Which startups have raised the most funding in the creator economy?
Download our beautiful pitch about the creator economy

In our creator economy deck, you will find everything you need to understand the market
The creator economy has become a large funding market, with billions of dollars invested across creator tools, generative AI platforms, commerce infrastructure, music, video, communities and monetization software.
Our ranking tracks the most funded creator economy startups based on cumulative capital raised, giving investors a simple way to see which companies have attracted the most financial backing.
We update this list every month so that new funding rounds, acquisitions, IPOs and changes in company status can be reflected as quickly as possible.
And if you want to better understand this new industry, you can download our pitch covering the creator economy.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Most funded creator economy startup | Runway, $860M |
| Second most funded creator economy startup | ElevenLabs, $781M |
| Largest creator economy funding round | ElevenLabs, $500M Series D |
| Median creator economy startup funding | About $43M |
| Share of creator economy funding captured by the top 10 | About 59% |
| Median time since last funding round | About 3 years |
| Creator economy startups funded in the last 12 months | At least 18 |
| Creator economy startups with $100M+ raised | 20 |
| Share of creator economy funding linked to major generative AI tools | About 43% |
| Share of higher-reliability creator economy startups still active | About 84% |

This chart, included in our creator economy deck, shows annual VC funding in creator economy startups
Top startups in the creator economy ranked by total funding raised
Here is an updated table that ranks the top startups in the creator economy based on the total amount of funding they have raised to date.
The table also includes the total number of funding rounds, the date and size of the latest round, the financing type (e.g. Series A, equity financing), key investors, the startup’s current status (active, IPO, acquired, or shut down), and a confidence score based on the data collected (we excluded startups with very low data confidence, to make sure everything is reliable).
If you're interested in knowing how much these startups are worth, you can check our list of the top startups in the creator economy ranked by valuation.
| # | Startup | What They Do | Total Raised ($) | Total Rounds | Last Round Date | Last Round Amount ($) | Last Round Type | Key Investors | Current Stage | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Runway | Generative AI video creation platform | $860M | 7 | February 2026 | $315M | Series E | General Atlantic, NVIDIA, Fidelity | Active | Full |
| 2 | ElevenLabs | AI voice and audio generation | $781M | 5 | February 2026 | $500M | Series D | Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, ICONIQ Growth | Active | Full |
| 3 | Suno | AI music generation platform | $775M | 5 | June 2026 | $400M | Series D | Bond Capital, IVP, Forerunner Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 4 | PixVerse | AI video generation platform | $557M+ | 8 | July 2026 | $439M | Series C Extension | Alibaba, Mirae Asset, iGlobe Partners | Active | Partial |
| 5 | Higgsfield | AI video and image creation | $538M | 4 | August 2026 | $400M | Series B | DST Global, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Tribe Capital | Active | Full |
| 6 | Synthesia | Enterprise AI avatar video platform | $537M+ | 8 | January 2026 | $200M | Series E | GV, Evantic, Hedosophia | Active | Strong |
| 7 | MasterClass | Celebrity-led online learning platform | $461M+ | 8 | April 2022 | Undisclosed | Corporate Minority | Dominari Holdings | Active | Strong |
| 8 | LTK | Creator-powered social shopping platform | $315M | 2 | November 2021 | $300M | Growth / Venture | SoftBank Vision Fund 2 | Active | Full |
| 9 | Lightricks | Mobile creative photo video tools | $305M | 4 | September 2021 | $100M | Series D | Insight Partners, Hanaco Ventures, Goldman Sachs | Active | Full |
| 10 | Firework | Shoppable video commerce infrastructure | $269M | 6 | May 2022 | $150M | Series B | SoftBank Vision Fund 2 | Active | Partial |
