The Next Billion-Dollar Brands Will Be Creator-Owned
In a world where products are commoditized and ads are ignored, trust has become the most defensible advantage a company can have.
2026 prediction: the next billion-dollar brands will be creator-owned.
That’s what Jeff Frommer, founder of OWM, believes — and after talking with him, I get why.
I recently sat down with Jeff to unpack why creator brands aren’t just a trend, but the next generation of category leaders. His thesis was simple and hard to ignore: distribution is the moat now.
Think about what used to protect startups. Software? Not anymore. Tools like Replit and Lovable are making product creation faster and cheaper than ever. The barrier isn’t building — it’s getting attention.
When I spoke with Erica Wenger of Park Rangers Capital, she said something that stuck with me: she only invests in companies with a clear, defensible distribution strategy. Every week she sees dozens of startups with the same idea. The ones that stand out already have an audience, a personal brand, or a community baked in from day one.
So no — you don’t have to be an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers to start a business. But if you’re an aspiring founder, you should be thinking about your personal brand just as seriously as your product. And if that’s not your strength? Partner with someone whose distribution already works.
The Sephora Effect
As someone who started as a “beauty guru” back in 2011, Sephora has always felt familiar to me. I remember walking the aisles in high school grabbing Makeup Forever, NARS, Too Faced, Urban Decay. I never once thought about who founded them — it didn’t matter. Truthfully, I still have no idea.
Today? Totally different story.
When I walk into Sephora now, I don’t just see brands — I see names I recognize and feel emotionally connected to: Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, Rhode, Makeup by Mario, Summer Fridays, Haus Labs.
Beauty was just the first domino.
Walk into a grocery store and you’ll see the same shift happening in food and beverage: Feastables, Chamberlain Coffee, Unwell.
And a category I know well — software — is following quickly: Tezza, Rella, Retrograde.
These aren’t side projects. These are creators building real businesses and actively taking market share from legacy incumbents. Like Jeff said — if I were a conglomerate like L’Oréal, I’d be paying very close attention.
Every industry is about to be reshaped by creators — not because they’re famous, but because they own trust and attention at scale.
However, not every creator should start a company. And not every creator wants to run one. It would be naïve to think great distribution automatically equals great execution.
That’s where partnerships come in.
We’re already seeing more creators shift from paid promotions to equity-based relationships, where they bring distribution and trust while operators handle everything else.
The Poppi × Alix Earle Moment
Creators have been angel investing for years, but the most high-profile recent example might be Alix Earle and Poppi.
Instead of traditional sponsored posts, Alix reportedly shifted into an equity-style partnership. Poppi showed up organically in her “get ready with me” videos, Coachella vlogs, and even behind-the-scenes Super Bowl content. She didn’t feel like an ad — she felt like a genuine fan.
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Not long after, PepsiCo acquired Poppi for ~$1.95B (or ~$1.65B net, depending on how you look at it).
Neither side disclosed exact terms, but estimates suggest Alix may have earned anywhere from $4M to nearly $40M.
Alix didn’t have to start Poppi from scratch. She didn’t have to raise venture capital, build a team, manage manufacturing, navigate retail partnerships, or spend years figuring out supply chain and margins. She didn’t carry payroll risk. She didn’t have to survive product recalls, inventory issues, or retailer chargebacks. She showed up where she already had leverage: attention and trust.
Creators aren’t replacing companies. They’re replacing the most expensive part of building one: attention.
How the Next Billion-Dollar Brands Will Be Built
If you’re betting on the next breakout brand, look for one thing first: built-in distribution.
The strongest companies of the next decade won’t start with ads — they’ll start with trust. And the fastest way to build that is by partnering with creators who’ve already spent years earning attention from their audience.
I’m excited to see this next wave of creators building, partnering, and investing. It’s going to define who has real longevity — and who fades when the algorithm changes.
You can listen to my conversation with Jeff here:
The creator economy isn’t just producing content anymore — it’s producing companies. The brands that win won’t start with ads or awareness; they’ll start with trust. And increasingly, that trust is owned by individuals, not institutions.
As this model scales, what do you think matters more: who builds the product, or who brings the audience?