Approaching Fundraising for Creators
I’m a venture capitalist. My job is to find new, undersaturated talent markets and to invest in those before they even know they are venture-scalable. Content and Creators are what I’m betting on. They are my two loves.
Over the last five years, I’ve been watching billions of dollars being thrown to what can only be described as the “creator economy” and it’s clear that most of those bills were set on fire. I don’t want to blame anyone for that - since “Creator” is something so misunderstood that we can’t even decide on its definition or who is/isn’t one.
Creator is a $200B industry. Creators are rich. Creators need this product.
All assumptions. I’ve invested 1) with, 2) for, and 3) in Creators, professionally. I guarantee that there are maybe four or five investors on the planet that can say that. My biggest takeaway is this: The Creator ecosystem is an underdeveloped ecosystem. It’s been entirely misunderstood and hasn’t matured.
I started this newsletter is to continue to find out why.
Insight, first.
If there is absolutely any point to get across in this blog, it is that you should not be raising money just because you are:
1) making money. Or because you are
2) famous.
It has to be because you believe content allows for Creators to have access to insights on humans that can lead to new product creation unlike traditional businesses and brands.
Note: Do not raise venture capital to just have someone slap on some random product and use you and your audience as a distributive channel. You are more than your distribution.
This is the story that will guide you through your pitch deck, your pitch, and your entire company’s creation.
What have you seen from your audience?
What have you heard that they want or problems they have?
This discovery that there is a new problem is exactly what VCs like to hear from the jump.
A deck is the first piece of content a potential investor is getting exposure to from a Creator as a venture-backable Founder. No pressure. The good news for Creators is that most good decks are story-driven & insight-driven. These will come naturally.