| 11 | Podimo | Podcast and audiobook subscription platform | $257M | 8 | May 2025 | $2M | Series B Extension | 83North, Headline, Heartcore Capital | Active | Strong |
| 12 | Flip | Social video shopping marketplace | $236M | 4 | April 2024 | $144M | Series C | Streamlined Ventures, AppLovin, Mubadala Capital | Shutdown | Full |
| 13 | Triller | Short-form creator video platform | $188M | 5 | January 2025 | $50M | PIPE / Private Placement | KCP Holdings, institutional investors | IPO | Partial |
| 14 | UnitedMasters | Independent artist distribution and services | $170M | 3 | October 2021 | $50M | Series C | Andreessen Horowitz, Alphabet | Active | Full |
| 15 | ShopMy | Creator affiliate commerce platform | $166M | 3 | October 2025 | $70M | Series C | Avenir, Bain Capital Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners | Active | Full |
| 16 | Manychat | Social messaging marketing automation | $163M | 5 | April 2025 | $140M | Series B | Summit Partners | Active | Full |
| 17 | Splice | Music samples and creation platform | $160M | 6 | February 2021 | $55M | Series D | Goldman Sachs, MUSIC/LionTree | Active | Strong |
| 18 | Classplus | Creator and educator commerce platform | $159M | 8 | March 2022 | $70M | Series D | Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global, RTP Global | Active | Partial |
| 19 | Moonvalley | Generative AI video creation models | $154M | 2 | July 2025 | $84M | Series A / Venture | General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, Comcast Ventures | Acquired | Full |
| 20 | Pika | Generative AI video creation | $135M | 4 | June 2024 | $80M | Series B | Spark Capital, Lightspeed, Greycroft | Active | Strong |
| 21 | PIP Labs | Programmable IP blockchain infrastructure | $134M | 3 | August 2024 | $80M | Series B | a16z crypto, Polychain Capital, Adrian Cheng | Active | Full |
| 22 | Kuku FM | Audio and mobile storytelling platform | $123M+ | 7 | March 2026 | Undisclosed | Angel | MS Dhoni | Active | Strong |
| 23 | Animaj | AI-powered kids media franchises | $114M | 4 | March 2026 | $1M | Strategic / Unattributed | Google AI Futures Fund | Active | Partial |
| 24 | StreamElements | Livestream creator tools and monetization | $111M+ | 3 | September 2021 | $100M | Series B | SoftBank Vision Fund, PayPal Ventures, Pitango First | Acquired | Strong |
| 25 | Descript | AI audio and video editor | $104M | 4 | November 2022 | $54M | Series C | OpenAI Startup Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 26 | Captions | AI-powered video creation studio | $100M | 4 | July 2024 | $60M | Series C | Index Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital | Active | Strong |
| 27 | SamCart | Creator ecommerce checkout and monetization | $95M | 3 | April 2022 | $82M | Series B | Eldridge, TTV Capital, Fin Capital | Active | Full |
| 28 | BandLab | Social music creation platform | $90M | 3 | May 2023 | $25M | Series B1 | Cercano Management, Prosus Ventures | Active | Full |
| 29 | Krea | Unified generative creative AI tools | $83M | 3 | April 2025 | $47M | Series B | Bain Capital Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Abstract Ventures | Active | Full |
| 30 | CreatorIQ | Enterprise creator marketing software | $81M | 5 | September 2021 | $40M | Series D | Kayne Anderson, TVC Capital, Silver Lake Waterman | Active | Full |
| 31 | Riverside | Remote podcast and video recording | $77M | 4 | December 2024 | $30M | Series C | Zeev Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Sam Lessin | Active | Full |
| 32 | Ready Player Me | Cross-game avatar creation platform | $72M | 7 | August 2022 | $56M | Series B | Andreessen Horowitz, Plural, Konvoy Ventures | Acquired | Strong |
| 33 | Karat Financial | Financial services for digital creators | $71M | 3 | July 2023 | $40M | Series B | SignalFire, CRV, Union Square Ventures | Active | Full |
| 34 | Mighty Networks | Community and membership creation platform | $64M | 5 | April 2021 | $50M | Series B | Owl Ventures, LionTree, Ziff Capital Partners | Active | Partial |
| 35 | Fixated | Creator management and content studio | $63M | 2 | December 2025 | $50M | Strategic / Follow-on | Eldridge Industries | Active | Strong |
| 36 | NTWRK | Livestream culture shopping marketplace | $60M+ | 3 | September 2021 | $50M | Growth Equity | Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Kering, LionTree Partners | Active | Partial |
