The Business of Creators
The Business of Creators podcast is for content creators and professionals in the creator economy. Each week we speak to the businesses supporting the creator economy with new tools and effective means of monetisation. Subscribe to the show to learn more about the people powering this amazing new industry. The origin of the show is actually a network I set up in 2017 called The Business of Influencers, back when everyone was talking about influencers and not creators. I built the network to bring people together and it grew to more than 500 people as the creator economy boomed. But I've never liked the word influencer.Having spent more than 20 years in the media industry, I am deeply passionate about supporting creative talent. Today I am the co-founder of a business called Electrify Video Partners which invests in creators. And I created this show to raise awareness of this great industry.
The Business of Creators
How Instagram Helped This VC Find Billion-Dollar Startups - With Marshall Sandman from Animal Capital
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Most VCs hide behind pitch decks and private networks — Marshall Sandman is building a venture fund on social media, one daily post at a time.
In this episode of The Business of Creators, Ian Shepherd sits down with Marshall Sandman, founder of Animal Capital, to explore how social media is changing venture capital. Marshall shares how posting daily content online has helped him source startup deals, build founder relationships, and grow one of the top-performing seed-stage venture funds of its generation.
Marshall also explains why some of the best investment opportunities exist outside Silicon Valley — and why “boring” businesses may outperform the hottest AI trends.
Topics Discussed:
- How Marshall built Animal Capital from scratch
- Why social media is becoming a competitive advantage for VCs
- How Instagram content is helping source startup deals
- The role creators and celebrities play in startup storytelling
- Why overlooked industries can create massive investment opportunities
- Lessons from investing in billion-dollar startups
Key Takeaways:
- How posting consistently on social media can create real startup deal flow and business opportunities
- Why storytelling and distribution are becoming competitive advantages for modern venture capitalists
- How creators and celebrities can help technical startups communicate complex ideas more effectively
- Why some of the best investment opportunities exist outside Silicon Valley and traditional tech trends
- What founders can learn about fundraising, pitching, and simplifying their message for investors
- Why “unsexy” businesses and service-based companies may outperform overhyped AI startups
Listen to learn actionable strategies to grow your creator business — and don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more insights on the business of creators!