CreatorDAO Litepaper
Funding and Growing Creators by Collective Decision-Making
Introduction
$CREATOR is the index coin of culture. It's the native token of the internet's largest onchain portfolio of creator-owned IP.
It's a macro bet on the long term value of digital IP, creators, and the movements they lead.
From YouTube videos and fictional universes to viral characters, memes, and remixable stories… digital IP is becoming the most valuable asset class of the century. And yet, there's no scalable, liquid, or aligned way to invest in it.
That's where CreatorDAO comes in.
We believe the next $80 trillion of IP value won't be created by Hollywood studios or legacy publishers, it'll be built by internet-native creators, communities, and DAOs. CreatorDAO is assembling the largest onchain portfolio of this emerging asset class, backed by capital, community, and operational firepower.
That $80 trillion figure isn't speculative, it's the estimated global value of intellectual property, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, entertainment franchises, fictional universes, brand equity, and more. It represents the backbone of industries like film, music, gaming, fashion, software, and publishing.
As value shifts from physical to digital, and from centralized ownership to community-led creation, we believe the next wave of iconic IP (think Barbie, Marvel, Pokémon) will be born on the internet and scaled through creator ecosystems, not corporate studios.
CreatorDAO is building the most aligned and liquid way to invest in that shift, by directly funding creators and owning the IP upside onchain.
The $CREATOR token isn't just a bet on one type of creator or one platform… it's a bet on the entire category.
We're starting with YouTubers because our founding team brings over a decade of experience and a deep network in the space. Unlike other platforms, YouTube content generates the most consistent, predictable income, making it the ideal starting point for IP-backed investments.
This is Phase 1, and our model is simple: We fund promising creators and help them grow. In return, we own a share of their IP upside.
This lite paper outlines how CreatorDAO identifies breakout creators, structures investments, grows their revenue, and captures value back into the DAO. It also details our treasury strategy, token utility, governance model, and long-term vision for building the BlackRock of internet IP.
YouTube Creators
The creator economy is booming, yet countless talented individuals remain trapped in the early grind, unable to break through due to financial, time, and knowledge limitations.
CreatorDAO changes that by funding promising creators, allowing them to quit their jobs for a period of time and focus entirely on content creation, while also providing strategic and operational support to help them scale effectively.
Imagine a decentralized Shark Tank (the show) for funding creators, but instead of a handful of rich people picking winners, the entire community votes on which creators have potential and deserve funding.
This collective decision-making model taps into the wisdom of the crowd—the belief that large, diverse groups consistently make better predictions than small, centralized decision-makers. By leveraging thousands (or millions) of engaged fans, we ensure that investment decisions reflect real audience interest, leading to a more accurate and crowd-validated selection of creators with true breakout potential.
TLDR: Mark Cuban can't predict the next MrBeast, but a collective of thousands of people can.
Investments
Investment Terms
Standard Deal: We offer $12,000 for 20% of revenue over 3 years. This amount is designed to cover basic living expenses for approximately six months, allowing creators to focus entirely on content creation. If a creator needs additional funding, they can reapply for a second time, and the community will collectively decide whether to support them again based on their progress and potential.
Larger Deals: Established creators already generating revenue may qualify for larger investments. A standardized formula will determine investment amounts based on a creator's historical earnings and growth trajectory.
Returns
All returns from creator revenue shares go back into the CreatorDAO treasury. This replenishes and grows the community's collective capital, ensuring long-term sustainability and compounding impact.
The DAO's members vote on how to allocate these returns - whether it's funding the next batch of creators, hosting community events, building new tools, or expanding support programs. This model ensures that the value generated stays within the ecosystem and is reinvested according to the priorities of the community.
Batches
Subject to quality of applicants, we aim start with 10-20 investments per batch, scaling as the treasury grows. This structured batch approach allows us to refine our selection process, optimize mentorship programs, and ensure we maximize creator success.
Who Can Apply
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for CreatorDAO funding, applicants must have uploaded at least 2 long-form YouTube videos per month for the past 12 months. In most cases, success as a creator is undeniably a war of attrition. This filter ensures that we attract individuals who have demonstrated real commitment and are far less likely to quit when growth is slow or challenges arise.
Platform Focus
Initially, we are focusing on YouTube creators, as it provides the most scalable and predictable monetization model. In the future, we plan to expand into platforms like TikTok, X, Instagram, and Snapchat to support a broader range of creators.
Community-Driven Selection
If a creator meets the baseline criteria, they will be added to the community voting pool, where CreatorDAO members will vote purely based on perceived potential without any algorithmic constraints or bureaucratic hurdles.
