With a $300M milestone, a new investment from Steven Bartlett, and a bold vision for AI-powered creation, Stan is making a serious play to become the “Nike of entrepreneurship.”
In the crowded world of creator tools, Stan has quietly — and now not-so-quietly — become a standout success. Founded by John Hu and Vitaly Golomb, the company recently crossed $300 million in earnings generated for creators, scaled to 70,000+ users, and secured a high-profile investment from Steven Bartlett, the bestselling author and host of The Diary of a CEO.
But if you’re expecting another Silicon Valley founder with a pitch deck and pedigree, you’re in the wrong meeting. Hu and Golomb built Stan from the ground up, fueled by cold emails, immigrant grit, and an unshakable belief in creator empowerment. Their message is simple: Anyone should be able to work for themselves.
And they’re building the infrastructure to make that possible — with a business model and values that diverge radically from the VC playbook.
This conversation is part of the Creator Commerce series Brought to You by .store Domains
Launching a product line? Start with a .store domain — the go-to web address for creators selling online. Top names like MrBeast, Dude Perfect, and Colin & Samir trust .store to build sleek, memorable URLs like YourName.store that drive traffic and sales. Get yours today at go.store/boc5.
From Wall Street to TikTok: The Personal Story Behind Stan
John Hu’s path didn’t begin in the tech world. It started in the American South, raised by a single immigrant mother, working nights to pay off student loans after landing a spot at a four-year university.
At 19, he broke into Goldman Sachs. Later, he hopped to private equity, venture capital, and eventually Stanford Business School. But somewhere between the prestige and the pressure, Hu had a realization: “I did all the things one assumes would make you happy… and it just didn’t feel right.”
Then came TikTok.
Like many during COVID, Hu began exploring the creator economy and posting career advice videos. He saw immediate traction and, more importantly, impact. “People were messaging me saying my resume tips helped them land jobs,” he says. “It was the first time I’d ever been creative in my life.”
But he hit a familiar wall: how to make money as a creator.
That friction became the seed for Stan — a tool built not just to host digital products, but to empower creators to run full-stack businesses. Hu partnered with Vitaly, a self-taught coder who immigrated from Russia and was driven by one goal: freedom. The two teamed up just a month after meeting, united by their personal mission to help others do the same.
Why Steven Bartlett Invested — and Became a Hands-On Partner
Stan’s recent round of funding was led by Steven Bartlett, who joins as both investor and strategic partner. But the partnership didn’t come easy.
“It was a whole lot of hustle,” Hu admits. He cold-emailed, cold-DM’d, even contacted Bartlett’s agent — with zero replies. Eventually, on Christmas Eve, Bartlett’s fund sent a generic follow-up email to reapply. Hu resubmitted. A week later, Bartlett messaged him directly: “Obsessed. Text me.”
The two quickly connected over a shared ethos — both self-made immigrants, both obsessed with the intersection of AI and creativity. Bartlett now texts product ideas regularly and has become a true co-owner in Stan’s evolution.
“We believe in doing business in person,” says Hu. “You really get a sense for someone’s values — and Steven just got it right away.”
Inside the Stan Playbook: What Actually Makes Money for Creators
With $300 million in GMV and counting, Stan has unique visibility into what works — and what doesn’t — in the modern creator economy.
Here are the three biggest monetization strategies driving success on the platform:
- Digital Products (50% of GMV)
Think: ebooks, templates, guides, and courses. “It’s the definition of leverage — create once, sell forever,” Hu explains. - Recurring Subscriptions
With built-in community features, creators are launching $19–$100/month memberships that generate stable, owned revenue. - One-on-One Bookings
From coaching to consulting, creators can offer direct services via Stan’s calendar integration — a high-value, zero-friction path to monetization.
“It’s not about chasing scale like MrBeast,” Hu says. “We focus on the middle-class creator — someone who wants to earn six or seven figures doing what they love.”
Stan’s flexibility supports creators across niches — from spirituality to business to wildly niche categories like sourdough guides and crochet templates. One creator has made over $750,000 selling a $37 recipe guide.
A Different Kind of Tech Company — Built by Creators, For Creators
Stan’s success wasn’t just about hitting product-market fit. It’s about empathy at scale.
“We’re not just another startup. We’re creators ourselves,” Hu says. “Everything we build — from UI to copy — is something we would actually use.”
They’ve raised just $5 million to date and turned profitable — a sharp contrast to other link-in-bio platforms that raised tens or hundreds of millions without finding traction.
“We just care more,” Hu says. “And that obsession trickles into better product, better marketing, better results.”
Their North Star isn’t revenue or headcount — it’s creator success. Internally, they track how many users reach monetization milestones and hold themselves to 2x the industry average in success rate.
The Future of Stan: AI Agents, Not Just Tools
The next chapter? AI — but not the way most people are thinking about it.
Instead of generic content generation, Hu and Golomb are working on AI agents that help creators achieve clarity.
“Most people come to Stan saying, ‘I want to monetize,’ but they don’t know how. Do you want to build a $5 PDF or a $5,000 coaching program? That clarity gap is where AI can help.”
They envision a future where creators are amplified — not replaced — by intelligent agents who understand their uniqueness and help shape their brand, products, and strategy.
“Generative AI today averages everything out,” Golomb says. “We want to prompt it to bring out what makes you stand out.”
Advice for New Creators: Build Fast, Focus Hard
When asked what advice he’d give new creators, Hu doesn’t hesitate:
“Build your first product in five hours — and launch the same day.”
The mistake? Overcomplicating things. You don’t need five products, a $10k funnel, or 17 Chrome extensions. You just need:
- Consistent content — your traffic engine
- One good product — with a clear, valuable offer
“The people who win are the ones who don’t give up,” Hu says. “Some creators grind for five years before they pop. They persist through the flops, the insecurity, the burnout — and they keep going.”
Stan’s Bet on the Middle Class Creator
In a world where most creator economy platforms chase unicorns, Stan is betting on something different: the rise of the sustainable, empowered, middle-class creator.
They’re building the tools, the AI infrastructure, and now the community features to make that future real. With Steven Bartlett onboard, a product that’s resonating across niches, and a culture built on creative empathy — Stan is one to watch.
And if you’re wondering what it takes to break through as a founder or creator?
Try 45 cold emails. And don’t forget to resubmit the application.
