Threads and the trouble with a borrowed crowd
Instagram could get people through the door. Keeping them there required a different guest list - and a lesson in the unglamorous business of building a habit.
Chative.IO
An AI-powered omnichannel inbox that turns messaging apps into a storefront - letting small teams sell, support and retain customers from a single screen.
LoudCrowd
LoudCrowd is an Austin-based software company that helps direct-to-consumer brands turn creators and customers into a measurable sales channel. Its all-in-one creator commerce platform runs influencer, affiliate, ambassador, and user-generated-content programs, spins up branded on-domain creator storefronts, and layers on AI agents that automate discovery, outreach, and program management - shifting the focus from reach-based vanity metrics to attributable revenue.
1stCollab
1stCollab is a San Francisco-based, AI-powered influencer marketing platform (YC W23) that automates the entire creator-campaign workflow - sourcing creators, outreach, negotiation, contracts, payments, and taxes - while optimizing for ROI. Founded in 2022 by ex-Pinterest leaders Leon Lin, Varun Bansal, and Andrew Liu (with Carina Cater leading influencer strategy), it connects thousands of creators each week with brands like Notion, Character AI, Quora, Framer, and Gamma, letting marketers do in hours what once took teams months.
Meta
Meta Platforms is the company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads - a Family of Apps used by more than 3 billion people daily. Founded as Facebook in 2004 and renamed Meta in 2021, it runs one of the world's largest digital advertising businesses while pouring tens of billions into artificial intelligence (the open-weight Llama models and Meta AI assistant) and wearable computing (Quest headsets and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses). In 2025 it reported roughly $201 billion in revenue.