Creator Funding Voting
How Creator Voting Works
Each funding cycle opens with a one-month application window for creators. After submissions close, the community has one week to vote. Any wallet holding CreatorDAO tokens can participate. Voters must select ten different creators, with their voting power split equally across those choices. The first funding round has no quorum, but all future rounds will require a minimum number of participating wallets before funds are released.
Our voting mechanism will continue to evolve over time. In the long run, we aim to transition away from token-weighted voting toward a more quadratic-based model that better balances influence across the community.
Sybil Resistance
This system is extremely difficult to game because eligibility requires an active YouTube channel with at least 2 long-form videos per month for the past 12 months. Any entity attempting to create multiple fake channels would need to maintain numerous real, active YouTube accounts for a year, making Sybil attacks impractical.
To further prevent abuse, we will implement a community veto mechanism in future batches to eliminate channels that are clearly not real (such as those that reupload copyrighted content, spam low-effort videos, or show clear signs of inauthentic activity). This ensures that only legitimate, high-potential creators make it into the final voting pool.
Support After Funding
Long Term Success
Funding is just the first step. CreatorDAO is committed to ensuring that funded creators have the resources, guidance, and community support needed to scale their channels and maximize their success. Our post-funding support system is designed to provide both strategic and operational assistance, helping creators navigate the challenges of content growth and monetization.
Structured Growth & Mentorship
- Weekly Check-Ins: For the first three months, creators participate in structured peer-review sessions, accountability meetings, and mentorship calls to refine their content strategy.
- Expert Guidance: Creators gain direct access to industry experts who provide insights on video performance, audience retention, and monetization strategies.
- Tailored Content Strategy: Our team works with creators to analyze data, optimize video formats, and develop scalable growth tactics tailored to their niche.
- Monetization and Business Support: Once creators reach a certain level of success, we can help with getting sponsorships, diversifying income streams, tax strategies, hiring, operational support, etc.
Built-in Growth & Risk Mitigation
- Strategic Collaborations: Established creators within our network will be incentivized to collaborate with funded creators, giving them a major visibility boost.
- Community Amplification: DAO members actively engage with funded creators' content through watch time, likes, comments, and shares, boosting algorithmic visibility and accelerating growth.
- Owned Media Expansion: CreatorDAO-run channels across social platforms will provide an ongoing promotional engine for backed creators, much like how Shark Tank provides instant exposure and credibility to its featured businesses. By controlling distribution, we drive traffic to our creators and create a self-sustaining content ecosystem that amplifies every new funding batch.
Alumni Flywheel
As CreatorDAO funds and nurtures more successful creators (aka alumni), they can continue contributing to CreatorDAO:
Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing
Successful alumni will be incentivized to mentor newer creators, offering guidance on content strategy, audience growth, and monetization. This allows us to scale the number of investments while continuing to provide personalized help to creators.
High-Impact Collaborations
Alumni with large audiences become valuable collaboration partners for new creators, offering direct exposure and accelerated growth. These partnerships reduce the risk of early-stage creators struggling to gain traction, increasing the overall return on investments.
Attracting More Top-Tier Applicants
The more success stories we generate, the more high-quality creators will be drawn to CreatorDAO. This creates a virtuous cycle where top talent seeks out DAO support, further improving the caliber of investments.
Governance
Governance Proposals
Governance proposals set the direction of the DAO and dictate treasury uses. For a proposal to pass, it must achieve a 25% quorum and secure a simple majority within a 14-day voting period.
Tokenomics
Overview
The CreatorDAO token is primarily a governance token used to vote on proposals to fund creators. The token will secondarily be used to compensate those helping build, contribute to, or invest in the DAO and its operations.
The CreatorDAO token will be launched with a set supply cap of 1 billion tokens with no further minting functionality. In the same way that we tell creators that the longer they are in the game, the more likely they are to succeed, we want to demonstrate through our tokenomics. We have a long-term vision for success and that those who stick around will be rewarded.
All locked tokens will be locked for 1 year followed by a 2 year linear vesting period.
Token Allocation
Liquidity
Upon token launch, CreatorDAO will seed a liquidity pool split between ETH (pending DAO approval) and CreatorDAO tokens. The resulting LP tokens will be sent to the DAO treasury.
Staking Incentives
Future staking mechanisms will incentivize holders to vote, utilizing the 4% Staking allocation. Additional incentives will reward members who continue to stake and participate over the long term.
CreatorDAO Litepaper v0.9
Last updated: July 18, 2025