Zarta
Overview
Zarta is an ad-free pay-per-view video platform. Creators upload long-form videos and choose how much to offer as a free preview; viewers can watch the preview as often as they like and pay a small fee to unlock the full video, which they can rewatch at any time and save to a personal library. Zarta says it aims to complement platforms such as YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry and Patreon rather than replace them.[1]
Contents5 sections
Key facts
2021Founded by Luba Yudasina
Zarta was founded in 2021 by Luba YudasinaLuba YudasinaLuba Yudasina is a Belarusian-born tech entrepreneur, content creator and interview host. A graduate of the University of Waterloo in Canada, she worked at Yelp and Airbnb, runs Life of Luba and has founded ventures including Loka, Zarta and Paloma; Zarta’s funding was led by a16z. She hosts The Luba Show and sings opera.Open the full entry, a YouTube creator who runs the Life of Luba channel and a former AirbnbAirbnbAirbnb is a travel platform for booking stays, experiences, and services, co-founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk and headquartered in San Francisco, United States; its Class A common stock trades on Nasdaq under the symbol ABNB. The business began with hosting guests in the founders’ home in 2007, then joined YC’s Winter 2009 batch, and gradually expanded into local experiences, services, and boutique hotels.Open the full entry software engineer.[1][2]
March 1, 2023A $5.7 Million Seed Round
Zarta announced a $5.7 million seed round led by Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry, with participation from Endeavor, AirAngels, Dragonfly Capital and others. The new funds were mainly earmarked for hiring and growing the team; the company planned a broader launch later in 2023 and eventually to open the platform to all creators. “We’re very focused on creators who are producing valuable content in niches,” Yudasina said.[1][2]
March 1, 2023Alpha Testing and Revenue Split
Zarta was then in limited alpha testing with a small group of creators, including Ian Bennett of Epoch Philosophy and Joshua Steil of The Credit Brothers; full videos cost less than $1 during the test. Creators received 75% of each payment and Zarta kept 25% to cover operating costs and processing fees, with plans to raise the creator share later. Yudasina named creators such as Joma Tech, Marina Mogilko and Jarvis Johnson as inspirations.[1][2]