| 37 | Agentio | Creator advertising marketplace | $56M | 4 | November 2025 | $40M | Series B | Forerunner Ventures, Benchmark, Craft Ventures | Active | Full |
| 38 | Restream | Multiplatform live-video streaming software | $55M | 4 | August 2020 | $50M | Series A | Sapphire Ventures, Insight Partners, Silverton Partners | Active | Partial |
| 39 | Loco | Gaming livestreaming and creator platform | $51M | 2 | March 2022 | $42M | Series A | Hashed, Makers Fund, Krafton | Acquired | Full |
| 40 | beehiiv | Newsletter publishing and monetization platform | $50M | 4 | April 2024 | $33M | Series B | NEA, Sapphire Sport, Lightspeed Venture Partners | Active | Full |
| 41 | OpusClip | AI short-form video repurposing | $50M | 3 | March 2025 | $20M | Follow-on / Series B-equivalent | SoftBank Vision Fund 2, DCM Ventures, Millennium New Horizons | Active | Partial |
| 42 | Kittl | AI-powered graphic design platform | $50M | 3 | June 2026 | $36M | Series B | IVP | Active | Strong |
| 43 | Dub | Creator-led copy trading marketplace | $47M | 2 | May 2025 | $30M | Series A | Notable Capital, Neo, Sandberg Bernthal | Active | Full |
| 44 | Mavely | Creator affiliate marketing platform | $43M | 3 | 2023 | $23M | Series B | Capital One Ventures, GGV Capital | Acquired | Strong |
| 45 | Levanta | Creator commerce affiliate platform | $43M | 4 | August 2026 | $22M | Series B | Volition Capital, Long Run Capital | Active | Strong |
| 46 | Hedra | AI character video generation | $42M | 2 | May 2025 | $32M | Series A | Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Abstract Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 47 | Passes | Creator subscription monetization platform | $40M | 1 | February 2024 | $40M | Series A | Bond Capital, Abstract Ventures, Crossbeam Ventures | Active | Full |
| 48 | Music AI | AI-powered music and audio tools | $40M | 3 | January 2025 | $30M | Series A | Connect Ventures, monashees, Kickstart | Active | Strong |
| 49 | Koji | Creator link-in-bio commerce platform | $38M | 5 | January 2022 | $20M | Series B | Jump Capital, HBSE Ventures | Acquired | Strong |
| 50 | Pietra | Commerce infrastructure for creator brands | $36M | 3 | May 2023 | $16M | Series A Extension | M13, Founders Fund, TQ Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 51 | VEED | Browser-based video editing platform | $35M | 1 | February 2022 | $35M | Series A | Sequoia Capital | Active | Full |
| 52 | Workweek | Creator-led B2B media network | $35M | 4 | August 2026 | $17M | Series B | Next Coast Ventures, Aperiam Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 53 | Pearpop | Creator collaboration marketplace | $34M | 3 | November 2022 | $18M | Series A Extension | Sound Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Blockchange Ventures | Active | Full |
| 54 | Metafy | Coaching marketplace for competitive gamers | $34M | 3 | February 2022 | $25M | Series A | Tiger Global, Seven Seven Six, Forerunner Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 55 | Rembrand | AI virtual product placement platform | $31M | 2 | January 2025 | $23M | Series A | super{set}, The Trade Desk, Naver D2SF | Active | Full |
| 56 | Circle | Online community platform for creators | $30M | 3 | December 2021 | $25M | Series A | Tiger Global, BoxGroup, Notation Capital | Active | Strong |
| 57 | Beacons | All-in-one creator business platform | $29M | 3 | November 2023 | $23M | Series A | Undisclosed | Active | Strong |
| 58 | Later | Social media management platform | $29M | 5 | 2020 | $7M | Venture | Various investors | Acquired | Full |
| 59 | Wishlink | Creator-led product discovery commerce | $28M | 3 | February 2026 | $18M | Series B | Vertex Ventures SEA & India, Fundamentum, Elevation Capital | Active | Strong |
| 60 | Aspire | Influencer marketing platform | $27M | 3 | November 2017 | $24M | Series A | Pear VC, Cota Capital, Hummer Winblad | Active | Strong |
| 61 | Maven | Marketplace for expert-led cohort courses | $25M | 3 | May 2021 | $20M | Series A | Andreessen Horowitz | Active | Full |
| 62 | Popshop Live | Livestream social shopping marketplace | $25M | 3 | July 2021 | $20M | Series A | Benchmark, TQ Ventures, Mantis VC | Acquired | Strong |
| 63 | TipTip | Southeast Asian creator monetization platform | $23M | 2 | November 2022 | $13M | Series A | East Ventures, Vertex Ventures, SMDV | Active | Full |
