9 creator startups to watch in 2023

2022 was a hotbed for new businesses and ideas in creative industries like music, fashion, and video. Some startups got off the ground, while others that had been around for a while introduced new features and upgrades.

The year also brought the creator economy to the fore in a hitherto-unheard-of fashion: more than 85 million Americans and 300 million people worldwide consider creativity and intelligence a major player in their work duties. With new companies debuting every day and older startups regularly expanding their menus of offerings, it’s no wonder there’s more and more money to be made as a creator.

To that end, here is a sampling of the creator startups we recommend keeping an eye on as we move into 2023.

Aimi Based out of Austin, Texas, Aimi is a generative AI music experience that caters to anyone who makes music a part of their lives (which, let’s face it, is almost everyone). Aimi is using its tech to elevate human creativity instead of replacing it – by allowing users to actively customize each part of the musical experience in real time. By adjusting settings like tempo, harmony, and bass, listeners can become creators themselves, and industry professionals can gain access to data that will change music production forever.

Gelato Gelato’s production-on-demand services help creatives in 33 countries to boost their businesses and give their projects a physical presence. E-commerce business owners can connect their online store to the Gelato API; then, when a customer places an order, Gelato will produce the product in the closest possible proximity to the customer and deliver it directly to them. Items that can be manufactured range from posters to stationery to mugs to T-shirts, allowing business owners to sell a variety of merchandise.

SWALLOW SWALLOW is bringing the ancient art of the tattoo into the Web3 era. But it’s not only the metaverse that they’ve set their sights on. With over 100 renowned tattoo artists from around the world already recruited, they’re poised to create authentic designs for digital avatars, video-game characters and weaponry, and physical products like alcohol labels and magazines. The team’s goal is to reflect their customers’ individuality through their favorite brands and their digital identities. SWALLOW has already generated a lot of excitement among investors, and it’s backed by Enjinstarter.

Descript Descript is old-guard at this point, having been around the block a few times since its founding five years ago; but it’s just getting warmed up in terms of offerings. The AI-powered audio and video editing tool is transforming and widening its focus from podcasting, videography, and other already tech-heavy industries (its first iteration was acquired by Bose in 2018) to a more everyday audience. The goal is to make it as easy for any user to edit a video they made on their phone as it would be for them to edit a document on a word processor. A Series C round of funding recently brought in $50 million, allowing Descript to continue to realize the next phase of its continuously evolving vision.

Julbox If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to design your own jewelry, Julbox is the platform that makes it possible. Its intuitive tool helps customers create their own piece, then connects them to a community where they can sell to (and buy from) others. The company also has a delivery service that brings customized designs right to your doorstep, making it easy for anyone to start their own jewelry design business or create personalized gifts for their loved ones.

Artlist Fleshing out videos with sound effects and musical scores can be time-consuming and expensive. Artlist empowers video creators of all stripes, from full-length filmmakers to short-form enthusiasts, to access a vast library of royalty-free sound content that will lend flair to their projects. It also gives recording artists and composers a platform to have their work shared and featured by other creators. And the sound integration is compatible with a variety of video platforms, from Adobe to YouTube to Final Cut.

Moojo “Empowering the future of work” – that’s how German startup Moojo bills itself. The company wants to blur (and eventually demolish) the line between freelance and full-time employment. Currently, freelancers – many of whom run businesses in creative industries, such as graphic designers and copywriters – can streamline the way they invoice clients. Next on the roadmap will be tiered freelance insurance subscriptions that protect independent contractors and make sure they’re paid properly. Ultimately, Moojo wants to arm all creators with the financial stability and benefits of salaried workers.

Coming from stints at Audible, Disney, and the BBC, to name just a few – and a couple of Emmy wins and Grammy nominations under their collective belt – the Sooper Books team seeks to bring engaging, high-quality audiobooks and narrative content to families to help children imagine, play, and even sleep. Its 37-step publishing process is a major enabler for children’s writers looking to bypass traditional red tape, and its schedule of  1-2 new stories a week ensures that a variety of work from a variety of writers regularly gets an audience.

Snipd While the podcast industry is undeniably exploding, it’s still for all intents and purposes in its infancy. And with as many podcasts being launched every month as there were bands being formed in the ‘70s, it can be difficult for podcasters to find the right audience and grow their reach. Snipd’s AI helps people to save and share clips and ideas from individual podcast episodes. It helps creators even more by generating transcripts, chapters to annotate each episode, clips to share on social media, and relevant clips that will appear in prospective listeners’ feeds according to their tastes and preferences. The Swiss startup is another VC darling, having raised $700,000 from Swiss and US backers in a pre-seed funding round. As it consistently rolls out new features, it’s poised on the edge of greatness.

2023 will be about building upon foundations

These startups demonstrate that it’s not just about coming up with a great idea, but about having the tenacity and flexibility to expand on it. Some began with a simple offering in mind and ended up lending themselves to a wider array of options, testing the boundaries of their original vision. Whatever their trajectories, they’ve all proven their potential to transform the creator economy, and they’re amassing devoted communities that are prepared to support them through the new year and beyond.