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

With inflation beginning to rise, retailers and consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies may need to raise prices to cover their costs. Simultaneously, they face increased competition from start-ups and from companies with relatively inexpensive offerings. But, if consumer reviews of a company’s products are less positive than those of competitors,... See more

Social DAOs: Users form communities over shared sets of values and interests. Social DAOs give the community the ability to coordinate towards a mission, program roles, and incentivize contributors. One use case could be a Creator-fan club that co-creates content and grows brand value together.

Miko embodies the rise of “VTubers” (Virtual YouTubers), a catchall term for online creators who digitally obscure their faces and bodies. But more broadly, Miko embodies a nascent, but fascinating space: synthetic media.