What are the most valued startups in the creator economy?
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In our creator economy deck, you will find everything you need to understand the market
The creator economy has become a large startup market, with the most valuable companies now spanning AI creation tools, live shopping, subscriptions, creator commerce, newsletters, and community platforms.
We update this list every month to keep valuations, funding figures, and confidence levels as fresh as possible.
The ranking shows a very top-heavy market, where a small number of AI and commerce platforms capture most of the total private startup value.
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 valuable creator economy startup | Whatnot, valued at $11.5B |
| Second most valuable creator economy startup | ElevenLabs, valued at $11.0B |
| Median creator economy startup valuation | About $250M |
| Share of creator economy valuation captured by the top 10 | Roughly 75% of the strongest valuation subset |
| Top creator economy startup valuation vs. median | About 46x higher |
| Median creator economy valuation-to-capital-raised ratio | About 3.7x |
| Creator economy startups valued at $1B+ | 18 startups |

This market map, featured in our creator economy deck, highlights top companies and startups in the creator economy
Top startups in the creator economy ranked by valuation
Here is an updated table that ranks the top startups in the creator economy based on their latest reported or estimated valuations.
If you want more detaild about their fundraising activity, you can check our list of the startups who have raised the most funding in the creator economy.
| # | Startup Name | What They Do | Current Valuation ($) | Valuation Confidence Level | Valuation Type | Evidence Status | Total Funding ($) | Funding Confidence Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whatnot | Live shopping marketplace | $11.5B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $975M | Strong Confidence |
| 2 | ElevenLabs | AI voice generation platform | $11.0B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $781M | Full Confidence |
| 3 | Discord | Community chat platform | $8.0B–$9.0B | Partial Confidence | IPO or Listing Range Valuation | Estimated | $978M | Partial Confidence |
| 4 | Suno | AI music generation platform | $5.4B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $775M+ | Strong Confidence |
| 5 | Runway | AI video generation tools | $5.3B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $860M | Full Confidence |
| 6 | Synthesia | AI avatar video platform | $4.0B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $536M | Full Confidence |
| 7 | OnlyFans | Paid creator subscriptions | $3.1B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $0 | Full Confidence |
| 8 | Story Protocol | Blockchain IP infrastructure | $1.8B–$2.5B | Strong Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $134M | Strong Confidence |
| 9 | LTK | Creator commerce affiliate platform | $1.8B–$2.4B | Strong Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $315M | Full Confidence |
| 10 | Kajabi | Creator course commerce | $1.6B–$2.2B | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $550M | Partial Confidence |
| 11 | Spotter | Creator financing platform | $1.4B–$1.9B | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $762M | Partial Confidence |
| 12 | PixVerse | AI video generation platform | $1.3B–$2.0B | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $415M | Partial Confidence |
| 13 | Lightricks | Mobile creator editing apps | $1.3B–$1.9B | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $305M | Strong Confidence |
| 14 | ShopMy | Creator commerce infrastructure | $1.5B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $175M | Partial Confidence |
| 15 | Higgsfield | AI social video creation | $1.3B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $138M | Strong Confidence |
| 16 | Manychat | Chat automation for creators | $900M–$1.6B | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $163M | Partial Confidence |
| 17 | MasterClass | Celebrity-led online classes | $900M–$1.5B | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $461M | Full Confidence |
| 18 | Substack | Paid newsletter platform | $1.1B | Full Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $200M | Strong Confidence |
| 19 | Later | Creator marketing infrastructure | $700M–$1.0B | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $268M | Strong Confidence |
| 20 | Patreon | Creator membership platform | $700M–$850M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $413M | Strong Confidence |
| 21 | Captions | AI video creation studio | $500M–$750M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $100M | Strong Confidence |
| 22 | Pika | AI video generation tools | $470M–$700M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $135M | Strong Confidence |
| 23 | Linktree | Link-in-bio pages | $450M–$700M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $166M | Strong Confidence |
| 24 | Jellysmack | Creator video amplification | $350M–$750M | Low Confidence | Proxy-Based Estimate | Estimated | $40M | Partial Confidence |
| 25 | Classplus | Educator commerce SaaS | $500M–$600M | Strong Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $249M | Partial Confidence |
