<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6361805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBA">NBA</keyword> Top Shot is taking the internet by storm. </li><li>The blockchain-based platform lets users trade virtual collectibles called "moments."</li><li>It has seen over $100 million in sales over the last week, with some moments raking in over $100,000.</li></ul><p>As bitcoin surges to new highs, there's another digital-trading boom that's taking over the internet - and it's not just another <keyword id="6357017" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="cryptocurrency">cryptocurrency</keyword>. </p><p>Basketball fans and even opportunistic, sports-indifferent investors are piling into a new online marketplace from the NBA called Top Shot. The site, which lets users buy and sell virtual trading cards, has exploded in popularity in recent weeks as people look to make a buck on the still nascent platform. </p><p>Whether it's a bubble that's about to pop or the next big thing in <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> collectibles, there's serious money pouring in. Millions of dollars worth of cards are changing hands each day, and some ultra-rare collectibles have been valued at over $200,000. </p><p>Here's what to know about NBA Top Shot: </p><h2><strong>What is NBA Top Shot?</strong></h2><p>Top Shot is an online marketplace that lets users trade and collect official NBA-licensed video highlights called "moments." The platform was created by a tech company called Dapper Labs in collaboration with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. </p><p>It was first opened to the public in October and is still in beta. It has rapidly picked up steam in recent days, with <a href="https://cryptoslam.io/">well over $100 million</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/1363961976276279297"></a>in transactions completed over the last week. </p><h2><strong>What are moments and how do you buy them?</strong></h2><p>Moments are video-based trading cards that each show a short clip of an NBA star making a play. For instance, a highlight of the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler <a href="https://www.nbatopshot.com/listings/p2p/7b797690-5b53-45a7-b972-bd2d5152654a+813e4469-c150-4ded-b60f-02380ec71bc5">slamming a dunk</a> will currently run you around $600, while a clip of the Detroit Pistons' Derrick Rose <a href="https://www.nbatopshot.com/listings/p2p/12a8288a-addc-4e5c-8af7-b3ba6e5161d4+ef100f9e-ed36-442d-bd6b-f1fa857decd1">sinking a buzzer-beating jump shot</a> costs $2,600 and up. </p><div type="image" title="NBA Top Shot_Press Collectibles_" height="1080" width="1920" msid="81212943" hostid="261"></div><p>Users can get their hands on moments by buying them on the marketplace from individual sellers or by participating in "pack drops." Every so often, Top Shot puts a limited number of packs - collections of rare and common moments - up for sale for $9 and up, but they sell out quickly.</p><h2><strong>Why are moments worth anything?</strong></h2><p>Anyone can go to YouTube and watch every basketball highlight that has ever been recorded for free, so what makes moments valuable? </p><p>For one, the collectibles are based in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-blockchain-how-does-it-work-explainer-2017-11">blockchain</a> - the same technology that underpins bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies - meaning that all transactions are recorded and each moment is impossible to forge. Moments aren't cryptocurrency, but rather a form of non-fungible token (NFT).</p><p>Plus, Top Shot is only releasing a limited supply of each moment, so scarcity drives up prices as well. There are three classes of moments: "common" ones with a supply of 1,000 or more, "rare" ones with between 150 and 999 examples in circulation, and "legendary" moments, which are limited to 99 examples or less. </p><p>There's also an even rarer "ultimate" tier that Top Shot says is on the way. </p><div type="image" title="Screen Shot 2021 02 23 at 1.05.53 PM" height="881" width="1249" msid="81212944" hostid="261"></div><p>Not surprisingly, the rarer the moment, the more it's worth. There are several legendary-tier moments currently <a href="https://www.nbatopshot.com/search?orderBy=PRICE_USD_DESC">listed for sale for $200,000 and up</a> - and yes, some people are actually paying that much. </p><p>On Monday, a LeBron James dunk <a href="https://twitter.com/nba_topshot/status/1363969592779890690">set the record</a> for the priciest moment sold to date at $208,000. </p><h2>How are people making money on NBA Top Shot?