The $64 million argument
Slow Ventures has named three new creator bets, and none of them are AI tools, agents, or media brands. The firm put $1.5 million into career advisor Erin McGoff, $2.5 million into textile manufacturing creator Will Lasry, and an undisclosed figure in the $1 million to $3 million range into commercial fishing creator Kyle Lee. The deals closed between 2025 and this summer, but were only announced now.
The checks come from the $64 million Slow Ventures Creator Fund launched in February 2025. The firm says it has seven completed creator investments, two in progress, and a plan to back about 20 creators altogether.
Not investing in a channel
Slow is not taking a revenue share from a YouTube channel or buying a piece of a single product. It invests in a holding company set up by the creator, generally taking an equity stake below 15% to 20%. If the creator later launches a 50-50 joint venture, Slow’s ownership applies only to the creator’s half. There is no board seat and no imposed KPI dashboard after the money lands.
Before writing a check, the firm does extensive diligence: engagement, commercial traction, category size, and even direct outreach to followers to ask why they follow and trust the creator.
Why “cults” beat mass reach
Sam Lessin, Slow Ventures cofounder, splits creators into two groups: mass entertainment stars and niche authorities. He argues the mass entertainment moment is largely over, saying, “What we invest in are cults.” The logic is that a smaller, deeper community is better positioned to launch real businesses than a giant passive audience.
AI sharpens the thesis. When products become cheap and easy to replicate, the product itself stops being the moat. Lessin put it bluntly: “The premium on trust has never been higher.” For marketers, that is the durable takeaway: trust and community are the scarce inputs, not reach.
Use the niche-cult lens
You do not need a $64 million fund to apply the same filter to creator partnerships and campaigns. A small authority in an unglamorous category often converts better than a broad entertainer, especially for brands that need considered purchases. The three creators operate in career advice, textile manufacturing, and commercial fishing—spaces most media companies ignore, where they act as trusted nodes.
Here is a simple checklist when evaluating creators:
- Ask followers directly why they trust the creator, not just what they watch.
- Look for commercial traction: are they already selling a product, service, or license?
- Favor creators who treat audience as a path to a business, not as the end product.
One of the three already sells a flash-frozen fish brand direct to consumer—a sign that niche trust can convert into a real commerce engine, not just impressions.
Source: Adweek