| 26 | CreatorIQ | Enterprise creator marketing software | $450M–$650M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $81M | Strong Confidence |
| 27 | Descript | Text-based video/audio editing | $450M–$650M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $101M | Partial Confidence |
| 28 | Moonvalley | Licensed AI video generation | $450M–$650M | Strong Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $154M | Strong Confidence |
| 29 | Krea | AI creative design workspace | $500M | Strong Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $83M | Full Confidence |
| 30 | Podimo | Subscription podcasts and audiobooks | $400M–$550M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $224M | Strong Confidence |
| 31 | BandLab | Social music creation platform | $400M–$550M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $90M | Strong Confidence |
| 32 | UnitedMasters | Independent artist distribution platform | $400M–$550M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $170M | Full Confidence |
| 33 | Firework | Shoppable video commerce platform | $350M–$550M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $235M | Partial Confidence |
| 34 | VEED | Online AI video editor | $350M–$500M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $35M | Full Confidence |
| 35 | Splice | Music samples creation marketplace | $350M–$500M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $164M | Strong Confidence |
| 36 | Whalar Group | Creator marketing agency group | $360M–$420M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | ≥$5M | Low Confidence |
| 37 | GRIN | Creator management software | $250M–$500M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $144M | Strong Confidence |
| 38 | StreamElements | Livestream monetization tools | $250M–$500M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $111M | Strong Confidence |
| 39 | Rembrand | AI product placement ads | $250M–$470M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $68M | Partial Confidence |
| 40 | Agentio | AI creator advertising marketplace | $330M–$360M | Strong Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $56M | Full Confidence |
| 41 | Riverside | Podcast and video recording | $300M–$380M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $80M | Strong Confidence |
| 42 | Kittl | Browser design tool | $250M–$420M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $49M | Strong Confidence |
| 43 | SamCart | Creator ecommerce checkout | $290M–$330M | Strong Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $101M | Strong Confidence |
| 44 | Karat Financial | Banking for creators | $220M–$350M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $71M | Full Confidence |
| 45 | Animaj | AI kids media franchises | $220M–$350M | Partial Confidence | Proxy-Based Estimate | Estimated | $109M+ | Partial Confidence |
| 46 | OpusClip | AI short-form video clipping | $220M–$320M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $50M | Partial Confidence |
| 47 | Mavely | Everyday influencer platform | $250M | Full Confidence | Acquisition Value | Observed | $1M | Strong Confidence |
| 48 | Music AI | AI audio creation tools | $200M–$300M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $30M | Strong Confidence |
| 49 | Restream | Multistreaming video platform | $180M–$320M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $56M | Partial Confidence |
| 50 | beehiiv | Newsletter publishing platform | $190M–$260M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Observed | $50M | Full Confidence |
| 51 | StreamYard | Live streaming studio | $180M–$260M | Partial Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $0 | Full Confidence |
| 52 | Dub | Social copy-trading app | $150M–$250M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $45M | Strong Confidence |
| 53 | Hedra | AI character video generation | $180M–$220M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $44M | Partial Confidence |
| 54 | Pearpop | Social collaboration marketplace | $150M–$250M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $34M | Full Confidence |
| 55 | Fixated | Creator talent content studio | $150M–$250M | Low Confidence | Proxy-Based Estimate | Estimated | $63M | Partial Confidence |
| 56 | Passes | Creator monetization platform | $120M–$250M | Low Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $67M | Partial Confidence |
| 57 | Playback | Sports creator livestreaming | $120M–$220M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $22M | Partial Confidence |
| 58 | Levanta | Amazon creator affiliate platform | $130M–$200M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $21M | Strong Confidence |
| 59 | Wishlink | Creator commerce affiliate platform | $120M–$180M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $28M | Full Confidence |
| 60 | FanBasis | Creator business infrastructure | $110M–$170M | Strong Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $20M | Full Confidence |
| 61 | Fourthwall | Creator storefronts and memberships | $100M–$180M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $42M | Partial Confidence |
| 62 | TipTip | Creator monetization marketplace | $110M–$170M | Partial Confidence | Proxy-Based Estimate | Estimated | $23M | Full Confidence |
