Read the pitch decks from these creator economy startups that have helped raise millions of dollars

July, a creator startup, raised $2.3 million in advance.July

• The creator economy is catching the attention – and the wallets – of big-name VCs.

• Founder-focused startups raise millions of dollars.

• Here are the pitch decks used by 24 startups in the Series A, seed, and pre-seed rounds.

The term “creator economy” became a buzzword in 2021 as creatives, VCs and entrepreneurs rushed to capitalize on a booming industry.

Between January and September 2021, more than 70,000 people used the term online, according to the United Talent Agency’s IQ department, which tracks trends in the influencer industry.

According to Insider Intelligence, the money marketers are spending in the influencer marketing industry is projected to exceed $6 billion by 2023 – but the creator economy is now well beyond marketing.

This rapid growth is fueled by the millions of dollars invested in startups such as link-in-bio service Linktree (worth $1.3 billion in 2022) or affiliate marketing platform LTK ( worth $2 billion by the end of 2021). The developers themselves are also attracting investors, and groups – like the esports team Faze Clan – are going public.

Here are 13 investors and VC firms funding innovative startups in the creator economy

According to The Information, more than $5 billion has been invested in creator-focused startups in the US in 2021.

And while investors may be considering slightly different factors after the larger market has cooled, they are still on the lookout for startups that are developing practical tools for incubators.

For example, in December July — a creator economy start-up aiming to simplify the brand deal process — announced a $2.3 million pre-seed round funded by Seven Seven Six Alexis Ohanian was led.

How do creator economy startups get these investments? It often starts with a pitch deck.

Lumanu, a creator-focused finance startup, uses a simple pitch deck that serves more as a “conversation guide,” co-founder and CEO Tony Tran told Insider.

“My pitch is always: why, what, how and why now?” Tran said. (Read the full pitch deck here.)

The story goes on

Skye, a career coaching startup, had different decks depending on the type of investor or fund it was offering.

“I had two different versions depending on the fund,” said Jessica Wolf, CEO and co-founder of Skye. “If I knew a fund was more pre-seed and all about the founder, I’d have a deck. But if I knew you were a numbers person, I would use a different one.”

But every startup has a different approach.

Insider spoke to founders who have pitched their startups to investors about their process. They dismantled the pitch decks that had secured millions of dollars in funding.

Read the pitch decks that helped 24 creator-centric startups raise millions of dollars:

• Restream, a live streaming alternative to platforms like Twitch from Amazon: $50 million, Series A (14 pages)

• Pearpop, a creator marketing platform: $18 million, Series A (18 pages)

• Spoon Radio, a social audio startup: $17 million Series A (15 pages)

• Kyra, a content studio, talent management company, and influencer marketing platform: $15M Series A (20pp

• Lumanu, a business solutions platform for creatives: $12 million, Series A (8 pages)

• Hype, a platform for link-in-bio and other creator monetization tools: $10 million, Series A (13 pages)

• Slip.stream, a gamer-focused music startup: $7.5 million Series A (13 pages)

• Scenario, a Generative AI Startup to Create Gaming Art and Assets: $6M Seed (8 Pages)

• Authoritive, an online course development startup: $5 million seed (11 pages)

• Brag House, an Esports Startup: $5M Series A (24 pages)

• Glystn, an AI-Powered Community Management Platform: $4M Seed (15 pages)

• Anima, an augmented reality startup: $3 million (15 pages)

• Spark, a digital art platform by YouTuber Moriah Elizabeth: $2.5 million seed (9 pages)

• Insense, a startup that helps ecommerce brands get low-cost ads: $2.5M Pre-Series A (9 pages)

• July, a “talent manager in your pocket” for creatives: $2.3 million pre-seed (9 pages)

• Supercast, a podcast subscription startup: $2 million seed (20 pages)

• Chartmetric, a music data and measurement company: $2 million seed (46 pages)

• Ultimate Playlist, a music marketing startup: $2 million (9 pages)

• Squads, a startup that helps developers mint and sell cryptocoins: $1.8 million pre-seed (12 pages)

• Skye, a career coaching platform: $1.6 million pre-seed (33 pages)

• Magroove, a music distribution and discovery platform: $1.6 million seed (21 pages)

• Stagetime, a professional networking startup for performing artists: $1.5 million seed (13 pages)

• Jubilee, a content studio looking to expand beyond YouTube and TikTok: $1.1M Seed-Plus (12 pages)

• Spore, a content and community building startup: $1 million pre-seed (17 pages)

• Hashtag Pay Me, a Startup Helping Developers Evaluate Branded Offers: $200,000 Pre-Seed (9 Pages)

• Our Future, a short video news brand aimed at Gen Z: acquired (15 pages)

Read the original article on Business Insider