</h2><p>Users can theoretically make money by purchasing undervalued moments from collectors, waiting for their value to go up, and selling them at a profit. They can also score valuable moments from pack drops and make money that way. </p><p>For example, if you buy a limited-edition pack for $230 and it contains a "legendary" moment worth, say, $5,000, you're automatically in the black. It's possible, hypothetically, to buy a pack for a couple hundred dollars and end up with an ultra-desirable <a href="https://www.nbatopshot.com/listings/p2p/a494c64e-9e93-418c-8934-f331ee47a39b+768166e3-f4bb-4395-9b48-4c545aebc95c">LeBron James</a> or <a href="https://www.nbatopshot.com/listings/p2p/814c5183-596f-41d7-9135-c6b29faa9c6d+d012e87f-7aec-4f5d-969b-2af03890ab4f">Zion Williamson</a> moment that people are willing to shell out six figures for. </p><p>That promise of dizzying gains has brought a huge amount of new users to the platform - the number of users has multiplied 19 times since December 31, and 93,900 customers have bought moments to date, a Dapper Labs spokesperson told Insider on Tuesday. </p><p>Not to mention, the amount of money those users are spending is growing by the day. </p><p>Top Shot has seen $204 million in all-time sales through its peer-to-peer marketplace since launch, the spokesperson said. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $146 million of that occurred in the last seven days, according to <a href="https://cryptoslam.io/">Crypto Slam</a>, an NFT marketplace and data tracker. And in one 24 hour period ending on February 22, Top Shot saw a record $47.5 million worth of sales on its marketplace, the spokesperson said. </p><p>Top Shot has made $11 million from pack sales, according to the spokesperson. It pockets a <a href="https://support.meetdapper.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046584054-What-are-the-service-fees-">5% fee</a> from each transaction on the marketplace. </p><h2><strong>What else can you do on the site?</strong></h2><p>Aside from buying and selling moments, users can create public "showcases" of 1-10 moments they want to show off to the world. Top Shot also hosts "challenges," which require users to collect several specific moments within a particular time frame. </p><p>Users can also work to boost their "baller status," a score that reflects their overall accomplishments, including their collection and community participation.</p><h2><strong>Is NBA Top Shot a bubble?</strong></h2><p>Top Shot has evidently created something extremely popular by giving sports fans their own cryptocurrency-adjacent phenomenon to speculate on. But it's difficult to say what the market for moments will look like long term. </p><p>Right now, users who can get in on a pack drop can essentially print money, because even the cheapest moments are worth more than the cost of a low-tier pack. It's hard to imagine that sort of market can continue for too long without a correction. </p><p>But for the moment, Top Shot is all the rage, with basketball players themselves even <a href="https://twitter.com/ivicazubac">getting in on the action</a>. The bigger question may be whether or not Top Shot can handle all the new attention - in recent days, the platform has <a href="https://status.nbatopshot.com/">halted trading and new sign-ups</a> due to high traffic as it scrambles to keep up with demand. </p>

Collectors are spending millions of dollars every day on virtual NBA highlights. Here's what to know about NBA Top Shot.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11930688" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ftx" source="Orion">FTX</keyword>'s US arm introduced a $500 fee for users wanting to mint and launch their own NFTs on its digital art marketplace.</li><li>Not long after launching, the <keyword id="11893898" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crypto" source="Orion">crypto</keyword> exchange's <keyword id="11919795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nft" source="Orion">NFT</keyword> marketplace was inundated with people posting images of fish.</li><li><keyword id="11930691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sam-bankman-fried" source="Orion">Sam Bankman-Fried</keyword> later retraced his decision, saying it would cost $10 to mint an NFT.</li></ul><p>Crypto exchange FTX started charging a $500 fee for people to mint their own non-fungible token on its newly launched native <a href="https://twitter.com/FTX_Official/status/1434755016246452233">NFT marketplace,</a> after being swamped with items including a surfeit of <a href="https://twitter.com/ColdBloodShill/status/1434862797909803014">pictures of fish</a>.</p><p>The company <a href="https://twitter.com/FTX_Official/status/1434755016246452233">opened</a> the marketplace Monday to allow people to create, display and sell their works directly on the US exchange, as interest in the digital collectibles continues to surge.</p><p>"Make your own NFTs," Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, <a href="https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1434750019123523584">tweeted</a>. </p><p>But within hours, the FTX boss returned to Twitter to say the company has brought in a one-time fee of $500 after receiving a flood of items.