Are You a Founder Building in Public or a Creator-Founder? Why the Difference Matters
Megan Lightcap
Market Signal:
We’re seeing an abundance of founders who share their journey online—posting on X, writing newsletters, podcasting, and generally being transparent about the ups and downs of startup life. But there’s a spectrum here. On one end, you have the classic founder who uses content as a tool to support a singular company, with little interest in building a personal brand or nurturing a community beyond what’s tactically necessary. On the other, you have the true creator-founder: someone building an entire ecosystem—community, content, events, products, services—all interconnected and compounding, usually around a broader niche or theme.
Takeaways:
Founder Building in Public: Think Tyler Denk at Beehiiv or Adam Guild at Owner. Both are public and engaging, but their content serves one purpose: supporting their company. Their personal brand is secondary (if relevant at all), and the business is the main character. We’d back these folks out of our core seed fund, not the Creator Fund.
Creator-Founder: Enter Ryan Serhant. He isn’t just selling real estate; he’s built an entire world—film studio, education, marketing, tech, media—under his name. His personal brand is the engine, and each business vertical benefits from the trust and attention he commands. This is the archetype for our Creator Fund: someone who is the authority in their niche, with multiple touchpoints and revenue lines stemming from a robust brand and community.