Lucy
Guo
Founder and CEO, Passes
Entrepreneur and artificial intelligence guru Lucy Guo jumped into tech as a second grader when she learned to code. She’s been busy since, launching startup Scale AI to help companies train, hone and grow their artificial intelligence systems. In 2019, she founded the investing firm Backend Capital. Thanks to her 6% stake in Scale AI, Guo was the youngest person of color on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, worth $440 million—before public and private company valuations plunged.
Guo is now focusing on the creator economy with Passes, her software startup that helps creators collect revenue from posts, tips, subscriptions and royalty payments.
“
[Creators] are entrepreneurs.”
“[Creators] are entrepreneurs,” Guo said at this year's Forbes Under 30 Summit on October 3 in Detroit. “Most creator salaries I’ve seen match those of tech entrepreneurs and engineers. But maybe 10% of the creators are making almost all the money, and everyone else is barely making a living. There needs to be a shift.”
To help speed the shift, Guo is moving beyond monetization, offering digital tools to assist up-and-coming creators find and connect with their superfans. Passes’ analysis software lets influencers collect more data about their audiences and grow their clout across multiple platforms with software that offers encrypted email lists, direct outreach to fans and digital NFT-based products.
Passes’ investors include Jake Paul’s Antifund, Multicoin Capital and Gradient Ventures.
Cofounder, Cameo
“
Five years ago if you blew up on, let’s say, Instagram you might not see a dollar from that even though you’re creating a ton of value for the platform.”
Devon
Townsend
Devon Townsend first scored viral fame on short-form video platform Vine, making funny clips about his and YouTube star Cody Ko’s travels through Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
While globetrotting, a fan asked Townsend and Ko to make a video to send to a friend. The duo began recording personalized videos, selling them for around $5 a piece.
“We were driving to go skiing—it was like a five-hour trip—and I responded to a few fans who had DMed me,” Townsend said at this year's Forbes Under 30 Summit on October 3 in Detroit. “I was like ‘Hey, I coded this website. We’d love your feedback.’”
The website has grown into Cameo, the content marketplace that connects fans with celebrities and influencers for custom videos, messages and calls. The celebrities name their prices, keeping 75% of the haul. Cameo gets the rest. Launched in 2017, Cameo has raised more than $165 million to date from investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, GV and Chicago Ventures.
Some 40,000 creators have joined the marketplace to sell content directly to fans. Townsend is adding more services: Cameo For Business acts like a digital matchmaker, connecting corporations with celebrities for paid ads. Cameo Pass allows users to access exclusive events and perks by purchasing a blockchain-backed NFT membership.
“Five years ago if you blew up on, let’s say, Instagram you might not see a dollar from that even though you’re creating a ton of value for the platform,” Townsend said. “So things like [Lucy Guo’s] Passes, Cameo, Patreon and all these platforms are helping distribute that a lot more evenly.”
30 Under 30 Class of 2018,
Enterprise Technology
30 Under 30 Class of 2020,
Consumer Technology