</p><p>"Due to the massive number of submissions, too many of which were just a picture of a fish, we are now charging a one-time $500 fee to submit NFTs," Bankman-Fried <a href="https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1434861452469456896">wrote</a>. "Hopefully this will reduce spam."</p><p>But he rewound that decision too, making another attempt to enable affordable NFTs.</p><p>"Now, it costs a flat $10 per NFT to mint them, no up-front cost. We're refunding all the $500's paid. Hopefully this reduces (fish-related) spam while also making it affordable," he <a href="https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1434895787167731712">said</a>.</p><p>For his part, Bankman-Fried's submission - made to demonstrate the new feature - was an image of words that simply reads: "<a href="https://ftx.us/nfts/token/291222296035270197">Text</a>." As of 8:40 a.m. ET on Monday, its highest bid stood at $1,500, with only 16 hours to go.</p><p>Users don't have to be in the US to use the marketplace, the crypto exchange <a href="https://twitter.com/FTX_Official/status/1434755326708883459">said</a>. Currently, people can only store and view the NFTs on the exchange. But the marketplace will <a href="https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1434750019123523584">support</a> deposits and withdrawals within the coming weeks.</p><p>In his tweets, the FTX boss noted that payments for the NFTs will be cross-chain enabled between <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/eth-usd">ethereum</a> and <keyword id="11931714" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="solana" source="Orion">solana</keyword>. This means the platform will allow trading of tokens across both blockchains, done using smart contracts or applications that can connect with two different chains.</p><p>Most NFTs so far have been encoded on the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22310188/nft-explainer-what-is-blockchain-crypto-art-faq">ethereum</a> blockchain. By storing the NFT as information on a blockchain, it becomes near impossible to edit or remove it, making it a permanent record of the owner's purchase.</p><p>With the move, FTX becomes the latest crypto exchange to move into NFT marketplaces. Binance launched its own <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/binance-nft-launch-sales-trading-digital-artwork-non-fungible-tokens-2021-4">NFT marketplace</a> in April, while <a href="https://www.okex.com/academy/en/nft-marketplace-guide">OKEx</a> launched one more recently in September.</p><p>NFTs have steadily become more mainstream as their value is realized in the broader market, and this trend is expected to continue. NFT sales volumes surged 200% to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/nft-value-sales-h1-dappradar-nonfungible-tokens-crypto-hype-2021-7">$2.5 billion</a> in the first half of 2021, according to data from DappRadar.</p><p>Bankman-Fried <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-mainstream-buyers-popularity-sam-bankman-fried-2021-8">told CNBC</a> last month that the tokens have become popular faster than people have understood them, and that many don't know what the future for the assets looks like.</p><p>A range of big players - from artists to DJs, to massive brands like Marvel, Ubisoft, Faze Clan, and Topps - are involved in building NFT projects and strategies. They are using NFT platforms such as OpenSea, Rarible, Autograph, RTFKT and Dapper Labs to accomplish their goals, Ivan Soto-Wright, founder and CEO of crypto payments infrastructure firm MoonPay, told Insider. </p><p>Soto-Wright said he fully anticipates NFTs to develop further beyond digital, and into real-life use cases such as providing proof of ownership for properties and tickets for events.</p><p><strong><em>Read More:</em></strong><em> </em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eth-price-prediction-target-crypto-outlook-ether-bitcoin-commodity-strategist-2021-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>A senior commodity strategist lays out the increasingly bullish signs that point towards ether </em><em>hitting</em><em> $5,000 - and why this gives him confidence in bitcoin reaching $100,000</em></a></p>

Crypto exchange FTX quickly starts charging users $500 to mint their own NFTs after being spammed with images of fish

