Startups in the creative economy are difficult. Asking founders to rely on a reckless pre-seed company to develop an important aspect of their business can be dangerous – if you fail, as most startups do, you could unwittingly hurt other independent entrepreneurs, which (hopefully) is the last thing a founder wants.
But some startups in the field have had the opposite effect, making creative and online jobs more accessible than ever before. Platforms like OnlyFans and Patreon have helped creators earn sustainable income, while Linktree has turned the real estate segment of Instagram into a unicorn.
Y Combinator doesn’t seem particularly interested in the creative economy. Summer’s list of 22 companies isn’t a very long list if you sift through startups tagged with the “creative economy” label. Also, for some of the companies listed, I wouldn’t describe them as creative companies (seems useful for a software engineer looking for tarot, but a future product lead at Google isn’t in the same boat as a YouTube chef).
Regardless, a few companies are stuck in the mix as upcoming tools for fashion bloggers and Twitch streamers.
What makes video game streaming different from watching an entire game? Viewers will interact directly with their favorite streamers, seeing how their feedback and input can influence their gameplay. Already on streaming sites, fans can pay to get shoutouts on streams or to highlight comments from these creators. But Tanjia is taking that idea to a more interactive level.
Image Credits: hang out
Tangia is currently compatible with the mega-popular sandbox game Minecraft. Viewers can buy interactions in the streamer’s Minecraft game – for example, one fan can spend $8 to spawn zombies to attack the player, while another fan pays $10 to give the streamer an upgraded weapon.
This model is impossible to live up to in games that aren’t customizable like Minecraft – I don’t think you’d pay to spawn a shiny Pikachu in a streaming Pokemon game unless you use some wild mods. But Minecraft is enough of a cash cow because Tanjia has something special up her sleeve.
The best part about Tangia is that it only takes 10% of revenue from streamer sales – which is pretty good for a platform fee. In addition to Minecraft experiences, Tangia users can also sell subscriptions to their subscribers, earning them 90% of the payout.
Now, Tangia is integrated with Twitch, Minecraft, Discord and Stripe. Tanjiam is also taking on competitors by offering its own built-in “link in bio” product. Additionally, in addition to Minecraft experiences, Tangia users can sell subscriptions to their subscribers, which will also give them 90% of the payout.
Jumble is a second-hand clothing marketplace that uses short-form video and live streaming to help users make sales. Personally, I’m excited by the idea because it’s hard for me to shop for rich clothes online – I know my size from fast fashion brands I’ve shopped for ages, but I don’t know what fits me in the 80s brands I’ve worn. He has never heard of it. By seeing real people wearing the clothes in video clips, it is easy to understand the fit, style and texture of the clothes.
“Live streaming is a game changer in second fashion,” Jamble wrote. “Connecting with the audience in real time, answering all questions at once and selling to the highest bidder is the most effective way to move inventory – more than managing lists that don’t move for months.”
Image Credits: Jumble
The three French founders of Jumble started the company at home before moving to the U.S. The two once ran their own online vintage shop, which no doubt sparked their idea for the app.
I’m not sure if I should put Pops in this category – for example, is Squarespace or Wix a creative economy company? It is a border.
There are tons of no-code website builders out there, but Popsy is fun and eye-catching. The company started when the founders fell in love with Notion (we’ve all been there) and noticed how easy it was to publish attractive documents online. But Notion is intended to be a note-taking app, not a no-code web developer. So that’s where popsy comes in.
Now, Popsy has moved beyond its Notion-driven origins. It could still be their ultimate purchase.
Creating sites is free – no need to sign up for a free trial and remember to cancel before you’re charged. But if you decide to commit to the site, it’s $8 a month and can be equipped with a custom domain. Compared to other codeless website builders, that’s not a bad deal.