| 64 | Creatify | AI video advertising creation platform | $23M+ | 3 | September 2025 | Undisclosed | Series A Extension / Strategic | Comcast Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 65 | Geneva | Group chat and community app | $22M | 3 | December 2020 | $12M | Series A | Coatue, Jack Conte, BoxGroup | Acquired | Low |
| 66 | Podcastle | AI podcast creation and editing | $22M | 3 | February 2024 | $14M | Series A | Mosaic Ventures, RTP Global, Point Nine Capital | Active | Full |
| 67 | Playback | Social livestreaming for sports fans | $22M | 2 | September 2024 | $18M | Series A | Seven Seven Six, Khosla Ventures, NBA Investments | Active | Full |
| 68 | Stir | Financial tools for online creators | $21M | 2 | February 2021 | $17M | Series A | Andreessen Horowitz, Homebrew, Ludlow Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 69 | Capsule | AI enterprise video editing | $19M | 3 | April 2025 | $12M | Series A | Innovation Endeavors, HubSpot Ventures, Swift Ventures | Active | Full |
| 70 | Dorian | Creator platform for interactive stories | $19M | 3 | March 2022 | $14M | Series A | The Raine Group, March Gaming, VGames | Active | Full |
| 71 | Delphi | Creates interactive AI digital minds | $19M | 2 | June 2025 | $16M | Series A | Sequoia Capital, Menlo Ventures, Lux Capital | Active | Full |
| 72 | Fourthwall | Creator websites, commerce and memberships | $17M | 1 | November 2021 | $17M | Venture Round | Lightspeed Venture Partners, Initialized Capital, Seven Seven Six | Active | Full |
| 73 | GRIN | Creator management software platform | $17M | 2 | 2019 | $10M | Series A | Imaginary Ventures | Active | Strong |
| 74 | Humanz | Influencer marketing automation platform | $17M | 3 | 2025 | $6M | Growth Round | Undisclosed | Active | Partial |
| 75 | TalkShopLive | Embeddable livestream shopping network | $16M | 3 | October 2023 | $7M | Seed Extension | Progress Partners, Spero Ventures, Omidyar Network | Active | Strong |
| 76 | Modash | Influencer discovery SaaS | $14M | 3 | October 2024 | $12M | Series A | henQ | Active | Full |
| 77 | KOMI | Creator fan engagement platform | $12M | 1 | 2022 | $12M | Seed / Early Stage | Fuel Ventures, Hearst Ventures | Active | Partial |
| 78 | Fanfix | Creator subscription monetization platform | $11M | 1 | 2021 | $11M | Seed | Slauson & Co., Shrug Capital | Acquired | Partial |
| 79 | Lemonada Media | Podcast network and production studio | $11M+ | 4 | December 2023 | Undisclosed | Venture / Strategic | Flourish Ventures | Acquired | Strong |
| 80 | Blue Wire | Sports podcast network and monetization | $10M | 4 | February 2021 | $4M | Corporate Equity | Wynn Resorts | Active | Partial |
| 81 | Kyra | Global creator agency platform | $7M+ | 2 | June 2022 | Undisclosed | Growth Round | Bonnier Capital, Guardian Media Group | Active | Partial |
| 82 | Loti AI | Protects creators from digital impersonation | $7M | 1 | September 2024 | $7M | Seed | FUSE, Bling Capital, Khosla Ventures | Active | Full |
| 83 | Influur | Creator-brand marketplace | $5M+ | 2 | 2023/2024 | Undisclosed | Series A | Point72 Ventures, H20 Capital | Active | Strong |
| 84 | CreatorDB | Creator intelligence platform | $5M+ | 4 | September 2025 | $5M | Series A | Pegatron, Acorn Pacific Ventures, National Development Fund | Active | Strong |
| 85 | STAN | Digital storefronts for creators | $5M+ | 3 | September 2025 | Undisclosed | Strategic / Venture | Gary Vaynerchuk | Active | Partial |
| 86 | Whalar Group | Global creator economy company group | $4M+ | 3 | May 2025 | Undisclosed | Strategic / Venture | Marc Benioff, Shopify, Neal H. Moritz | Active | Low |
| 87 | Fanhouse | Creator subscription content platform | $1M | 1 | 2021 | $1M | Seed | Various angel investors | Active | Partial |
| 88 | StreamYard | Browser-based livestreaming production platform | $0M | 0 | N/A | $0M | No external round | N/A | Acquired | Full |

This market map, featured in our creator economy deck, highlights top companies and startups in the creator economy
Key funding trends in the creator economy
Insights
- Creator economy funding is highly concentrated. The ten largest companies represent roughly 59% of aggregate capital, even though the market includes dozens of funded startups across creator software, media and commerce.
