In the ever-evolving landscape of startup growth, a new concept has emerged that challenges the traditional notion of Assets Under Management (AUM). While AUM has long been associated with the investment world, it is time to redefine its meaning in the context of entrepreneurial success.

Traditionally, AUM referred to the financial assets entrusted to fund managers by investors. These managers were tasked with generating the highest returns and were rewarded with management fees. Venture capitalists (VCs) adopted a similar model, adding a performance-based component to their earnings. As someone who has primarily operated within the realm of startups, the world of VCs and investors has been a recent journey of discovery and learning for me.

However, what has become abundantly clear is that the true drivers of return and value are not the funds themselves, but rather the audiences they enable businesses to access and monetize. These audiences are the lifeblood of successful enterprises, and they hold immense potential for growth and profitability.

When we talk about audiences, we are referring to various groups of individuals:

1. Influencer Audiences: These are the followers and fans of influencers across different social platforms who can significantly impact purchasing decisions.

2. Captivated Product Audiences: These are the dedicated customers who generate recurring sales for businesses operating in sectors such as B2B SaaS, B2C SaaS, CPG, and even telecommunications.

3. Pain/Need Audiences: These audiences revolve around specific pain points or needs, such as house-cleaning services, healthcare solutions, or ride-sharing platforms like Uber.

4. Engaged Community Audiences: These are audiences centered around common interests, collections, or topics, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), NFTs, art, music, content, education, or fashion.

Each of these audiences comprises individuals who make purchasing decisions based on their desires or pain points. Every business model aims to bridge the gap between their audience's needs and the outcomes they seek, be it pleasure or resolution.

Increasingly, our conversations with investors and founders have honed in on the critical aspect of capturing captivated audiences that can grow organically and possess sufficient breadth to be monetized in multiple ways.

At GetFresh Ventures, as venture catalysts dedicated to helping founders achieve exponential growth, we have identified a central thread that moves the needle in audience-driven success stories: addressing human needs and capitalizing on their Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).

I must confess that initially, I struggled to comprehend the potential of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). However, once I peeled away the layers of tech jargon, I realized that NFTs afford brands the opportunity to monetize their communities through an internal asset class, independent of third-party intermediaries.

Within these community audiences, individuals can exchange and assign value to assets directly, without relying on external entities for licensing, manufacturing, and sales. This concept lies at the core of the massive investments pouring into web3, as brands strive to establish self-sustaining economies within their audiences, consequently driving up the value of internal web3-based assets.

Thus, Audiences Under Management takes on an entirely new meaning when it comes to monetization—a departure from the conventional confines of selling physical products and services. Whether we consider influencers, brands, software companies, or any other business venture, the pursuit of audience building and engagement is a universal priority in the quest for monetization.

Our investment thesis at GetFresh Ventures revolves around the ability of portfolio companies to cultivate their audiences and construct a profitable business model for monetization. If you possess an audience without a well-defined business model, you are essentially sitting on untapped value waiting to be converted into tangible revenue.

Conversely, if you are yet to build an audience, now is the time to seize the opportunity and embark on this transformative journey. The power of Audiences Under Management is ripe for exploration, and it is up to entrepreneurs and visionaries to harness this potential and create businesses that thrive on the strength of their captive audiences.

In conclusion, the era of Audiences Under Management has arrived—a paradigm shift that revolutionizes the startup growth landscape. By recognizing the inherent value and untapped potential within our audiences, we can steer startups towards unprecedented growth and profitability. So, whether you're an investor, founder, or aspiring entrepreneur, remember that the key to success lies in building and nurturing captivated audiences—an invaluable asset that holds the key to unlocking your venture's true potential.