| 63 | NTWRK | Culture livestream shopping platform | $110M–$160M | Low Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $60M | Full Confidence |
| 64 | Delphi | AI creator clones | $90M–$135M | Strong Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $19M | Full Confidence |
| 65 | Pietra | Creator ecommerce infrastructure | $90M–$140M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $36M | Strong Confidence |
| 66 | Circle | Community platform | $90M–$130M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $33M | Strong Confidence |
| 67 | Humanz | AI influencer marketing platform | $90M–$150M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $24M | Partial Confidence |
| 68 | Aspire | Influencer marketing platform | $80M–$140M | Low Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $27M | Strong Confidence |
| 69 | Podcastle | AI podcast creation suite | $80M–$140M | Low Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $20M | Full Confidence |
| 70 | Creatify | AI video ad generator | $80M–$130M | Strong Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $23M | Strong Confidence |
| 71 | Cameo | Celebrity video marketplace | $80M–$120M | Partial Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $194M | Partial Confidence |
| 72 | Mighty Networks | Community/course platform | $70M–$130M | Partial Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $68M | Strong Confidence |
| 73 | Loti AI | Likeness protection technology | $75M–$115M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $23M | Full Confidence |
| 74 | Maven | Cohort-based course platform | $70M–$120M | Low Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $25M | Partial Confidence |
| 75 | Kyra | TikTok creator-brand platform | $70M–$120M | Low Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $28M | Partial Confidence |
| 76 | Ready Player Me | Cross-game avatar platform | $60M–$120M | Low Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $70M | Strong Confidence |
| 77 | TalkShopLive | Livestream commerce selling platform | $75M–$100M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $18M | Partial Confidence |
| 78 | Beacons | Creator link-in-bio tools | $60M–$110M | Low Confidence | Revenue or ARR Multiple Estimate | Estimated | $30M | Strong Confidence |
| 79 | Workweek | Creator-led B2B media | $60M–$110M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $15M | Partial Confidence |
| 80 | Metafy | Gaming coaching marketplace | $60M–$110M | Partial Confidence | Announced Private Round Valuation | Estimated | $34M | Full Confidence |
| 81 | Modash | Influencer discovery and payments | $60M–$100M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $14M | Full Confidence |
| 82 | Capsule | AI brand video editor | $65M–$100M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $19M | Partial Confidence |
| 83 | STAN | Gaming creator community platform | $60M–$90M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $18M | Partial Confidence |
| 84 | Influur | Influencer-brand collaboration marketplace | $55M–$90M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $15M | Full Confidence |
| 85 | KOMI | Creator commerce pages | $50M–$90M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $17M | Strong Confidence |
| 86 | Dorian | No-code story games | $50M–$90M | Low Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Estimated | $19M | Partial Confidence |
| 87 | Triller | Creator video entertainment platform | $65M | Full Confidence | Public Market Cap | Observed | $178M | Partial Confidence |
| 88 | Fanfix | Gen-Z creator subscriptions | $65M | Strong Confidence | Acquisition Value | Observed | $1M | Strong Confidence |
| 89 | Loco | Indian game streaming | $65M | Full Confidence | Acquisition Value | Observed | $51M | Full Confidence |
| 90 | Stir | Creator revenue management | $40M–$80M | Low Confidence | Comparables-Based Estimate | Estimated | $20M | Strong Confidence |
| 91 | CreatorDB | AI influencer marketing data | $25M–$40M | Partial Confidence | Implied Valuation from Raise | Implied | $5M | Full Confidence |
| 92 | Fanhouse | Paid fan communities | $20M–$40M | Low Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $21M | Strong Confidence |
| 93 | Lemonada Media | Podcast network and studio | $25M–$35M | Strong Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $10M | Strong Confidence |
| 94 | Blue Wire | Sports podcast network | $22M–$32M | Partial Confidence | Active Raise Valuation | Implied | $12M | Partial Confidence |
| 95 | Koji | Link-in-bio app store | $10M–$30M | Low Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $38M | Strong Confidence |
| 96 | Geneva | Group chat communities | $18M | Full Confidence | Acquisition Value | Observed | $26M | Partial Confidence |
| 97 | Popshop Live | Livestream shopping marketplace | $5M–$20M | Low Confidence | Acquisition Value | Estimated | $24M | Strong Confidence |
| 98 | Flip | Video social commerce marketplace | $0M–$5M | Strong Confidence | Proxy-Based Estimate | Estimated | $236M | Strong Confidence |

This chart, included in our creator economy deck, compares the 2026 size of the creator economy with other markets of similar size
Key valuation trends in the creator economy
Insights
- The creator economy is extremely top-heavy. The top five companies represent about $37.2B of value, or roughly three quarters of the strongest subset’s total valuation.