- Generative AI has become the largest funding theme in the creator economy. Fifteen major AI and creative-tool companies account for roughly $3.3B, equal to about 43% of aggregate funding.
- The gap between average and median funding is significant. Average funding is about $111M versus a median of roughly $43M, showing how very large AI and platform financings pull the market upward.
- Twenty creator economy companies have raised at least $100M, and those businesses account for approximately 77% of total capital. Most startups therefore compete for a relatively small portion of available funding.
- Recent financing activity is concentrated around established winners. Companies with recent 2025 and 2026 rounds represent a disproportionately large share of cumulative creator economy funding.
- Creator commerce remains large but more fragmented than generative AI. Affiliate, advertising, commerce and monetization infrastructure attracted roughly $1.1B across about twenty companies, spread across considerably more businesses.
- Audio, music and podcast startups account for roughly $1.7B across nine prominent companies. Creator economy investment therefore extends well beyond visual content creation and social commerce.
- Latest rounds frequently represent a large share of lifetime capital. Among companies with disclosed amounts, 49 of 62 received at least half of cumulative funding during their latest financing.
- A relatively small number of rounds can build a major funding position. Eighteen companies reached their current totals in only one or two rounds, collectively attracting about $909M.
- Several mature creator economy companies have gone years without raising again. Nineteen still-active companies with no announced round since 2022 collectively hold roughly $2.0B in cumulative funding.

As this chart shows, and as featured in our creator economy deck, search interest in becoming a creator has grown significantly
A few word about our methodology
As you can see, we built a database that ranks startups in the creator economy based on their total cumulative fundraising. To create this ranking, we reviewed many sources and cross-checked information across multiple places.
Whenever possible, we prioritized official company communications, since they are the most reliable source for funding amounts. When those were not available, we relied on reputable industry sources such as TechCrunch, Crunchbase, Financial Times or Forbes (to name a few).
We excluded random blogs, unverified websites, and any sources that could not be validated.
We also removed duplicate companies when two names represented the same underlying fundraising history, and we excluded businesses when no usable total fundraising amount could be established.
When funding rounds were announced in other currencies such as euros, Swiss francs, Singapore dollars, Australian dollars, or rupees, we converted them into approximate USD equivalents for consistency.
Sometimes different sources report slightly different numbers, or the exact round size is not fully disclosed. In those cases, we flag the uncertainty and assign a confidence label to each startup, visible in the last column.
Here is what they mean.
Full confidence: The company’s equity fundraising history can be reconstructed completely from public sources. The rounds, dates, amounts, and key investors are clearly identified, with no meaningful gaps.
Strong confidence: The fundraising history is largely complete and reliable. There may be a small missing detail, such as incomplete investor information or a minor round with limited data, but the overall record is clear.
Partial confidence: The main fundraising rounds can be identified, but the record is incomplete or somewhat mixed. Some rounds may be missing or certain funding events may be difficult to separate clearly.
Low confidence: Public information is too limited, inconsistent, or ambiguous to reliably reconstruct the company’s equity fundraising history.
When the confidence level is too low, we take a conservative approach and exclude the company from the ranking. We don’t want to include data that cannot be reliably verified.
This reflects how we conduct all our research, including the work behind our report covering the creator economy.
In a world where LLMs hallucinate and unreliable information is everywhere, our goal is simple: provide data you can trust.
If you want the full detail on a specific calculation, feel free to contact us and we will gladly explain.
Finally, know that we update the dataset once per month, so come back here if you need fresh information.

This chart, included in our creator economy deck, breaks down beehiiv’s strategy in the creator economy
Related blog posts
- How strong is fundraising in the creator economy right now?
- A complete list of funding deals in the creator economy
- What are the key fundraising trends in the creator economy?
Who is the author of this content?
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