The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Nov 2023

CreateSafe builds Triniti, a generative AI "artistic intelligence" platform that enables artists to create AI voice clones, generate text-to-audio samples, consult a music-industry chatbot, monetize creations, and manage music IP. Triniti leverages a customized RVC voice-cloning model, OpenAI’s ChatGPT for its virtual companion, Stable Diffusion for album art, and a MusicGen-based music model focused on audio/DSP techniques. Elf.Tech is the prototype of Triniti and has produced more than 1,000 songs replicating Grimes’ voice; Grimes has joined CreateSafe’s advisory board. The platform issues a voice‑likeness certificate so artists can set licensing terms and includes distribution, takedown and monetization workflows. CreateSafe launched Triniti as a free open web beta, with voice cloning, licensing, distribution and management apps available upon request/approval. The company plans a subscription tier ($99–$150/year), forthcoming editing tools, MIDI processing features, and iOS and Android apps. CreateSafe raised $4.6M in a seed round to further develop the Triniti platform.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2023

Cohart is a mobile-first social marketplace that helps visual artists be discovered and sell work directly to buyers via tools and infrastructure built for creators. The platform is currently available on iOS and emphasizes turning consumers into curators through personalized recommendations and direct connections to artists. Cohart charges a 25% commission on sales and covers shipping, insurance and authentication. After 18 months in beta the company closed over $1.6 million in sales with pieces selling for an average of $7,000 each; for 80% of buyers this was their first purchase outside friends, interior-design sites or big-box marketplaces. The founders, Kendall Warson and Shyevin S’ng, launched the company in February 2021 and draw on prior art and curation experience. Cohart plans to launch a subscription model for artists, expand to Android and web, add an AI-enabled personalized experience, livestream studio visits, resale with artist royalties, and expand product, operations and marketing.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2023

Passes is a Miami, FL–based engagement and revenue platform that offers subscription and CRM tools for creators to connect with fans through exclusive content and experiences. Launched 14 months ago by CEO Lucy Guo, the platform supports roughly 1,000 creators who have made tens of millions on the service. The company says its next products will add additional revenue streams for creators. Passes intends to use new funding to expand engineering, operations, creator support, marketing, and sales teams and to continue product development. Mood Rowghani joined Passes’s board in conjunction with the financing. Passes is an invite-only, brand-friendly paywall platform based in Miami, FL that enables creators to monetize fan relationships through locked content, direct messaging, livestreams, 1:1 fan calls, and customizable subscription tiers. Led by Founder and CEO Lucy Guo, the platform is used by creators including Sophoa Mosca, TherapyJeff, Maren Altman, Emma Norton, and Luke Scornavacco. The company recently raised USD9M in Seed funding to support product development, talent acquisition, and user growth. Passes emphasizes brand-friendly creator-to-fan experiences and gated engagement features to drive subscription and direct monetization. No operating metrics such as revenue or user counts were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Equity · Apr 2022

Afterparty is a platform that provides creators with live streaming, 1:1 chats, IRL community events, and token-gated collectibles to monetize and deepen fan relationships. The company is introducing Afterparty AI to deliver AI voice, photo, and video messaging that allows creators to scale personalized, 24/7 fan interactions. Fan-generated images and videos become one-of-a-kind collectibles verified on the blockchain and can serve as access points to exclusive experiences like livestreams and IRL events. Afterparty says its livestream format can double or triple creator livestream revenue with a higher cost-per-view compared to TikTok Live. The platform serves thousands of creators, including musicians, dancers, and podcasters, and has evolved since debuting in 2021 from token-gated fan access to a broader interactive destination. The company has raised capital to support product development and growth, bringing total capital raised to $12 million. Afterparty is a Web3 company that builds an NFT ticketing platform enabling creators to monetize fan relationships and deliver token-gated real-world events and experiences. Its core product uses NFTs to grant lifetime membership access, VIP benefits, and priority rights to festival and event tickets, positioning tokens as dynamic tools for IRL experiences rather than static digital art. Afterparty demonstrated proof of concept with its first token-gated festival in Las Vegas, which featured The Chainsmokers and The Kid LAROI and drew over 6,000 attendees; the platform has since scaled to include hundreds of musical artists and creators. The company plans to expand its events lineup nationwide, bring the festival to Los Angeles this fall via a second-generation Guardian NFT drop that will mint 10,000 NFTs as lifetime festival memberships, and continue pop-ups and gallery showings. Financially, Afterparty closed a $4 million strategic community round that brings total capital raised to $7 million and aims to use the funding to scale product and platform growth. Since launching in 2021, Afterparty has attracted notable investors, creators, and celebrity participants and positions itself as an educator and partner in live minting to broaden NFT access for creators. Afterparty builds an end-to-end Web3 creator platform that lets artists launch NFTs, manage collector relationships, and host NFT-gated live experiences. Its events platform enables creators to “token gate” exclusive fan experiences, and the company plans to launch an Ethereum- and Polygon-based NFT marketplace in January. The events product made its public debut in August 2021 following a beta with Ethereum and Deso and has hosted household-name creators and influencers. Over 20 early adopters, including Echosmith, Tropix, and Bryce Hall, have launched social tokens on the platform and seen growth in token market cap and direct income. Afterparty is scaling its team and hiring across engineering, marketing, and operations while expanding its virtual event series. The company was founded and is led by David Fields and Dan Rahmel, with co-founder Eytan Elbaz and Robert Graham in leadership roles, and positions itself around creator ownership and direct monetization.