Podfund: We fund and support emerging podcast creators

Money Over People

Finding ways to support creators is so important, and the real promise of what the internet is supposed to enable. What is the best way for podcast creators to present a compelling case for investment to Podfund?

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6yr ago

Nicola Korzenko

Pointer

Maker

@kunaltandon Agreed! We are looking at 3 primary factors: Poised for growth. We are seeking creators with an entrepreneurial mindset who are focused on developing a successful podcast business. Evidence of traction. We want to know what’s starting to work well and how: episode downloads/listens increasing over time; a passionate fan base; success recruiting additional team members. Initial revenue. We want to see some early revenue, whether from ad sales, crowdfunding/listener support, live events, merchandise, or other related lines of business.

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6yr ago

Jake Shapiro

RadioPublic Medium Embed

Maker

Hi ProductHunters! We just launched Podfund as a resource for talented, ambitious podcasters building creative, profitable, and impactful businesses. Podfund is a source for startup and growth capital, resources, and expertise. We welcome feedback & questions. Applications are open now and we've already funded a few podcasters out of the gate. Podfund is informed by insights we’ve gained @RadioPublic as we’ve worked with thousands of podcasters who face a common set of aspirations and obstacles: 1) A steep learning curve for podcasting best practices. The podcast industry is undergoing rapid development, and few are able to stay on top of new strategies and go-to resources. 2) A lack of tools and tactics for audience growth. From top podcasts to the long tail, marketing and audience development is still poorly understood and lags behind other digital media practices — an area where RadioPublic is ahead of the curve. 3) Access to startup and growth capital. Ambitious creators starting to get traction need capital aligned with their goals, whether to expand production, invest in marketing, add business operations capacity, or address other gating factors to their growth. Despite the influx of investment in podcasting, prior to Podfund there has been no dedicated source of funding for creators building independent podcast businesses. The long-term success & healthy growth of the podcasting medium overall includes these creators charting their own course. Current funding models for podcast creators require joining a network or a platform, or turning to venture capital’s aggressive expectations for the kind of pace and scale that are not a good fit for most creators. Podfund represents an alternative, providing creators the flexibility and independence to assemble best-in-breed solutions and valuable partners, across many definitions of success. Check it out!

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6yr ago

Nicola Korzenko

Pointer

Maker

Hey PH! Nicola, GM of Podfund here. Building off what Jake said above -- Podfund is not only a source of funding, but of expertise on strategy, business, legal, and operations. This includes a peer community of Podfunded creators discovering new opportunities and solving similar problems, along with access to experienced mentors across a range of disciplines. We have developed creator-friendly terms on a revenue-based structure that ensure the creator owns and controls their intellectual property and business, factor in the risk and return to Podfund, and are designed to support sustainable models for independent podcasters. The creator retains 100% ownership of their company and is free to distribute their content wherever they see fit. Our check size ranges from $25,000 - $50,000, depending on stage, previous track record, and intended use of the funds. (In some cases, we may provide a larger initial check and/or follow-on funding.) We provide funding and services in exchange for a percentage of total gross revenue (including ads/sponsorship, listener support, and ancillary revenue such as touring, merchandise, or licensing) per quarter. PodREV terms are 7-15% of revenue for 3-5 years, depending on current traction, revenue, and projected growth. You can read more about our terms at pod.fund/#terms. We're incredibly excited to partner with podcasters looking to build healthy, growing, sustainable businesses. Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

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6yr ago

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