Sure the latest initiatives from the Teslas, Apples and Googles of the industry tend to dominate the tech news space — and with good reason. Still, the tech titans aren’t the only ones bringing innovation to the sector.
In an effort to highlight up-and-coming startups, Built In has launched The Future 5 across 11 major U.S. tech hubs. Each quarter, we will feature five tech startups, nonprofits or entrepreneurs in each of these hubs who just might be working on the next big thing. Read our round-up of LA’s rising startups from last quarter here.
* * *
Most of us live our lives outside of the limelight, leaving that realm to the people with enough charisma and talent to endure it. However, in a world where online content creators are working to build a name for themselves, much of their success can be attributed to us — their dedicated fans. Rather than conceding to live vicariously through the internet stars we follow online, fintech company Superjoi is working to put real power into the hands of fans everywhere.
In today’s industry, creators primarily receive funding for their content channels via the major platforms through which they share their work, like YouTube or TikTok. Superjoi is a platform built for creators to distribute their content and for fans to directly fund their favorite creators. In addition, users can also co-create content with them and earn exclusive rewards for being a superfan. The app recently launched in closed beta and is planning a public launch this summer.
While working a “boring corporate job in London” and having grown up in the era of Instagram, Superjoi’s CEO Chris Knight said he found himself wondering about how he and other superfans contribute to a creator’s content and lifestyle.
“We invest so many hours every single day in these creators and watch that content religiously while we get nothing back,” he told Built In. “We’re simply a like, a DM or comment. So what we wanted to build … was the platform where fans actually got an upside in their favorite creators’ success.”
There’s so much capital out there for creators, they can take loans and they can sell their rights, but we believe … there’s no better funding source for a creative person than their fans.”
During his time at media agency OMD, Knight spent time working with companies like Snapchat on commercial projects, including its first advertising campaign with Pepsi in 2015. Afterward, Knight segued into the business of building products for fans and audiences through the creation of a wearable device called Fantom. In partnership with Manchester City, Knight helped develop a device that provides fans with real-time insights and information on events.
When the Covid pandemic shut down Knight’s next venture, he returned home to use his prior experience to build what is now Superjoi alongside CTO Piotr Wolański and CPO Sören Creutzburg. The three wanted to create a solution that embodied what they, as superfans themselves, were passionate about.
“There’s so much capital out there for creators, they can take loans and they can sell their rights, but we believe … there’s no better funding source for a creative person than their fans,” Knight said.
On the Superjoi app, all of a creator’s social handles are linked to their landing page, and what they share on Superjoi gets distributed to those platforms. This page also lists all the campaigns a creator is currently funding for their next content project, and fans can contribute to those campaigns using an in-app currency called SuperCoin, a crypto stablecoin. In addition, fans can chip in ideas for new content and gain the opportunity to co-create content with their favorite creator.
Superjoi allows creators to view their top 100 fans based on metrics like comments or likes, who’s contributed the best content ideas and how much funding they’ve contributed to campaigns. The platform also provides rewards for the most dedicated superfans, and creators themselves can offer their own perks. Fans can receive anything from backstage meet-and-greet passes to a cash bonus and the chance to be featured in a creator’s content.
“Superjoi is all about liquidity with love, and the creative economy is all about passion. The reason why creators do what they do, primarily, is because they get a thrill out of it and they enjoy it, and fans are very passionate about people that [they] follow,” Knight said. “For us, it’s really about seeing those moments come to life. Unlocking finance as a barrier to creativity is ultimately what Superjoi is about.”
