Free Agency Vol. 25 📈 How to Invest actual money in Your creative friends ( and how to not fumble it, as a creator)

The creator industry is entering a new phase of maturity. While the past decade was about building platforms and tools for creators, the next wave is about serious institutional capital flowing into creator-led businesses. But investing in creators isn't as simple as writing a check—it requires new frameworks that can balance creative autonomy with investor protection.

Recent market signals suggest we're at an inflection point. Major platforms are restructuring revenue shares, venture funds are raising creator-focused capital, and infrastructure players are scaling up. The question isn't whether creators will become a legitimate asset class, but how to structure these investments for mutual success.

Some Signals:

• Yahoo News is splitting 50% of advertising revenue with 100 creators.
• Slow Ventures just raised 60M fund for creators.
• Uscreen gets a $150M injection to scale out mobile and tv apps for creators
• Creator agency Whalar launched The Lighthouse, a physical campus for creators based in LA and Brooklyn.
• ShopMy, pulled $77.5M to expand internationally and reshape creator-driven commerce
  

The creator industry will become increasingly capitalized by venture. It is only a matter of when, not if. Being early is costly, being late ensures you get none of the upside. So if you have the risk tolerance, means there is a massive opportunity.

First something is fringe. Then it’s up and coming. Then it’s mainstream. Then people make market maps about it on LinkedIn. But by that time, it’s too late. I believe in a media-first approach to analysis and building businesses. This means that showing is much better than telling.

When it comes to product, you build something people want. As an artist, you make something you want to see in the world. Entrepreneurs learn how to do both. That’s what makes creators an undervalued asset class. They can make what they want, build audience, then build businesses with and for their community. That’s what makes creators, founders.

Most creators are operating on a cashflow basis, meaning that monetization is usually the biggest variable. The ones that are household names and have gigantic audiences are generally self-sufficient (e.g. Mr. Beast, Kai Cenat) and do not need to take capital for their operation. They might take it for a new venture, but that line of potential “collaborators” is long, so they are what is desired.

But that’s no different than any other investment, and the upside is huge. With institutional dollars increasingly flowing into the creator economy, creators and investors need frameworks that protect intellectual property (IP), align incentives, and offer flexibility for diverse revenue streams. The challenge isn’t a lack of vision; it’s facing the tactical realities of putting vision and capital to work. Multi-company contracts can accomplish exactly that.