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👋 I’m Zoe Chew, a product builder. I’ve built multiple apps using the rapid MVP method: sneaker app, personal FAQ, meal kit app, virtual event app, SaaS tracker, food delivery, content app +more
At VentureScale, I’m on a quest to understand the future of the Internet and how we can improve other people’s lives through venture building. I analyze startup opportunities with revenue potential — at the intersection of Internet culture, consumer tech, and platform economy.
Today’s post is about crypto for creators, travel tech, & low-code for teams. Read here if you’re interested in the future of social networks, FinTech & wellness tech, or B2C online marketplaces.
In this venture report, I break down 3 market opportunities:
- Web3 for creators monetization (Blockchain tech)
- Curate local travel experiences (Travel tech)
- Low-code tools for team productivity (Collaboration tool)
Below is the PREVIEW of the report with research-based tech trends, product frameworks, revenue models to help you make better decisions on building your next big thing.
Trend #1: Decentralizing Content Creation & Publishing
Sapien, the social community platform for creators — built on Ethereum
In the past, writers relied on publishers to get their books published. Musicians relied on radio to get their music promoted. Web 2.0 gave rise to blogs and social media. Creators can create, promote, build audiences, and self-publish books, music, films without relying on institutions.
For a while, content creation was decentralized. However, Web 2.0, as it evolves, is becoming re-centralized. That means ownership is in the hands of Big Tech instead of the creators.
Facebook can censor your comments, accounts, or posts. Big Tech sells your data to advertisers, causing privacy issues. If you leave Instagram today, you will lose all your data or re-create on other platforms since there is no digital inheritance. Content monetization platforms take a cut from your earnings.
The solution? Web 3.0 — a decentralized system that lives on the blockchain. When data is “on-chain”, they are recorded on a distributed ledger. Identities are verifiable. Discovery is censorship-resistance. You can secure/track your own data without giving it to corporations. Creators can tokenize their work into digital assets.
Web3 Creators Platforms:
- Mirror.xyz — a crypto-based writers network that is distributed, user-owned, and monetize through the sale of non-fungible tokens.
- Sapien — an Ethereum-based social network for podcasters, video creators, and writers to build an audience and monetize their work.
- Stoner Cats — helps animators/creators to tokenize their films in collectible NFTs, fans can buy the tokens to access the content, own the NFTs, and participate in the content production process.
- Vezt and Royal — music fans can buy ownership in songs directly from their favorite artists and earn royalties with them.
🚀 Takeaway
Decentralize the creator economy. Help content creators and consumers to interact, transact and monetize directly without intermediary platform fees. See Startup Opportunity #1:
Startup Opportunity #1: YouTube for Short Films on Blockchain
The future of video content sharing is decentralized and community-funded. Like YouTube but for short film content, on the blockchain.
Problem
- Gatekeeping in the movie industry. Independent filmmakers have limited access to international distribution because they have to go through movie distributors that usually exert control over this type of access (i.e. genres, languages, commissions, licensing policies)
- (📥 Full version) 2 more problem definition examples and evidence of industry problems
Solution
- Tokenization of video content. Filmmakers can convert short films into collectible items (like NFTs). Content viewers can buy the token to access the content, own the film as NFTs, trade, and exchange.
- Fair revenue distribution. Eliminate commission fees to broadcasters and distributors. Film creators receive 100% of sales through smart contracts directly from the viewers.
- (📥 Full version) 3 more solutions and feature examples in detail.
Revenue Model
- (📥 Full version) 2 revenue stream examples to monetize as a business
Venture Scale
(1) Industries: Video Sharing, Entertainment, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency
(2) Market potential:
- Indie film is a $4.8 billion market. Video editing technology and apps will continue to give rise to short films creation.
- (📥 Full version) 3 more research evidence to prove the validity of the market
(3) Execution strategy:
- Blockchain tech is geared towards tech-centric audiences. Content marketing can focus on educating industry enthusiasts on technical content, helping them understand the technical development and innovation of the platform.
- (📥 Full version) 3 more strategies to gain traction and acquire users
Trend #2: Reinventing the Travel Industry
Getaway — cabin vacation rental
The hospitality and tourism industry is set to bounce back as vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
Venture funding in travel tech during COVID-19 has signaled investors’ attention in the travel space:
- Getaway — offers “tiny cabins” vacation rentals in nature within a two-hour drive of major cities in the United States. The company has raised $41.7 million Series C funding in 2021.
- Numastay — offers room and apartment rentals in the world’s greatest neighborhoods. This Germany-based travel company (formerly known as COSI) has closed $24.1 million funding in 2021.
Consumer travel habits have shifted. New opportunities for entrepreneurs:
- International → Local. International travel restrictions and border closures force people to look into local tourism without leaving their countries.
- Group → Solo. Solo-traveling is on the rise due to remote work. Because now everyone can work from anywhere, not just from home.
- Lengthy trip → staycation. Increasing needs for shorter trips or “weekcation”.
- (📥 Full version) 5 more existing providers that are well-positioned to this travel trend
New companies that cater to the shift in travel habits will be able to meet customer needs and become profitable businesses.
🚀 Takeaway
Make money as a business by curating and delivering memorable local travel experiences and unforgettable weekends trips. See Startup Opportunity #2:
Startup Opportunity #2: in Travel Tech
In this startup idea, we break down building a solution that caters to Gen Z and millennial travel habits — and how to monetize as a business through different revenue streams.
Trend #3: Low-Code/No-Code for Team Productivity
Retool: build internal tools without code
🔒 In this no-code/low-code trend, we uncover customer needs and how to build the future of automation to increase team productivity:
Startup Opportunity #3: in Automation Tech
In this startup idea, we will solve the problems of customer feedback collection — how to help product teams discover the right problems to solve, build the right products/features, and iterate faster — and how to monetize this SaaS business.
Get the full version of this single report:
- 🧰 Breakdown of Trend #3 Low-code tools
- 🍿 Breakdown of Startup Opportunity #1 (Web3 for creators monetization / Blockchain tech)
- 🚙 Breakdown of Startup Opportunity #2 (Curate local travel experiences / Travel tech)
- 💻 Breakdown of Startup Opportunity #3 (Low-code tools for team productivity / Collaboration tool)
You will unlock:
- 🔺 3 market trends in 1 report
- 📝 3 startup opportunities breakdown in 1 report
- 🧐 8 problem definition examples to reveal industry-specific needs
- 🖍 13 solutions and feature examples in detail
- 🤑 5 revenue streams you can create to monetize your business ideas
- 🔍 10 in-depth evaluations on each startup idea — how to prove market potential and user adoption
- 🚀 10 ways to execute these startup opportunities
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