7 VCs explain why the creator economy still has legs

If you underestimate the power of internet personalities, you’re not paying attention.

In Silicon Valley, “creator economy” used to be nearly as hot a buzzword as “AI” is right now. But even as content creators remain at the forefront of culture, the numbers behind venture capital investments tell a different story: Last year, the amount of money invested in creator economy companies from the first to third quarter.

But creator economy investors remain unfazed by what may seem like a steep decline. Several investors told TechCrunch+ that they knew that the entertainment industry would weather some twists and turns as the world exits pandemic-era lockdowns and that trends in venture can be cyclical. Some investors even said that the creator economy has yet to reach full maturity.

To learn more about the state of the creator economy industry and how investors are thinking, we surveyed seven VCs about where the industry is headed, the rise of short-form video, the shifting role of influencer marketing, and what the launch of new platforms portends.