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Venture capitalist <keyword id="12038071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="matthew-ball" source="Orion">Matthew Ball</keyword> discussed the "<keyword id="11121339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="metaverse" source="Orion">metaverse</keyword>" and the companies shaping it.</li><li><keyword id="11894021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="apple" source="Orion">Apple</keyword> and <keyword id="11892960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook" source="Orion">Facebook</keyword> are well placed to capitalize on the next generation of the internet, he said.</li><li>Ball discussed the potential roles of NFTs and crypto, and how virtual reality can transform education.</li></ul><p>Venture capitalist Matthew Ball has shot to fame for his grand prediction of a "metaverse" - a "<a href="https://www.matthewball.vc/the-metaverse-primer">quasi-successor state to the mobile internet</a>" that brings together hardware, content, payments, networking, and other technologies in a virtual space.</p><p>Ball laid out his vision, why he expects video games and cryptocurrencies to play a major role, and how some of the world's largest technology companies are shaping the metaverse in a recent <a href="https://www.realvision.com/shows/the-exponential-age/videos/matthew-ball-the-metaverse-as-a-generational-evolution-of-the-internet?source_collection=9e27872b82a041029b6cca8921ec53bf">RealVision interview</a>.</p><p>The former head of strategy at <keyword id="11893181" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> Studios, who now serves as the managing partner of EpyllionCo and a venture partner at Makers Fund, also discussed the hype around non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and outlined how virtual reality can revolutionize education.</p><h2>Here are Ball's 14 best quotes from the interview, lightly edited and condensed for clarity:</h2><p>1. "The metaverse is best understood as the shift of computing and interaction from a device in your pocket into a virtual simulation."</p><p>2. "No one really expected the next generation of the internet would come from mobile gaming, and yet here we are."</p><p>3. "Games and game engines are starting to move to the forefront of the metaverse. I would extend this to any of the major crypto projects. Bored Apes, CryptoPunks, Axie Infinity, everything that's happening at Dapper Labs - it's very clear that games are the centerpiece here."</p><p>4. "Games companies have the tools for complex simulation and rendering, they've designed games to be fun, and they're incredibly powerful at incentivization, another area in which crypto has shown itself to be very effective." - <em>explaining why the makers of games such as Fortnite and Roblox are leading the way in building metaverses.</em></p><p>5. "Virtual worlds have been destigmatized as a result of COVID in a truly unique way. COVID has legitimized time in virtual worlds in a way that almost no other event could have."</p><p>6. "The metaverse is not just a 'new Americas' in that it's more real estate. It's a new canvas for individuals. It's more like discovering the solar system, the galaxy."</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-multitrillion-metaverse-opportunity-venture-capital-investor-matthew-ball-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Famed venture capital investor Matthew Ball breaks down why big-tech corporations are racing to transform themselves into metaverse companies - and shares 6 stocks to play the opportunity that could 'drive multi-trillion dollars of value'</a></em></p><p>7. "I don't want to argue that our future is running around like a T-rex crossed with a banana shooting guns at one another in this Wall-E dystopian utopia. It's a new place where we can build in a way that is tethered to no reality and no physics that we've ever had before."</p><p>8. "The memeification of NFTs has elements of speculation, there are going to be elements that lead nowhere. And yet it's very clear that it's pioneering structural change in our economy."</p><p>9. "As the dominant access path to the internet, they have extraordinary hard, soft, and accidental power. The policies they enforce, the takes they collect, the technologies they allow, the standards and protocols they support or do not, fundamentally shape the development of the entire rest of the metaverse ecosystem." - <em>emphasizing the influence that <keyword id="11894335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="big-tech" source="Orion">Big Tech</keyword> companies have in molding the metaverse</em>.</p><p>10. "Apple looks at this as an area where its existing advantages - plus its ability to adversely affect everyone who wants to build off its devices, and to have a cheaper, smaller, and probably better AR device - positions it as the best player to participate in any virtual, extended, or augmented-reality future."</p><p>11.  "Facebook, as the dominant identity platform globally, plus the dominant social graph, seems incredibly well positioned. It's truly difficult to express the significance of its extraordinary investments in VR. Mark Zuckerberg basically said - in a brilliant example of founder conviction, ability, resources, and commitment - 'You can all stop investing, I'm not going to.'"