#350 - Inside Night Ventures: The Fund Behind Internet’s Top 1% Creators (Mr Beast, Kai Cenat, Hasan Piker)

Ben Matthews is a general partner at Night Ventures, an early-stage consumer VC fund, focused on culture, community, and creators. They have partnered with some of the most famous people on the internet including Mr. Beast, Kai Cenat, and Hasan Piker. In this episode of DTC Pod, Ben and Blaine discuss:Lessons from incubating and investing in early-stage consumer companiesThe key elements of successful talent-driven brands, including audience fit and long-term commitmentChoosing the right business opportunities based on market potential and operational feasibilityStructuring effective partnerships between creators, operators, and investorsThe future of TikTok and emerging monetization avenues for content creators Interact with other DTC experts and access our monthly fireside chats with industry leaders on DTC Pod Slack. On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover: 1. Business Launch and Growth 2. Talent-Driven Brands 3. Challenges in Creator Partnerships 4. Creator-Audience Relationship 5. Employment Trends and AI Impact 6. Content Commerce Trends 7. TikTok’s Future and Market Impact 8. Elements of Business Success 9. Incentive Structure in Partnerships 10. Importance of Having an Audience 11. Monetization Opportunities for Creators Timestamps 00:00 Ben Matthew’s background and Night Ventures 06:05 Building business with talent: the case of Mr. Beast 10:54 What works in creator-brand partnerships 15:25 Picking the right talent to represent a brand 19:42 Picking the right business and products 23:01 Incubating early-stage consumer companies 30:07 Investing in early-stage consumer companies 33:03 Future trends in the creator-commerce space 35:19 Future trends in the content creator landscape Show notes powered by Castmagic Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.   Additional episodes you might like: • #175 Ariel Vaisbort - How OLIPOP Runs Influencer, Community, & Affiliate Growth • #184 Jake Karls, Midday Squares - Turning Your Brand Into The Influencer With Content • #205 Kasey Stewart: Suckerz- - Powering Your Launch With 300 Million Organic Views • #219 JT Barnett: The TikTok Masterclass For Brands • #223 Lauren Kleinman: The PR & Affiliate Marketing Playbook • ​​​​#243 Kian Golzari - Source & Develop Products Like The World's Best Brands ----- Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further? Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you. Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox? Check out our newsletter here. Projects the DTC Pod team is working on: DTCetc - all our favorite brands on the internet Olivea - the extra virgin olive oil & hydroxytyrosol supplement Castmagic - AI Workspace for Content Follow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates! DTCPod Instagram DTCPod Twitter DTCPod TikTok   Ben Matthews - General Partner at Night Ventures Blaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Castmagic Ramon Berrios - Co-Founder of Castmagic