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Staging for Managements & Funds

Staging for Managements & Funds

Staging for Managements & Funds

Is there a “Series B” Creator?

The most fundamental change within talent management that has to happen, especially if they choose to make significant financial investments in their talent (formally or not), is to consider each management in “stages” similar to venture capital.

One of the most interesting parallels between startups and creators is how both progress through stages. For startups, these stages are often dictated by funding rounds: seed, Series A, Series B, and so on. For creators, the stages are just as distinct, though not as formally named. The strongest reason why this isn’t normalized already is because:

1) Management doesn’t want to admit their “risk tolerance” or “sector specificity” the way that venture capital funds do

2) Talent management has a hard time financially letting creators go. Naturally, this changes with more precise and honest contracting.

What’s changed?

When talent management decided to enter the early-stage talent arena, they, whether wanting to admit it or not, 1) opened themselves to include a certain “type” or talent and exclude others 2) priced that talent (whether at a holding company or subsidiary) accordingly.

Thinking of Creators this way changes how managers manage talent. It turns a vague process into something structured—a system where creators "graduate" from one stage to the next, just as startups do.

This isn’t just a mental exercise. Treating talent this way has real advantages. It helps you understand what creators need at each stage and when they’re ready for something new. It also creates a framework for building a talent portfolio, just like a venture fund.

Why this needs to happen

Growing pains. Talent management and venture capital are both in the talent spotting industry. Granted, at this point, the expectations are different (a management can be happy if a Creator just prints cash), but considering that the bar is being raised on the Talent side; the expectations and outcomes on the talent management side should grow as well.

There’s a world where VCs would love for their favorite talent they’ve invested in early would stay

Why VC has “stages”

VC has “stages” to create benchmarks and “norms” for fundraising ownership, amount of money raised, and (used to be) valuations of the company.

Staging in Talent Management

Managements aren’t ready for this conversation in 2025 yet. So, it’s up to the Creator to determine what doing business with that individual manager and overall management would do to them as founders and to their businesses. There are a few ways to determine what “stage” the management likes to work with based on their marketing and off of themes you observe.

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Determining a management's stage can be tricky because, at its core, it’s not just about external metrics—it’s about what the creator-founder decides to prioritize. Each creator-founder has a unique vision, a personal rhythm for growth, and a different tolerance for complexity. Some might aim for rapid expansion, chasing high growth metrics like CPMs or impressions, while others prefer a steady, deliberate build focused on niche audience engagement or sustainable revenue streams. It’s this internal calibration—how they define success and how aggressively they pursue it—that ultimately determines their stage.

Why this matters

The metrics they hold themselves to are the benchmarks of their ambition. A creator who’s ready to move fast and scale may set high expectations for capital raised, audience growth, or subsidiary launches. Meanwhile, a founder focused on depth might prioritize high retention rates or a tightly engaged community over sheer numbers. Similarly, the kinds of businesses they choose to invest in or build—whether it’s high-margin digital products, physical goods, or service-based ventures—shape the complexity of their holding company and how much money they’ll need to fuel that expansion.

What managements can focus on

  • Dollar amount invested (either in HoldCo or subsidiary of Creator)
    • Example questions: How much on average do you invest in your creators? How do you get to that conclusion? What’s the breakdown on Holding Company vs. Subsidiary?
  • Average ownership expected (either in HoldCo or Subsidiary of Creator)
    • Example questions: What is the average “take rate” of your management per round of funding? If I open a new company, do you expect a certain cut of that? What if it is a joint venture?
  • Conversion % or CPM expectation
    • Example questions: Can you share examples of creators you’ve worked with who exceeded industry-standard conversion rates?How do you balance CPM-focused partnerships with other monetization strategies like conversions or affiliate sales?
  • Number of followers per platform/total or number of impressions per video
    • This one is tricky because a lot of them will say no because they want to “find talent early”
    • Example questions: What’s your strategy for growing my follower base, and how do you factor that into our goals for partnerships?If impressions fluctuate, how does that affect your decision to sign or continue working with a creator?
  • # or type of platforms Creator is on
    • Some only sign based on Youtube-based, TikTok based or will look for Creators that are on multiple platforms and have proven traction on all of them
    • Example questions: Would you consider signing a creator with strong impressions on one platform but low follower counts elsewhere? Why or why not? What do you think is the strongest platform and why?
  • HoldCo Complexity
    • HoldCo Complexity is the number of businesses developed so far under the HoldCo/How far along the Creator is in their business building journey
    • Example questions: What’s your approach to working with creators who have a team or operational structure already in place? At what stage of business-building do you think a management team adds the most value?
  • Long-Term Interest and Alignment
    • Example questions: What’s your view on creators investing in or acquiring other businesses as part of their holding company strategy? How do you handle creators who prefer to stay smaller and more focused versus those who want to scale aggressively?

