Thoughtleaders Launches Creator Economy Incubator in Tel Aviv

The new initiative aims to nurture new Israeli start-ups that are involved in the creator economy

ThoughtLeaders, the influencer marketing platform, announced the launch of a new incubator targeted at Israeli entrepreneurs interested in building companies within the creator economy. The incubator is designed to provide aspiring founders with business development expertise and high-level data, and help them to build new tools and services for online content creators. Successful applicants to the incubator will receive personal mentorship, use of office space and a creator studio in central Tel Aviv and access to the technology and data that ThoughtLeaders has already built.

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The ThoughtLeaders Incubator is dedicated to advancing initiatives within the Israeli high-tech ecosystem that involve the creation and monetization of digital content. Participants will be given ongoing access to the ThoughtLeaders big data pipeline, which collects millions of pieces of YouTube, Twitch and podcast content on a daily basis. This data includes high-level content analysis based on proprietary algorithms, automatic transcript generation, a machine learning model for identifying brand partnerships, and product link verification tools. Selected applicants will be invited to use this data as a foundation from which to build proof-of-concept and business models, with help from ThoughtLeaders technology experts and business executives. They will also have direct access to ThoughtLeaders’ extensive network of industry partners, with over 2000 creators and 300 brands. Participants will graduate from the incubator program with a working technical demonstration of their tool and a business pitch presentation of their solution.

“The creator economy is expanding at breakneck speed, and we are seeing a global revolution in how we consume and engage with content, and support the creators fueling these new democratized entertainment models,” said David Tintner, CEO and co-founder at ThoughtLeaders. “At the heart of ThoughtLeaders lies our mission to support the creation and consumption of quality content, so we are always looking for new solutions that help to facilitate that goal. With the ThoughtLeaders Incubator, we hope to nurture the next generation of disruption and innovation that will continue to shape this economy.”

According to Forbes, in the last year alone, creator economy startups raised $5 billion from investors. These emerging startups support the diverse needs of many types of creators, from content planning to production, to monetization. Many creators call on a suite of different tools to make it easier for them to manage their content output like a business; the same Forbes article estimates that creators will soon pass $10 billion in aggregate earnings, indicating the size and potential of this growing industry.

The vibrant tech scene in Israel is no exception, with many new startups that are focused on servicing creator-lead business transactions. Notable Israeli players in the creator economy include Wisio, StreamElements, Riverside and Lightricks. “We’ve seen the vibrancy that already exists in this industry, and the potential for new ideas to thrive in this space. We want to help grow all the options available to creators, and empower the next round of innovators to build their projects,” said Daniel Conn, CRO and co-founder of ThoughtLeaders. “With this new incubator, founders and entrepreneurs can take advantage of what we have already built, and extend the possibilities that are currently available for online creators on all platforms.”

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“The data we’ve collected and the tools that we built can act as a gateway to so many possibilities,” explained Tintner. “We’ve had so many ideas over the years that our tech could easily enable, from an accessible podcast player that uses our transcripts, to a fantasy sports offering based around content creators. It’s impossible for us to pursue all of these initiatives so we’re excited to hand over the reins to other entrepreneurs and hear what inspiring ideas they come up with, and ultimately establish long term partnerships with the companies that we help them to build.”

The ThoughtLeaders Incubator will begin in August 2022. Applications for the first cohort are currently available and are reviewed on an ongoing basis as they are received until the deadline at 11:59 PM, Thursday, June 30 2022. Selected applicants will be invited to a meetup to kick off the incubator selection process.