Every startup is a bank — or wants to be | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

The podcast discusses the rise of venture capital investment in the creator and influencer economy, highlighting the differences between creators and influencers. It also touches on the growing trend of companies expanding into financial services, particularly in the payments space.

Key Insights

• 🫠 The influencer economy has expanded dramatically, with micro influencers now able to monetize their online presence and earn money through sponsored ads.
• 👨‍💼 Companies are building innovative solutions to support creators and influencers in managing their business needs, such as project management and payments platforms.
• 👾 The payments space is experiencing significant growth, with companies like Uber and Shopify entering the market to provide financial services to their customers.
• 🔠 Venture capital investment in the creator and influencer economy is increasing, although some VCs remain skeptical about the viability of the market.
• 👶 Embedded payments present a new opportunity for companies to generate revenue by offering financial services to their customer base.
• 😮 The rise of online transactions and the availability of new data streams enable more accurate risk assessment and creditworthiness evaluation.
• 👾 Despite the increasing competition in the payments space, there is still room for innovation, and companies are exploring different models to capture market share.

Transcript

hello and welcome back to equities techCrunch's venture capital focus podcast I'm TechCrunch reporter Kate Clark and I'm joined by my co-host Alex Wilhelm of crunch based news how's it going Alex it's going good cold out here on the East Coast looking forward to fall but otherwise in good shape and I'm really excited about our guest this week yeah ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between creators and influencers?

Creators are artists who produce content across multiple platforms, while influencers are famous individuals in the modern sense who have an impact on the market's view of certain products through social media ads.

Q: How are micro influencers able to monetize their online presence?

Micro influencers with a few thousand followers can now start making money online through sponsored ads, partnerships, and collaborations with brands. They fulfill specific requirements in their posts and get paid based on their performance.

Q: What challenges do influencers face in fulfilling brand requirements and getting paid?

Influencers often receive specific instructions from brands on what to include in their posts or videos, making it challenging to keep track of all the specifications. Additionally, invoicing and getting paid can be unreliable in the influencer industry.

Q: Why are companies expanding into financial services, particularly in the payments space?

Companies are exploring embedded payments to capitalize on the growing trend of online transactions and provide additional value to their customers. This expansion allows them to monetize their existing customer base and potentially generate new revenue streams.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The podcast explores the differences between creators and influencers, with influencers being associated with social media ads and creators being artists producing content on various platforms.

• The rise of micro influencers, individuals with a few thousand followers, who can now monetize their online presence and the challenges they face in fulfilling brand requirements and getting paid.

• The potential of the embedded payments space, where companies are expanding their product offering to include financial services, particularly in the gig economy, and the need for innovative solutions to help these workers manage their finances.