The Equity-Defining Stages

Pre-Founder

(Initial Holding Company Round)

  • Objective: Establish the holding company and secure initial funding to build a foundation for both the creator and potential subsidiaries.
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Why A Creator’s Pre-Founder Round Matters

The pre-founder round is an entirely new idea, but it makes perfect sense for creators. Think of it as funding the person, not the business. It’s for creators who haven’t yet built their holding company or launched their big ventures but have something just as valuable: potential. A pre-founder round isn’t about betting on what the creator has done—it’s about betting on what they could do if they had the resources to turn their influence into a real company.

At this stage, the creator is still figuring out what their holding company will look like. They may have an audience, a few revenue streams, or even a clear sense of direction, but they’re not yet a business in the traditional sense. What they need is time, capital, and the ability to experiment. The pre-founder round gives them all three. It’s essentially seed capital for the creator themselves, not just their projects.

For investors, the pre-founder round is a chance to get in early, before the creator’s ventures start generating serious returns. It’s a higher-risk investment, but the upside is enormous. By investing at this stage, you’re essentially buying equity in the creator’s future—their holding company, their subsidiaries, and everything else they might build down the line. It’s like investing in a startup before it even has a product, except the startup is the creator and their ability to turn creativity into equity.

From the creator’s perspective, the pre-founder round is a chance to stop operating hand-to-mouth and start thinking strategically. The capital might go toward building out a team, improving content production quality, or exploring new verticals.

A pre-founder round isn’t about funding a single idea. It’s about enabling the creator to become the founder of a portfolio of ideas. And that’s what makes it so powerful. You’re not just betting on one outcome; you’re betting on the creator’s ability to generate multiple outcomes over time.

Seed Round

(Expansion and Early Subsidiary Investments)

  • Objective: Use holding company funding to scale initial subsidiaries and incubate new ones.
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Why a Creator’s Seed Round Matters

If the pre-founder round is about funding the person, the seed round is where the creator begins to fund the infrastructure. By this point, the creator has taken their first steps toward building something bigger than just their personal brand. They’ve started setting up their holding company, experimenting with new ventures, or launching subsidiaries. The seed round is about scaling those efforts—turning experiments into systems and ideas into businesses.

In the seed round, the creator is no longer asking investors to bet on pure potential. There’s traction now: an engaged audience, early signs of monetization, maybe even revenue from their first ventures. The seed round is about accelerating that momentum. It’s the stage where the creator goes from testing what works to doubling down on the things that do.

What gets funded at this stage? Usually, it’s a mix of operations and growth. The creator might use the capital to hire key team members—like a COO or a specialist in e-commerce. They might invest in scaling an early business, like a product line or a digital course, or experiment with new platforms or formats. The goal is to build the infrastructure that allows the creator to operate like a startup, not just an individual.

For investors, the seed round is compelling because the risk is lower than in the pre-founder round, but the upside is still massive. By now, the creator has shown they can execute. They’ve demonstrated that their audience is willing to buy, subscribe, or engage at a level that justifies bigger investments. The holding company might still be early, but it’s no longer just an idea—it’s a growing portfolio.

From the creator’s perspective, the seed round is a chance to formalize their transition from influencer to Founder. It’s no longer about hustling to monetize a single channel; it’s about building a business ecosystem. The money raised here sets the foundation for long-term growth: shared services like marketing and finance, scalable ventures that don’t rely entirely on the creator’s time, and a roadmap for future expansion.

In many ways, the seed round for a creator is about proof of concept—not just that they can monetize their audience, but that they can build something bigger than themselves. It’s the round where they stop being just a creator and start being a founder. For the right investors, it’s the chance to back not just a business but the start of a real and conclusive business.

Creator Series A Round

(Portfolio Scaling)

  • Objective: Raise capital to scale successful subsidiaries, acquire new ones, and invest in growth opportunities.
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Why Creator Series A Matters

By the Series A, the creator is no longer just experimenting—they’ve proven their ability to build something real. The pre-founder round funded the potential, the seed round funded the infrastructure, and now the Series A is about scaling what works. This is the round where the holding company starts to look less like a scrappy startup and more like an engine for growth.

At this stage, the creator’s ventures have traction. Maybe it’s a product line that’s generating serious revenue, a SaaS tool that’s gaining paying users, or multiple subsidiaries that are starting to work together. The audience is no longer just a community; it’s a market. And the holding company isn’t just a collection of ideas anymore—it’s an operating system for turning attention into businesses.

