Sam Blumenthal

In the span of just two years, Whatnot became the first U.S. livestream shopping unicorn with a valuation of $1.5 billion. Its app is home to thousands of sellers that deal in sports and Pokemon trading cards, action figures and comic books. Some have created multi-million dollar businesses on the back of its marketplace. Lafontaine says it’s these... See more

In its Synthetic Media Landscape report, Samsung Next argues that synthetic media is the third evolutionary stage of media: 1.  The Past: Old Media. Enabled mass distribution for a select few through TV, radio, and print. Enabling Technology: Broadcasting. 2.  The Present: New Media. Enabled democratized distribution for everyone through social... See more

As online video platforms seek a business model beyond advertising, and short videos start to look more and more like commercials, it turns out that commerce may be video’s killer app. And not only could video apps become ecommerce apps, but all ecommerce apps may also have to become video apps. Various platforms from China show us how this can be... See more