Patreon

The story of Patreon began in 2013 with a musician named Jack Conte. Despite having millions of views on his YouTube videos, Jack found himself staring at a bank account that didn't reflect his creative output or the size of his audience. The ad-based revenue model of the web was failing him, paying pennies for content that fans loved. Frustrated but inspired, Jack teamed up with his college roommate and developer Sam Yam to build a solution. Their vision was simple yet revolutionary: a platform that would allow fans to pay creators directly for the value they provided, effectively restoring the age-old concept of patronage for the digital era.

What started as a way for Jack to monetize his own music videos quickly evolved into a movement. The platform resonated instantly with creators across the spectrum—podcasters, writers, illustrators, and game developers—who were all seeking financial independence from fickle algorithms and advertisers. Over the years, Patreon has grown from a scrappy startup in San Francisco into a global membership platform that has paid out billions of dollars to creators. Today, it stands as a beacon of the 'creator economy,' empowering artists to build direct relationships with their most passionate fans, retain creative control, and earn a sustainable living doing what they love.