Donnelly, like many of the creators who make their living on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch, has long felt shunned by institutions that don’t understand that his lifestyle is also his business. That makes him the target market for Karat, a new startup offering financial services to the influencer set.

Karat’s founders hope to do something similar with their card. Like Brex, Karat doesn’t require a personal guarantee. And like Brex, Karat hopes that it can turn its underserved market into a gold mine.

Ideally, the lending product would create: (1) A tech-enabled window into the creator’s business and (2) a repayment flow from the platform to the lender that mirrors the cash flows of the business. By building predictability into the unprecedented and de-risking the payback, a tech-enabled subscription platform may allow lenders to provide... See more