The technologies set to disrupt the creator economy this year

In the UK, creator ad spend – the primary revenue stream for content creators – increased by 57% between 2023 and 2024. Why? Strong, steady user growth for social media platforms, a generational shift in the way we consume content and make purchasing decisions, and the rise of micro-influencers, to name a few.

We’ve already backed several companies operating in the broader creator economy, with more and more entrepreneurs entering this space in recent years. And with 2025 bringing even more opportunities for growth, an increasing number of investors are looking to get in on the action.

Let’s explore some of the biggest trends in the creator economy this year – and how businesses are set to capitalise on them.

Brand partnerships

New technologies, particularly those powered by artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming the way many of us live and work. And this includes how brands and creators collaborate – with the development of AI-driven platforms, designed specifically for influencer marketing.

These digital platforms are supporting brands across all stages of the partnership process, from identifying the most relevant and high-impact creators for a company’s target audience to automated performance tracking, social listening, and verification tools.

A good example is NewGen. The social-first media group aims to bridge the gap between brands and creators, bringing them together under one roof, with the support of its in-house creative team. And it now operates on a global scale, with major clients including PepsiCo, Samsung, and Tropicana, alongside creator partnerships with the likes of Amelia Dimoldenberg and KSI.

Having received investment from our team last year, NewGen is doubling down on its creative capabilities, to drive further growth and innovation:

Creator monetisation

While some businesses are helping to boost revenues from brand deals, others are focused on ‘direct-to-fan’ monetisation.

For starters, we’re seeing more content platforms being designed with digital content creators and monetisation in mind, such as those offering subscription services. It’s also becoming easier for creators to build their own brands. This trend is giving creators greater ownership of their follower base, and an opportunity to monetise their work and personal brand, beyond paid partnerships with businesses.

BGF-backed Genflow helps creators to do just this, supporting with the design, development, and launch of their own platforms or products. “Genflow’s experience is based on building digital and product businesses with the top 1% of mega creators, to monetise a combined audience of over 300 million”, says Chris Underhill, Non-Executive Chair at Genflow.

“This provides us with a unique vantage point from which to understand not just what works when monetising audiences, but also how to operationalise and scale these businesses efficiently”, Chris explains. “With BGF’s support, we intend to unlock the full potential of the creator economy, launching our creator incubator, creator education and self-service technology platform – designed to enable the aspiring 99% of creators to build successful and sustainable businesses.”

The shift towards custom content platforms could be particularly interesting this year – with many in the creator economy expressing concerns over the industry’s dependency on ‘big social’. The typical creator is heavily reliant on social platforms like Meta, YouTube and TikTok, meaning any sudden algorithm or policy changes can significantly disrupt their income streams. As a result, investing in owned channels is becoming increasingly attractive for creators.

And with all this in mind, we can also expect to see more creator-friendly financial products entering the market, like tax automation software or cash flow management tools that are specifically built for, or marketed towards, creators.

Fan engagement

The type of content that brands and creators are developing has also transformed over the years. New formats are constantly being tested, to help maximise audience engagement, and the creation process itself has become more efficient than ever, thanks to AI.

We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of AI-driven copywriting, video content editing, voice cloning, and graphic design tools in the market. And unsurprisingly, demand for these solutions is soaring (from brands and creators alike), given their ease of use and ability to integrate into existing workflows – producing high-quality, original content, in seconds.

AI is also being used to personalise creator content like never before – from translating and localising content for global audiences to tailoring messaging to different users, based on their preferences and behaviour. Meanwhile, new tools and platforms are being developed to facilitate even deeper audience interaction, such as live Q&As or immersive brand experiences using AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technology.

KOMI Group, another BGF-backed business, is on a mission to create the most engaged digital audiences in the world. It works with a mix of creators, brands, media agencies and production houses, to drive high-performing social media strategies that capture audience attention.

Sam Lenehan, Group MD at KOMI Group, says: “We create over 40,000 new pieces of content every year. BGF’s capital has helped us acquire and build on our audiences, now generating over 4.5 billion views a month, by over 150 million people.

“We use our KOMI Insights platform, enabled by best-in-class data analytics, to continually react to audience and platform demands, as they evolve. Our data-backed creative prioritises giving algorithms what they’re asking for, so we can access and entertain people all over the world.

“AI is fast becoming an enormously important part of our business model. It hasn’t replaced people; it’s just allowed us to increase our quality and output unilaterally.”

Matt Connor, BGF Investor, and Investor Director at both Genflow and NewGen, explains: “We’re seeing a real structural shift in the market right now. Creators have emerged as a major GTM channel, particularly for D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands that may have previously relied on e-commerce platforms. And I don’t see this changing any time soon. It’s better for brands, better for influencers, and better for consumers – all of which imply long-lasting growth.”

We’ve already backed several companies within the creator economy, in various subsets of the ecosystem. So, what are our investors looking for exactly?

Courtney Walker, BGF Investor and Board Observer at KOMI Group, says to “really define your strategy and niche”, as with any business looking to scale-up effectively. But alongside that, for those in the creator economy especially, Courtney stresses the need to “figure out how to take advantage of the broader growth in this sector – and ultimately, what acquirers of businesses like yours are looking for.”