The Series A is about putting fuel on the fire. The capital raised here funds the next stage of growth: expanding the team, launching new subsidiaries, and scaling revenue streams that are already working. This is where the holding company starts to show its leverage. A new product can piggyback off an existing audience, or one subsidiary’s success can fund another’s launch. It’s not just about adding new businesses—it’s about creating synergies between them.

For investors, the Series A is less speculative than the earlier rounds. The creator has demonstrated that their model works, and now it’s about scaling it. This round is where the valuation starts to reflect the potential of the portfolio as a whole, not just individual ventures. You’re no longer betting on whether the creator can build businesses—you’re betting on how big they can make them.

For creators, the Series A is a turning point. It’s no longer about just proving yourself—it’s about building something that can scale without you. This round isn’t just funding; it’s permission to think bigger, hire faster, and push harder. The goal isn’t just to grow—it’s to set the stage for the next round, where the holding company becomes a category-defining business in its own right.

Creator Series B Round

(Diversification and Market Leadership)

  • Objective: Raise capital to diversify the holding company’s portfolio and solidify its leadership position in the creator ecosystem.
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Why Creator Series B Matters

The Series B is where a creator’s holding company shifts from being a fast-growing portfolio to a scalable ecosystem. By this stage, the creator has built more than just a few successful subsidiaries—they’ve proven the model works at scale. The holding company isn’t just a collection of businesses anymore; it’s a cohesive engine that drives growth, monetization, and audience expansion across multiple verticals.

At this point, the focus is on optimization and expansion. The Series B funds aren’t just for launching new ventures—they’re for doubling down on what’s already working and fine-tuning the operations that power it all. This might mean scaling flagship subsidiaries into new markets, acquiring complementary businesses, or building shared services—like marketing, finance, or distribution—that make every part of the portfolio more efficient.

For investors, the Series B is less about risk and more about capturing upside. The creator has shown they can scale ventures successfully and turn their influence into significant revenue streams. The holding company now has the kind of operational complexity that allows for exponential growth, but it’s also well-tested. You’re not just betting on whether it will grow—you’re betting on how far it can go.

For creators, the Series B is the point where the vision becomes expansive. It’s no longer just about audience-driven ventures; it’s about building an enduring brand or even acquiring external companies to fit into the ecosystem. This is where the holding company can start to operate independently of the creator’s day-to-day involvement, freeing them to focus on strategy, big opportunities, and their own personal growth.

The Series B isn’t about survival—it’s about category dominance. It’s the round that turns a successful holding company into something unstoppable: a business that defines its market and sets the foundation for global scale or an eventual liquidity event. If the Series A proved the creator could scale, the Series B is where they start to own the market.

Growth Round or Pre-IPO Round

  • Objective: Raise a large growth round to prepare for public offerings, major acquisitions, or expansion into entirely new markets.
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Why Creator Growth Rounds Matter

At this point, the creator’s ecosystem is fully operational. Multiple subsidiaries are driving significant revenue, shared services are running efficiently, and the portfolio is optimized for maximum leverage. The audience isn’t just engaged—they’re loyal, with lifetime value metrics that rival traditional consumer brands. The holding company has outgrown its dependence on the creator’s day-to-day involvement; it’s now a self-sustaining machine.

The capital raised in the growth round is used strategically. It might fund international expansion, large-scale acquisitions, or the development of entirely new business verticals. It could also be used to build the company’s internal infrastructure to meet public market demands—hiring top-tier executives, tightening financial controls, and refining operations to scale smoothly. This is where the company prepares to not just grow but to thrive under the scrutiny of external stakeholders.

For investors, the growth round is about positioning. The holding company is no longer speculative; it’s a proven entity with predictable returns and a clear path to liquidity. The upside is still significant, but the risk has shifted. This round attracts institutional players who value stability and market leadership, setting the stage for a public offering or a large-scale acquisition.

For creators, the growth round is the culmination of years of effort. It’s the point where the holding company operates at a scale they might not have imagined when they started. This round isn’t just about raising money—it’s about achieving a level of legitimacy and influence that solidifies their legacy as a founder. The business is no longer just "big for a creator"; it’s big in its market, period.

The growth or pre-IPO round is the moment the holding company fully steps into the mainstream. It’s not about proving the model, scaling operations, or dominating a category anymore. It’s about becoming a market leader, with the resources and structure to take on competitors, seize new opportunities, and prepare for a liquidity event that defines its future. It’s the final stage before the company becomes something permanent—a business with impact and influence that lasts far beyond the creator who started it.

As always, if you have any particular questions, feel feel to reach out to em@pre-founder.com.