The Community Operating System
Where creators and their people live. Powered by ownership.
We Solve The Community Crisis
Creators are losing their communities. Scattered across Discord, Patreon, Instagram, and a dozen other platforms—fans slip away, revenue leaks, and no one truly owns their audience. Project Backstage is the operating system that gives creators and their people a permanent home.
The creator economy has matured beyond content production into a full-stack commercial ecosystem requiring payments, audience management, scarcity mechanics, and multi-channel distribution. Current solutions are fragmented, expensive, and locked to single platforms. We built the community layer that sits on top—neutral, owned, and creator-controlled.
The Opportunity
| Metric | Current State | With Project Backstage |
|---|---|---|
| Creator Revenue Capture | 15% | 88% |
| Platform Take Rate | 30-50% | 12% |
| Integration Complexity | 5-8 platforms | 1 integration |
Market Validation: The Weverse Case Study
Weverse, HYBE's fan community platform, proves the vertical integration model at scale. With 9.8M monthly active users and $246M in 2023 revenue, they've demonstrated that superfans will pay premium prices for direct creator access, exclusive content, and community belonging.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Dimension | Weverse | Project Backstage |
|---|---|---|
| Market Focus | K-pop / HYBE Artists | All Creators |
| Monthly Active Users | 9.8M | Pre-launch |
| 2023 Revenue | $246M | Pre-revenue |
| Monetization Models | Memberships, Commerce | + Scarcity + Resale |
| Platform Take Rate | ~30% | 12% |
| Creator Access | Invite Only | Neutral Infrastructure |
Why Weverse Can't Scale Horizontally
Weverse is structurally limited: it's owned by HYBE, a record label with proprietary artist relationships. Their incentive is to extract maximum value from their existing roster, not to enable competitors. This creates a gap in the market for neutral infrastructure—a platform with no label agenda.
- 137 trapped labels: Dozens of music labels want Weverse-style fan engagement but refuse to build their communities on a competitor's platform. They're trapped, waiting for a neutral alternative.
- Exclusivity trap: Weverse's value proposition depends on scarcity of access. Opening to all creators would dilute their premium positioning.
- Label economics: HYBE takes 30%+ as the label, then another 30% as the platform. Creators without label deals need a different path.
- Geographic concentration: 70%+ of Weverse revenue is K-pop focused. The $40B+ non-K-pop creator market is unaddressed.
The Moat: 5 Patent-Pending Innovations
Our defensibility comes from a stack of interconnected innovations, each patent-pending, that compound in value when combined. Competitors can copy one layer; replicating the integrated system requires 18-24 months of development.
- Diamond Key Scarcity System Proprietary tiered-access mechanism that creates verifiable, tradeable scarcity for community membership. Each Key is unique, numbered, and permanently tied to the fan's identity—driving both exclusivity and secondary market value. Patent Pending
- Perpetual Community Support Fee Engine Automated royalty infrastructure that ensures creators earn on every secondary transaction—forever. Unlike one-time sales, this creates compounding passive income as a creator's catalog appreciates over time. Patent Pending
- Geo-Gated Verification System Compliance-first architecture that automatically enforces geographic restrictions for NIL athletes and regulated creator categories. Built-in geo-fencing ensures legal compliance across all 50 states. Patent Pending
- Community-to-Business Integration Single API that bridges fan communities to commerce—merch, experiences, content, and payments all unified. Creators connect once; we handle Stripe, Shopify, Discord, YouTube, and 40+ integrations automatically. Patent Pending
- Secondary Marketplace Architecture Built-in resale marketplace where fans can trade access passes, collectibles, and experiences with full provenance tracking. Every transaction triggers creator royalties, transforming one-time drops into perpetual revenue. Patent Pending
Financial Model
Three-Year Projection
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Creators | 850 | 3,200 | 9,500 |
| GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) | $42.5M | $112M | $315M |
| Platform Revenue (12% take) | $5.1M | $13.4M | $37.8M |
| Secondary Market Rev (add'l 3%) | $0.4M | $1.8M | $5.7M |
| Total Revenue | $5.5M | $15.2M | $43.5M |
Operating Expenses (Year 3)
| Category | Annual | % of Rev |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering & Product | $8.7M | 20% |
| Sales & Marketing | $10.9M | 25% |
| Operations & Support | $6.5M | 15% |
| G&A | $4.4M | 10% |
| EBITDA | $13.0M | 30% |
Unit Economics
| Unit Economic | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Average GMV per Creator (Monthly) | $4,200 | Blended mid-tier |
| Platform Take (12%) | $504 | Monthly rev/creator |
| Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) | $180 | Blended paid + organic |
| Average Lifespan | 14 months | Median retention |
| Gross LTV | $7,056 | $504 × 14 |
| Net LTV (after COGS ~65%) | $2,470 | — |
| LTV:CAC Ratio | 13.7x | Target: >3x |
| Payback Period | 11 days | — |
Perpetual Revenue Engine: The Secondary Market Flywheel
Most platforms capture value once. We capture value forever. Our secondary market infrastructure transforms one-time drops into perpetual revenue streams for both creators and Project Backstage.
Revenue
How the Flywheel Works
Secondary Market Revenue Model
| Revenue Stream | Primary Sale | Each Resale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator Earnings | 88% | 10% | Perpetual royalty |
| Platform Revenue | 12% | 3% | Perpetual take |
| Seller Proceeds | — | 87% | After royalties |
Why This Matters: The Multiplier Effect
Traditional creator platforms capture revenue once at point of sale. Our secondary market infrastructure transforms digital scarcity into a compounding asset class. Analysis of comparable markets (StockX, Whatnot, NBA Top Shot) shows:
- Average resale velocity: High-demand items trade 3.2x in the first year alone
- Price appreciation: Early drops from growing creators appreciate 140% on average
- Velocity increases with fame: As creators grow, their back-catalog trades more frequently
- Zero marginal cost: Secondary transactions require no creator effort—pure passive income
Projected Secondary Market Contribution
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary GMV | $12.7M | $59.4M | $189M |
| Platform Secondary Rev (3%) | $0.4M | $1.8M | $5.7M |
| Secondary as % of Total Rev | 7% | 12% | 13% |
| Creator Royalty Payouts | $1.3M | $5.9M | $18.9M |
Risk Analysis & Mitigation Strategies
We've identified key risk vectors that could impact execution or market timing. Below is our assessment and mitigation approach for each.
Additional Considerations
| Risk Factor | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform dependency (Stripe, etc.) | Low | High | Multi-PSP architecture |
| Competitive response from incumbents | Medium | Medium | 12-18 mo. head start, patent protection |
| Creator churn | Medium | Medium | Switching costs via data lock-in |
| Economic downturn impact on discretionary spend | Medium | Low | Superfan segment is recession-resistant |
The Ask
| Use of Funds | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering & Product | $1,250,000 | 50% |
| Go-to-Market & Sales | $750,000 | 30% |
| Operations & Legal | $375,000 | 15% |
| Reserve | $125,000 | 5% |
| Total | $2,500,000 | 100% |
18-Month Milestones
| Milestone | Target | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Platform v1.0 Launch | Full feature parity | Q2 2026 |
| Creator Onboarding | 500 creators | Q3 2026 |
| GMV Run Rate | $25M ARR equiv. | Q4 2026 |
| Series A Readiness | $10M+ raise | Q1 2027 |