Creator economy start-up AppX raises $1.3 mn in YCombinator-led round

Company aims to support creators in making a regular source of income every month by selling products to their fan base.

Creator economy start-up AppX has raised $1.3 million in a funding round led by YCombinator. The company plans to utilise the fresh funds to increase its product offerings to help more creators monetise, roll out their own tokens and expand internationally.

Global Founders Capital, Rocket Internet, Soma Capital, Shrug VC, Lenny Rachitsky, James Beshara and TDV Partners also participated in the funding round.

Founded in January 2020 by Sameer Sadana and Anuj Gupta, AppX helps content creators monetise via their own personal mobile applications and websites, wherein creators can sell their e-books, courses, NFTs and run their e-commerce businesses. The company is currently targeting creators with over 10,000 followers on platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, and more such social media platforms.

Sameer Sadana, founder and CEO of AppX, said, “The creator economy space is a booming sector with market opportunity worth $100 billion. Creators and influencers regularly interact with their fans on social media, and thus require a mobile-first storefront that could help provide premium offerings to their followers."

"To cater to this demand, we have built a SaaS platform that empowers these creators to see revenue streams beyond digital ads. We are delighted with the trust instilled in us and AppX’s vision by our investors," he added.

Working with creators in domains such as edtech, fitness, gaming, and skill development, currently the company has a network of more than 3,000 creators that are using the AppX products to monetize their social media following. Creators and influencers have already earned over $10 million till now using products created by AppX, the company said.

AppX is also planning to launch a platform where creators can launch their online businesses in less than 10 minutes.