Clan is a Community Aggregation platform for Content Creators that aimed to address systemic challenges in the creator economy by focussing on equitable monetisation and IP protection. Positioned as a next-gen alternative to Patreon/Ko-fi, it prioritised creator ownership through fan-driven revenue models.
Operated during the 2021 inflection point in India’s creator economy. Clan’s model responded to creators earning <₹15K/month despite having a large follower-base. While pre-seed funding efforts paused due to market saturation, the platform demonstrated viability in niche verticals like indie musicians and micro-influencers.
◉ Final 30 out of 2500+ student startups across India in Antler India VC’s $20,000 fellowship. Pitched to the Partner of Antler India as Co-Founder of Clan.
◉ Onboarded 2,500+ users (80% creators, 20% fans) with 10K+ app sessions in the first week, leveraging gamified reward systems for community engagement.
◉ Built MVP with creator-facing features: royalty-split contracts, IP templates, and tiered subscription tools; differentiators validated by 100+ creator interviews.
◉ Structured pre-seed fundraising decks targeting $300K for scalability, emphasising Clan’s unique value in India’s underserved regional creator markets.
◉ Led 8-member team to execute product launches and multi-channel campaigns (YouTube tutorials, Spotify podcasts), driving 70% organic user acquisition.
Wound down operations in 2022 due to market saturation, compounded by a sector-wide funding winter that saw early-stage creator-tech investments drop 60% YoY. Challenges in scaling a sustainable revenue model beyond metro-cities and no clear timeline on PMF further influenced the decision.