Slow Ventures Cuts First Check From $60m Creator Fund Into Woodworking Founder

Slow Ventures’ Creator Fund has invested $2 cardinal into Jonthan Katz-Moses, a celebrated woodworking contented creator pinch astir 600,000 followers, astir 75 cardinal video views, and his ain statement of woodworking tools. 

This marks nan first finance for Slow’s $60 cardinal Creator Fund since its motorboat successful February. The money looks to thief creators motorboat businesses, nether nan belief that what made them successful influencers is what tin besides make them a bully founder. 

Speaking to TechCrunch, Slow Ventures partner Billy Parks, nan lead investor connected nan deal, said nan domiciled of creators has greatly changed successful nan past decade aliases so, from creators chiefly focused connected media and marque dollars to those now focused connected building real, “off-platform,” businesses. 

“The pandemic accelerated direct-to-consumer maturation for many. But nan existent awesome is successful nan ones who’ve maintained and grown past that boom, which shows they tin build thing lasting and sustainable,” Parks said.

He said a bully creator-founder thinks for illustration an entrepreneur, “not chasing fame but building existent businesses that they ain and control.” 

This is wherever Katz-Moses came in. His videos thief thatch woodworking, and he’s since expanded into trading his ain devices and accessories to his audience. He has a squad helping pinch business development, operations, and of course, creating YouTube content. Slow’s finance will thief support nan business and different contented creation endeavors. 

Katz-Moses went into woodworking aft being violently assaulted 1 nighttime successful 2010. In a video posted to his transmission recently, he recounted nan story, saying he woke up successful a excavation of blood, surrounded by constabulary officers and paramedics, gasping astatine his marred appearance. His injuries were severe: A surgery oculus socket and gashes needed 80 stitches. He said it was nan happiest infinitesimal of his life because, astatine nan very least, he was alive. 

Shortly aft that, he went into woodworking, deciding it was clip to pursuit his dreams and time off down thing unfulfilling. He bought a camera and started posting his creations to YouTube, amassing a loyal pursuing successful nan process. But arsenic his business and persona grew, he recovered himself facing nan communal challenges founders face, specified arsenic inventory guidance for his devices business and paying himself a salary. 

Katz-Moses was 1 of 700 applicants to Slow’s Creator Fund and told TechCrunch it was breathtaking erstwhile Parks reached retired to study much astir his business. 

“Billy Parks from Slow reached retired to maine successful March to fto maine cognize he’d for illustration to meet,” Katz-Moses told TechCrunch.

“When we visited him successful his 30,000-square-foot shop successful Santa Barbara, we were blown distant by his superior and semipermanent committedness to nan marque and building a scaled business,” Parks told TechCrunch astir why Slow picked Katz-Moses. 

Parks said Slow wants to partner pinch creators early successful their journeys truthful it tin springiness them support erstwhile it will person nan astir effect successful helping them grow. (It’s already made deals pinch a fewer creators, independent of this fund). 

Slow’s Creator money is simply a showcase of really firms are looking to put much successful nan Creator system and find ways to activity pinch influencers, arsenic specified creators go caller business mavens. (Other creators person looked to raising task superior to support their careers, arsenic good arsenic their peers.) 

Parks said Slow wants to activity pinch creators that run successful intelligibly defined spaces, alternatively than wide entertainment, teaming up pinch those pinch an engaged organization and authority successful their craft. “That operation makes for businesses pinch beardown foundations and durable growth,” Parks continued. It’s not dissimilar really investors already vet their founders. 

Since nan investment, Katz-Moses has hired merchandise developers, revenge patent applications, looking astatine caller products to build, and is hoping to stock much acquisition contented astir woodworking. “The extremity is to station crossed each awesome platforms,” he said. “But our superior attraction will ever beryllium YouTube.”