Turning Views into Value
Today's featured startup is creating a marketplace where investors can fund creators’ channels and earn from their ad revenue, opening a new frontier in the creator economy
Project Overview
GigaStar is a marketplace that connects YouTube creators with investors looking to fund their channels.
The business model is simple: creators commit to sharing a portion of their future ad revenue in exchange for upfront investment.
Each investor technically buys tokens — each representing a share of the creator’s YouTube ad income. Investors can later resell these tokens at any price, earning from the difference. Creators, in turn, also receive a small percentage from every secondary trade — meaning they benefit not only from initial funding but also from token appreciation.
This setup aligns the incentives of creators and investors. Just like in the stock market, many investors focus not on dividends, but on the potential value growth of their holdings — except here, creators also profit from that growth.
Monthly payouts are automated, giving investors a predictable income stream. Creators can use the funds to grow their channels — hiring staff, buying equipment, or investing in promotion — while only sharing the ad revenue from YouTube itself. Earnings from sponsorships or direct brand deals remain entirely theirs.
Since launch, GigaStar has already registered over 12,000 investors, helped creators raise more than $1 million, and facilitated monthly distributions exceeding $62,000. The startup, founded in 2022, has raised $11.1 million in three rounds of funding.
What’s the Gist?
GigaStar is tapping into the booming creator economy, home to more than 300 million digital creators worldwide.
Unlike major players such as Spotter and Jellysmack, which invest their own capital into large channels with millions of subscribers, GigaStar focuses on smaller creators — typically channels with 100,000 to 500,000 subscribers — and allows retail investors to participate directly.
This model significantly broadens the market. There are only about 32,000 YouTubers with over a million subscribers, but more than 321,000 creators with over 100,000 — a massive underserved segment.
Beyond GigaStar, other startups are also building financial infrastructure for creators.
For instance, Karat issues credit cards tailored for creators, evaluating creditworthiness not through traditional history but through audience metrics and engagement levels — betting on creators’ ability to monetize their following.
The rise of platforms like GigaStar and Karat illustrates a larger movement: creators are becoming a new financial class, and startups are racing to build products that let them raise, borrow, and grow like small businesses.
Key Takeaways
Investors today are actively seeking alternative assets — opportunities beyond traditional stocks and bonds. This has fueled a wave of new marketplaces for unconventional investments:
Vint — fine wine and spirits.
FranShares — franchise ownership.
Peggy — fine art and collectibles.
SMBX — small local businesses
Keyturn — short-term rental properties.
GigaStar takes the same principle and applies it to the creator economy, giving investors access to a fast-growing digital asset class — YouTube channels — while empowering creators to fund their growth without losing creative independence.
The broader direction is clear: the next generation of marketplaces will be built around alternative investments in emerging sectors — and the creator economy, valued at $104 billion in 2023, is one of the most promising frontiers.
Company Info
GigaStar
Website: gigastar.io
Latest Round: $3M, 28.12.2023
Total Funding: $11.1M across 3 rounds