We are pleased to announce our recent investment in Komon, a platform that permits creators to launch NFT-powered communities. Adara participated in the $2 million pre-seed round alongside Samaipata, Inveready, Shilling, and several business angels.
We are excited to back Komon founders Sebastián Fernández-Medrano, former Principal at Samaipata, and Manuel Bevilacqua, a computer scientist with years of experience in companies such as Capchase, Returnly, and Stubhub.
Both founders share a deep passion for art in all its forms. Beyond their professional experience, Sebastián is a trained actor and Manuel is a professional violinist, which has led them to take the leap to change creative industries through technology.
The challenge: One-sided creator platforms
Digital creators face many challenges, often sacrificing ownership over their audiences and potential revenue depending on the platforms they choose to distribute their work. First-generation models (YouTube, Twitch, Spotify) have helped creators make money primarily through digital ads but still require a significant following and traffic numbers to generate meaningful revenue. And while second-generation models (Patreon, OnlyFans) have helped creators unlock additional revenue by charging fans subscription fees to access content, dependence on any one platform forever limits the creator’s potential audience size, engagement, and revenue.
Enter Komon: Enabling direct creator-community relationships
Komon offers an alternative to these existing models, helping creators regain control over their entire content production, monetization, and distribution processes.
The Madrid-based startup is developing a platform that will allow creators and artists to build and manage a community and engage directly with their audiences. Community members can unlock access and rights to a creator’s exclusive content through utility-focused NFTs, or “Komon Keys,” which are governed by smart contracts. Members can also resell, rent, or give away “Komon Keys” to transfer their community membership to someone else.
Komon will use the funding to develop the platform and build out its team in Europe and the US.
The Adara view: Web3 & and empowering the new creator economy
We’re fascinated to see how Web3 will harness the power of digital communities and the future of commerce. To build and run these communities is time-consuming, costly, and complex, and we believe creator tools and platforms like Komon will catalyze audience engagement in the same way that e-commerce infrastructure has unlocked distribution for D2C brands.
We were very impressed with Sebastian and Manu’s deep “Problem-Founder Fit,” having both experienced firsthand the current difficulties the creative industry faces, and we believe they have a product-first approach to a very large market opportunity. The potential for NFTs to provide creators with more autonomy over how they engage with their audiences and monetize their work is enormous. We are thrilled to support Komon on their mission to help creators worldwide build income in a way that truly enables their creative work.
