Visa Rolls Out Creator Program to Empower Artists with NFTs

Payment giant Visa has launched an initiative dubbed Visa Creator Program intended to help filmmakers, artists, fashion designers, and musicians revamp their businesses through non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

With a market size of approximately $100 billion, the creator economy is among the fastest-growing areas of small business. Therefore, the Visa program aims to expand the knowledge base of entrepreneurs in this area about how they can enhance their revenue streams with NFTs.

Cuy Sheffield, the head of crypto at Visa, believed this initiative is a game-changer. He noted:

“We’ve been studying the NFT ecosystem and its potential impacts on the future of commerce, retail and social media. Through the Visa Creator Program, we want to help this new breed of small and micro businesses tap into new mediums for digital commerce.”

Sheffield added:

“NFTs have the potential to become a powerful accelerator for the creator economy.”

The proof of ownership concept presented by NFTs is seen as a stepping stone in helping creators grow their businesses and generate more revenue.

Per the announcement:

“The Visa Creator Program is geared towards entrepreneurs working in art, music, fashion and film who are serious about incorporating NFTs into their business model, whether they’ve just minted their first NFT or have several successful drops under their belt.” 

The program will aid creators in five main areas: stipend, community building, technical and product mentorship, access to thought leaders, and exposure to Visa’s clients and partners.

Visa stated that selected creators would be enrolled in a cohort-driven program intended to deepen their prowess in traditional payments and crypto commerce. 

The proof of ownership notion has been giving NFTs the upper hand. For instance, Caroline Alexander, a finance expert at the University of Sussex, opined that non-fungible tokens would be everywhere in the future because they would dominate the necessity of proof of ownership. 

Quora's Poe Secures $75M for AI Chatbot Expansion

Quora, the renowned question-and-answer platform, has recently secured a substantial $75 million funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), marking a significant milestone in its venture into AI-driven platforms. This investment, the first of its kind in nearly seven years, is set to accelerate the growth of Poe, Quora’s AI chat platform, which has already made notable strides in the tech world since its inception.

Launched nearly a year ago, Poe has rapidly established itself as a key player in the AI conversation app market, attracting millions of users across its free and premium tiers​​. With this fresh injection of funds, Quora aims to significantly enhance Poe’s capabilities, focusing on developing a robust creator monetization platform. This initiative reflects a growing trend in the tech industry, where AI chatbots are increasingly seen as a viable alternative for content creators to generate income, akin to revenue from YouTube ad streams​​​​.

Poe distinguishes itself by offering seamless connectivity with leading AI models like ChatGPT, GPT-4, DALL-E 3, Claude, and more, thus positioning itself as a central hub for accessing a variety of AI products. This feature not only simplifies the user experience but also opens up myriad opportunities for developers to build and monetize their AI applications​​.

The significance of this funding goes beyond Poe’s technological advancements. It represents a strategic move by Quora to establish a strong foothold in the rapidly evolving AI and creator economy space. By focusing on incentivizing developers and creators through its monetization program, Quora is fostering an environment where innovation and creativity are duly rewarded​​​​.

Despite a recent decline in valuation from $1.8 billion to $500 million, Quora has shown resilience and adaptability to changing market dynamics. This adjustment, influenced by rising interest rates and an increased cost of capital, hasn’t dampened Quora’s ambition. Instead, the company is poised for further growth, leveraging the success of Poe, which has already achieved impressive metrics such as over 18.4 million installations and 1.22 million monthly active users since its launch​​​​.

Looking ahead, Quora’s focus on Poe is indicative of a broader shift in the tech industry towards AI and the creator economy. With its new funding, Poe is expected to become an even more significant player in the AI chatbot space, offering unique opportunities for bot creators and developers. This move not only aligns with Quora’s long-term vision but also presents new possibilities for AI integration in various sectors.

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