- AI-native creation platforms now define the high end of the market. ElevenLabs, Suno, Runway, Synthesia, Higgsfield, Moonvalley, Krea, Delphi, and Creatify together represent about $28.3B.
- Direct creator monetization and commerce remains a major value pool. Whatnot, OnlyFans, LTK, Substack, Mavely, FanBasis, and Fanfix total about $18.3B in valuation.
- OnlyFans is the clearest capital-efficiency outlier in the creator economy, with a $3.1B valuation and no disclosed equity funding in the dataset.
- Recent AI funding has created a dense late-stage cluster. ElevenLabs, Suno, Runway, Synthesia, and Higgsfield together account for about $27.0B of valuation.
- The creator economy has a barbell structure, with a few platform-scale companies above $4B and a long tail of more focused startups below $350M.

This chart, included in our creator economy deck, breaks down beehiiv’s strategy in the creator economy
A few word about our methodology
As you can see, we built a database that ranks startups in the creator economy based on their current valuation.
Estimating startup valuations is not always straightforward. Many creator economy companies do not publicly disclose their valuation, and the available information can vary widely depending on the company and its stage.
To build this ranking, we applied a structured valuation methodology and cross-checked information across multiple reliable sources.
Whenever possible, we relied on direct disclosures. These include announced valuations from completed funding rounds, public filings for listed companies, or official acquisition prices.
When a startup is publicly listed, we use its current market capitalization as the reference valuation.
If a company was acquired and no independent valuation can reasonably be estimated today, we use the acquisition price as the main reference point.
When a creator economy startup recently raised capital but the valuation was not disclosed, we estimate the implied valuation using typical dilution levels for that stage of fundraising.
In some cases, we also estimate valuations using operating metrics such as revenue, ARR, creator base, GMV, subscriber growth, or customer traction, combined with valuation multiples from comparable companies in the same market.
When direct financial data is not available, we may rely on carefully selected comparable startups and other signals such as hiring growth, investor quality, product traction, creator adoption, or brand demand.
All estimates follow a strict evidence hierarchy. Recent funding rounds with announced valuations carry the most weight, followed by strong operating metrics and comparable company analysis.
We also carefully evaluate the age of every data point. Recent information carries more weight, while older data is treated cautiously and adjusted conservatively when necessary.
Whenever information is uncertain or incomplete, we clearly distinguish between confirmed facts and reasonable inferences.
Because valuation data is not always fully public, each startup in the ranking is assigned a confidence level based on the reliability, recency, and consistency of the available evidence.
Full confidence means the valuation is supported by strong and recent evidence. Strong confidence means the estimate is well supported but includes minor inference. Partial confidence means the estimate relies more heavily on indirect signals. Low confidence means available information is limited or inconsistent.
When confidence is lower, we take a more conservative approach by widening the valuation range. This helps reflect the uncertainty and increases the probability that the true valuation falls within the estimated range.
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 valuation estimate, 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, shows annual funding in creator economy startups
Related blog posts
- The latest news shaping the creator economy
- The latest funding news shaping the creator economy
- The latest developments in the creator economy
- How funding activity has evolved in the creator economy
- What are the key fundraising trends in the creator economy?
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