Slow Ventures’ Creator Fund has invested $2 million into Jonthan Katz-Moses, a popular woodworking content creator with around 600,000 followers, nearly 75 million video views, and his own line of woodworking tools.
This marks the first investment for Slow’s $60 million Creator Fund since its launch in February. The fund looks to help creators launch businesses, under the belief that what made them successful influencers is what can also make them a good founder.
Speaking to TechCrunch, Slow Ventures partner Billy Parks, the lead investor on the deal, said the role of creators has greatly changed in the past decade or so, from creators mainly focused on media and brand dollars to those now focused on building real, “off-platform,” businesses.
“The pandemic accelerated direct-to-consumer growth for many. But the real signal is in the ones who’ve maintained and grown past that boom, which shows they can build something lasting and sustainable,” Parks said.
He said a good creator-founder thinks like an entrepreneur, “not chasing fame but building real businesses that they own and control.”
This is where Katz-Moses came in. His videos help teach woodworking, and he’s since expanded into selling his own tools and accessories to his audience. He has a team helping with business development, operations, and of course, creating YouTube content. Slow’s investment will help support the business and other content creation endeavors.
Katz-Moses went into woodworking after being violently assaulted one night in 2010. In a video posted to his channel recently, he recounted the story, saying he woke up in a pool of blood, surrounded by police officers and paramedics, gasping at his marred appearance. His injuries were severe: A broken eye socket and gashes needed 80 stitches. He said it was the happiest moment of his life because, at the very least, he was alive.
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