Slow Venture cuts initial checks from $60 million creator fund to woodworking founders

Slow Ventures’ Creator Fund invested $2 million in Jonathan Katz-Moses, a popular woodworking content creator with around 600,000 followers, with nearly 75 million video views and his own line of woodworking tools.

This is Slow’s $60 million creator fund’s first investment since its launch in February. The fund is trying to help creators launch their businesses under the belief that the successful influencers can make them great founders.

Slow Ventures partner Billy Parks, who speaks to TechCrunch, said the role of creators has changed significantly over the past decade or so, from creators who are primarily focused on media and branded dollars to those who are focused on building authentic “off-platform” businesses.

“The pandemic has accelerated direct consumer growth for many, but the real signal shows that people who have maintained and grown up past that boom, can build something permanent and sustainable,” Parks said.

He said that the winners of great creators think of them as entrepreneurs.

This is where Katz-Moses is included. His videos helped him teach woodworking, and he has since expanded to sell his tools and accessories to his audience. He has a team that helps him develop business, operate and of course create YouTube content. Slow’s investments can help support your business and other content creation efforts.

Katz-Moses went into woodworking after being violently assaulted one night in 2010. In a video posted to a recent channel, he said he was woken up in a blood pool surrounded by police and paramedics, causing him to suffer damage. His injuries were terrible. The fractured eye socket and gouache needed 80 stitches. He said that was the happiest moment of his life, at least because he was alive.

Shortly afterwards, he decided it was time to enter woodworking, chase his dreams and leave behind the unfulfilled things. He bought a camera and began posting his work on YouTube, attracting loyal following along the way. But as his business and persona grew, he found himself faced common challenges that founders face, such as inventory management and paying salaries for his tool business.

Katz-Moses is one of 700 applicants to Slow’s creator fund and told TechCrunch that it was exciting when Parks contacted him to learn more about his business.

“Billie Parks from Slow reached out to me in March to let me know he wanted to meet,” Katz Moses told TechCrunch.

“When we visited him at Santa Barbara’s 30,000-square-foot store, we were overwhelmed by his serious, long-term commitment to the brand and building a scaled business,” Parks told TechCrunch about why Slow chose Katzmohs.

Parks said Slow wants to partner with creators early in their journey, so they can give them support when they have the most impact on helping them grow. (I have already traded with several creators, independent of this fund.)

Slow’s Creator Fund is a showcase of how companies can invest more in the creator economy and find ways to work with influencers. (Other creators have turned their attention to fostering venture capital to support their careers and peers.)

Parks says Slow wants to work with creators who work in well-defined spaces rather than widespread entertainment, and works with the communities and people with authority involved in their craft. “The combination leads to a strong foundation and durable company,” Parks continued. It’s different from how investors already examine founders.

Since its investment, Katz-Moses has wanted to hire product developers, file patent applications, consider and build new products, and share more educational content on woodworking. “The goal is to post to all major platforms,” he said. “But our main focus is always YouTube.”

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