</p><p>12. "Google is not unaware of what this future looks like. It has invested extensively in dark fiber, in virtualization, in cloud computing, in extended-reality devices. I wouldn't say that a clear strategy exists today, or that it has the most intuitive set of assets compared to a Facebook, Apple, or even Amazon. But it's doubtless going to be working towards this."</p><p>13. "If we've learned anything from 40 years of the internet, it's that understanding the ricochet consequences of a technological innovation is really hard. And yet, if the baseline purpose is data collection, or ads, or selling things, or controlling your billing relationships, the ricochets are probably not favorable."</p><p>14. "We're no longer talking about baking-soda-and-vinegar volcanoes, we are talking about a literal volcano, one that you can interrogate, that you can agitate, that you can understand at a microscopic level. Everything we thought of as the Magic School Bus starts to become real." - predicting<em> virtual reality will allow a single teacher to instruct millions of students worldwide using tools unavailable in a physical classroom</em>.</p>

Venture capitalist Matthew Ball explains his 'metaverse' vision, touts Apple and Facebook, and trumpets crypto in a new interview. Here are the 14 best quotes.

<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-creator-economy-startups-to-watch-in-2021-vc-investors-2021-8"></a></p><p><em>Hi, this is Amanda Perelli and welcome back to <keyword id="11414264" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-influencers">Insider Influencers</keyword>, our weekly rundown on the business of <keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Influencers">influencers</keyword>, creators, and social-media platforms. </em><strong><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/influencerdashboard">Sign up for the newsletter here.</a></strong></p><p><strong>In this week's edition:</strong></p><ul><li><p>20 creator economy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-creator-economy-startups-to-watch-in-2021-vc-investors-2021-8">startups to watch, according to VCs</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-shorts-fund-monetization-requirements-how-to-qualify-2021-8"></a></p></li><li><p>How much money top <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-esports-coaches-make-on-proguides-2021-7">video-game coaches can make per week</a></p></li><li><p>Real examples of how influencers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-reach-out-to-brands-influencer-collaboration-email-template-2021-8">reach out to brands to get paid collaborations</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-launches-new-super-thanks-tipping-feature-details-2021-7"></a></p></li><li><p>A new livestreaming app will <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tradingtv-is-a-new-livestreaming-app-focused-on-stock-trading-2021-8">let viewers trade stocks as they watch</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-streamer-gaming-influencer-can-protect-business-according-to-lawyer-2021-8"></a></p></li><li><p>And we are seeking nominations for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-leading-women-in-esports-gaming-2021-8">the leading women in gaming and esports</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-the-top-media-startups-in-la-2021-8">the top media startups in LA shaping tech and entertainment.</a></p></li></ul><p><em>Send tips to aperelli@insider.com or DM me on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/arperelli">@arperelli</a>.</em></p><h1><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/immortals-enters-mobile-gaming-with-wild-rift-esports-team-2021-8"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-creator-economy-startups-to-watch-in-2021-vc-investors-2021-8"><div type="image" title="Courtne Smith, Jack Conte, Liz Giorgi, and Alex Mitchell on a purple background." height="1249" width="1666" msid="85272453" hostid="261"></div></a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/immortals-enters-mobile-gaming-with-wild-rift-esports-team-2021-8"></a></h1><h1><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-creator-economy-startups-to-watch-in-2021-vc-investors-2021-8">20 creator economy startups to watch as the space heats up</a></h1><p>In the past year, VCs have fallen in love with the creator economy, as a new crop of startups has emerged to help support the needs of influencers and creators. </p><p>We spoke with top VCs and asked them which creator startups they thought were poised to take off. We told each VC to choose two companies, including one they weren't invested in.</p><p>Here are a few takeaways from their 20 picks:</p><ul><li><p>Some companies, like Karat and Stir, help influencers manage their finances.