I think we’ve officially hit peak celebrity brand.
When Jonathan Katz-Moses, a woodworking creator with fewer than 150,000 Instagram followers, raised $2 million from Slow Ventures’ $60M creator fund, it wasn’t just a win for him, it was a signal that the playbook has changed. He built 400 instructional videos, built trust in a niche, and came to investors with a clear plan: hire product developers, file patents, expand into new products. He didn’t raise money off his name. He raised money because his community trusted him, and he knew how to execute.
Compare that to the graveyard of celebrity brands we’ve all seen.
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