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Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Steven Bartlett Becomes Co-Owner Of Stan To Back Creator Founders
John Hu and Steven Bartlett Steven Bartlett is no stranger to backing the next wave of disruptors, but his latest move is more than an investment. The entrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO is joining Stan, the creator commerce platform, as a co-owner to help build what he sees as 'the future of entrepreneurship, one Creator-entrepreneur at a time.' As Stan crosses $30 million in annual recurring revenue and $300 million in gross merchandise value, Bartlett's hands-on involvement signals a growing belief that the middle-class creator is the business story of the decade. Bartlett, whose personal capital and FlightStory Fund are both behind the deal, explained that 'this is not a passive investment. I will be taking an active role in the business as a co-owner,' positioning himself not only as a strategic partner to the executive team but also as a direct contributor to the success of creators on the platform. He added that his involvement would include sharing business insights, helping shape product strategy and offering exclusive opportunities to Stan's user base. 'I am invested in Stan creators,' he said plainly. Stan has grown to more than 70,000 users in just three years, a trajectory that founder and CEO John Hu attributes to obsessive focus on creators who are building real, sustainable businesses without massive teams, investors or platforms. According to Bartlett, Stan stands out because 'it removes friction. It gives creators a streamlined way to monetise, engage their audience and scale all from a single link.' He added that most creators trying to scale spend too much time juggling disconnected tools, and that the most successful ones 'treat their brand like a business from day one,' focusing on systems, automation and leveraging their unique skills rather than spreading themselves thin. Hu agreed. 'The creators succeeding on Stan aren't just influencers. They're educators, coaches, spiritual mentors, even lawyers,' he said. 'They're building lean businesses with high-leverage digital products, courses, communities and services.' Hu added that the company's edge is cultural as much as technological. 'This isn't just a business. We're building for ourselves and our peers. The bar is higher because we care more.' For Bartlett, the appeal of Stan was not only its traction but also its mission. 'Having navigated my own journey and built businesses from the ground up, I totally get the ambition of every creator looking to work for themselves,' he said. 'Stan is the easiest and most affordable way to get started as a creator entrepreneur.' Bartlett said that his connection with Hu was grounded in shared experience. 'My relationship with John is built on a shared experience. Both being self-made entrepreneurs who rose from disadvantaged backgrounds, we are united in our commitment to paying it forward by actively championing Stan creators.' That alignment is core to the company's direction. Hu added that Stan was originally created to solve a problem he faced himself while growing a content business on TikTok and YouTube. 'There wasn't a single product that let you launch and monetize easily,' he said. 'So we built it.' Since joining the company, Bartlett has been hands-on in product strategy and team discussions, particularly around AI. 'He's been texting us constantly about AI,' said Hu. 'It's like having a board member in your group chat.' Vitalii Dodonov, Stan's co-founder and CTO, added that many of the company's current experiments with artificial intelligence emerged from conversations with Bartlett. 'A lot of the ideas sparked from Steven sharing what he's seeing across the industry,' he said. 'We're building something to help creators figure out what to launch and how, faster and more clearly.' Bartlett sees this next phase as a shift in the industry. 'The investment will be used to further enhance the Stan experience,' he said. 'We're building a platform that supports creators at every stage, especially those just getting started.' The investment also aligns with Bartlett's broader vision through FlightStory Fund, which backs growth-stage startups challenging conventional business models. 'The fund is dedicated to supporting disruptive founders with funding, guidance, and a network that fuels their growth,' he explained. 'Stan aligns perfectly with that thesis.' Bartlett emphasized that Stan is not a one-off bet on the creator space, but a central piece of a longer-term commitment to entrepreneur-first infrastructure. 'We invest in missions that challenge the status quo,' he said, adding that Stan represents 'exactly the kind of company we want to scale.' Asked how he would build a creator business today if starting from scratch, Bartlett didn't hesitate. 'I'd find a niche with a proven engaged and loyal audience. I'd post daily content to build my community and I'd use the most efficient and affordable tools to monetize as quickly as possible.' He said Stan would be part of that toolkit, especially for creators who need clarity, speed and access to mentorship. Bartlett also spoke candidly about the biggest mistakes he sees creators make. 'They try to do everything themselves, and they burn out,' he said. 'Time is the one thing you can't scale without. Stan gives them that time back.' While much of the attention in the creator economy has gone to celebrity influencers and big-name platforms, Bartlett and Hu are betting on the opposite: small, focused, independent creators building real businesses. As Hu put it, 'Stan was built on the belief that anyone should have the opportunity to make a living working for themselves.' For Dodonov, the motivation went even deeper. 'The foundational desire to be free… is the most core pursuit that I had,' he said. With Bartlett now embedded in the company's leadership and strategy, Stan is positioned as the backbone of a new class of digital entrepreneurship. This partnership brings together two builders with shared backgrounds and a common belief: that anyone with a skill or story should have the tools to work for themselves. Selected clips taken from my in-depth interview with John Hu about the investment, featured on The Business of Creators podcast.
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Amaze Holdings Files Form 12b-25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission
NEWPORT BEACH, CA / ACCESS Newswire / May 16, 2025 / Amaze Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American:AMZE) ('Amaze' or the 'Company'), a global leader in creator-powered commerce, today announced that it has filed a Form 12b-25, Notification of Late Filing, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') related to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 (the 'Form 10-Q'). Form 12b-25 will allow the Company an automatic extension of five additional calendar days from the prescribed due date to file the Form 10-Q. The extension is necessary to allow for the completion of the audit of the financial statements of Amaze Software, Inc., which the Company acquired on March 7, 2025, and to provide additional time to review the consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. The Company intends to file the Form 10-Q as soon as practicable on or before the fifth calendar day following the prescribed due date. About Amaze Holdings, Inc. Amaze Holdings, Inc. is an end-to-end, creator-powered commerce platform offering tools for seamless product creation, advanced e-commerce solutions, and scalable managed services. By empowering anyone to 'sell anything, anywhere,' Amaze enables creators to tell their stories, cultivate deeper audience connections, and generate sustainable income through shoppable, authentic experiences. Discover more at For Amaze investor information, please contact [email protected] For Amaze press inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 'Exchange Act'). These statements relate to future events and developments or to our future operating or financial performance, are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based estimates and assumptions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the anticipated timing for the filing of our Form 10-Q. These statements can be identified by words such as such as 'may,' 'might,' 'should,' 'would,' 'could,' 'expect,' 'plan,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'potential' or 'continue,' and are based our current expectations and views concerning future events and developments and their potential effects on us. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or otherwise implied by the forward-looking statement. These risks include: our ability to execute our plans and strategies; our limited operating history and history of losses; our financial position and need for additional capital; our ability to attract and retain our creator base and expand the range of products available for sale; we may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expenses; we may not keep pace with technological advances; there may be undetected errors or defects in our software or issues related to data computing, processing or storage; our reliance on third parties to provide key services for our business, including cloud hosting, marketing platforms, payment providers and network providers; failure to maintain or enhance our brand; our ability to protect our intellectual property; significant interruptions, delays or outages in services from our platform; significant data breach or disruption of the information technology systems or networks and cyberattacks; risks associated with international operations; general economic and competitive factors affecting our business generally; changes in laws and regulations, including those related to privacy, online liability, consumer protection, and financial services; our dependence on senior management and other key personnel; and our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel and senior management. Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other future filings and reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the press release. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or developments. SOURCE: Amaze Holdings, Inc. press release
