Sam Blumenthal

The third-largest NFT “asset class” (after gaming and digital art) is naming services, similar to “.com” domain names but based on decentralized technology. Ethereum Name Service, which launched in May 2017 and is funded by the Ethereum Foundation, had 170,000 ETH locked up from 2017 – 2018 in names (successful bids are locked up in a contract so... See more

On Instagram, Olaplex has long defended its reputation for quality via a robust network of affiliated stylists. But the brand has taken over TikTok with a different approach, owing its prominence largely to organic endorsements from amateur beauty and lifestyle creators. In contrast to Instagram content from haircare professionals, which tends to... See more

Still, many creators may look elsewhere to monetize their content through memberships, one-time payments, or merch sales. Some say services like Patreon or Cameo give creators more control and independence. “I’m always wary of putting all your eggs in one basket,” says Weinstein of Underscore Talent.

The average time users spend on Versihop has gone up 50% since the live video update, and the streams are generating a 4x higher conversion than the overall rate. Khan views video as a means of helping shoppers to discover the independent brands the platform specializes in. Verishop does not provide user or sales numbers, but its base is 80% female... See more

When it comes to buying, more buyers can be validating. Unlike the rise of social vertical communities—a promising trend in its own right—the success of a shopatainment platform isn’t about fostering community and intimacy among a small group of fellow shoppers. Shopatainment is a numbers game, where seeing more shoppers purchase a product helps... See more