Content creators have spent years building loyal audiences, but turning that influence into a successful software business requires technical expertise, product development and ongoing operational support. London-based startup Affinity Labs wants to close that gap by partnering with creators to build and scale digital products using artificial intelligence. The company has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to expand its portfolio of creator-led software brands and strengthen the technology behind its product development model.
The funding round was led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from Antler. The investment package also includes a £497,787 grant from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation. Other backers include angel investors associated with Google DeepMind, Meta and Playfair VC, alongside content creator Marcello Ascani and Devran Amaratunga Karaca, CEO of creator economy company Kyra.
Turning Creator Influence Into Software Businesses
Founded by CEO Edoardo Ricci, COO Ahmed Eltom and CTO Sunny Panchal, Affinity Labs develops software products in partnership with content creators. Rather than asking creators to build technology businesses independently, the company provides the technical and operational infrastructure needed to turn their audiences and expertise into digital products.
The model applies a familiar creator economy strategy to software. Creators have already demonstrated their ability to build communities and influence consumer behaviour, particularly in areas such as beauty, food and lifestyle. Affinity Labs aims to extend that opportunity into applications and other digital services, with creators participating as co-founders of the products launched with them.
The company believes this combination of an established audience and specialised product development can help software brands reach potential users without relying entirely on traditional advertising.
An AI System for Building Digital Products
A central part of Affinity Labs is its proprietary AI-powered product development system. The technology is designed to support multiple stages of a product’s lifecycle, from identifying potential software concepts and creator partnerships to development, operations and growth.
By automating parts of these processes, the company aims to reduce the time and resources required to launch and manage multiple software brands. Its approach also allows the team to work across a portfolio of products rather than treating every new application as a completely separate development project.
This technology is intended to provide the infrastructure behind Affinity Labs’ wider ambition to build a large portfolio of creator-led software businesses.
Four Brands Already Launched
Affinity Labs has launched four creator-led brands so far. One example is Interior Design Clinic, developed with Olivia Bowen, which reached number 34 in the App Store’s Lifestyle category.
Another is Archives, co-founded with Basel Ghazoghli. The product has attracted more than 75,000 users and ranked among the top 200 applications in the Education category.
According to the company, revenue across its portfolio grew by an average of 100 per cent month on month over the past three months. This is a company reported figure and does not necessarily indicate that every product achieved the same growth rate.
These early results provide an initial indication of the potential demand for digital products built around creators’ audiences, although sustained growth will depend on user retention, product quality and the ability to reach new markets.
Funding the Next Stage of Expansion
CEO and co founder Edoardo Ricci has described creators as an underleveraged source of entrepreneurship, arguing that they often have audience trust and loyalty but lack the infrastructure to convert those strengths into scalable businesses.
Affinity Labs plans to use the new funding to grow its existing brands, develop additional products and strengthen its product, growth and engineering teams. The Innovate UK grant will also support further development of its AI powered technology.
Targeting the US and 200 Brands by 2030
The company plans to launch its first products with US creators in late 2026. Over the longer term, it aims to build more than 200 creator-led software brands by 2030.
Achieving that target will require Affinity Labs to identify promising creator partnerships, develop products that deliver lasting value and scale its technology across a growing portfolio.
If its model proves repeatable, Affinity Labs could help expand the creator economy beyond advertising and sponsorships, giving creators another route to build digital businesses around the communities they have already established.
