloup, Co-Founder
Jimmy Wales on Trust, Wikipedia, and Building for Humanity
At SXSW 2026, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales sat down with Dan Carroll to talk about why trust is the defining challenge of our moment—and what entrepreneurs can actually do about it.
Written by SXSW Transcript