</p></li><li><p>Substack and Patreon offer new ways to earn subscription revenue. </p></li><li><p>NFT (non-fungible tokens) startups like Dapper Labs and Eternal let fans support their favorite creators through virtual collectibles. </p></li></ul><p>"The creator economy will comprise a vast percentage of the workforce of the future, and those creators will need financial services to meet their needs - both as businesses and individuals," said Alexa von Tobel, founding partner at Inspired Capital.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-creator-economy-startups-to-watch-in-2021-vc-investors-2021-8#beacons-1">Check out the full list of startups VCs are watching, here.</a></strong></p><h1><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-esports-coaches-make-on-proguides-2021-7"><div type="image" title="Sam Wang standing in a black shirt in front of a grey background" height="3600" width="4800" msid="85272454" hostid="261"></div></a></h1><h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-esports-coaches-make-on-proguides-2021-7">How top video-game coaches are making $1,350 per week</a></h2><p>ProGuides is a platform that allows gamers to purchase coaching from high-level players.</p><p>The startup has seen a surge in coaching revenue growth during the pandemic.</p><p>My colleague Michael Espinosa reported that the platform's ten highest earning coaches earn $1,350 for 39 hours of coaching weekly, on average, according to the company.</p><p>ProGuides saw revenue from its coaching division grow by over 350% year over year from 2019 to 2020, according to CEO Sam Wang. He said coaching revenue has continued to increase in 2021.</p><p>"I think it's related to a growing trend in millennials and Gen Z to purchase experiences rather than material items," said Kristoph Oedman, ProGuides' president.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-esports-coaches-make-on-proguides-2021-7">Check out more about the video-game coaching startup, here.</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-reach-out-to-brands-influencer-collaboration-email-template-2021-8"><div type="image" title="Emma Cortes Influencer" height="2002" width="2670" msid="85272455" hostid="261"></div></a></p><h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-reach-out-to-brands-influencer-collaboration-email-template-2021-8">How influencers reach out to brands to get paid collaborations</a></h2><p>Many influencer collaborations start with a pitch, through <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> DM, email, or other methods. </p><p>My colleague Sydney Bradley and I spoke with creators across social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> on how they pitch brands.</p><p>Here's a breakdown of some of the strategies influencers use to reach out:</p><ul><li><p>Micro influencer Ashley Jones said her strategy consists of posting about products she loves on Instagram and tagging the brand.</p></li><li><p>Nano influencer Laur DeMartino said she will find brand PR reps or influencer-marketing contacts on LinkedIn.</p></li><li><p>Part-time lifestyle influencer Gigi Kovach keeps a "pitch bank" of email templates handy when she's reaching out to brands and potential sponsors.</p></li></ul><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-reach-out-to-brands-influencer-collaboration-email-template-2021-8">Read more about how they pitch brands, including several email templates they use, here.</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tradingtv-is-a-new-livestreaming-app-focused-on-stock-trading-2021-8"><div type="image" title="Trading.TV founder Tobias Heaslip" height="1666" width="2222" msid="85272459" hostid="261"></div></a></p><h1><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tradingtv-is-a-new-livestreaming-app-focused-on-stock-trading-2021-8">A new livestreaming app for finance influencers will let viewers trade stocks as they watch</a></h1><p>Trading.TV is a new Twitch-style platform for finance influencers that's currently in beta.</p><p>Dan Whateley wrote that the company plans to introduce a feature that will let users trade stocks as they watch livestreams.</p><p>It has raised $6.1 million by tapping into trends in retail trading and the creator economy. </p><p>To lure talent onto the app, the company launched a $1 million creator fund.</p><p>Here's a rundown of how the platform works: </p><ul><li><p>The company plans to make money by selling <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> opportunities to brands and taking a cut of any tips, donations, and subscription revenue earned by creators on its platform. </p></li><li><p>Trading.TV said it will enlist community moderators and "super admins" to help police its content.</p></li></ul><p>"They're trying to basically popularize this intersection between finance and games by way of feeding into the retail-based trading that's going on," said Joost van Dreunen, an adjunct assistant professor at NYU's Stern School of Business. "There is a market there. There is a demand there. The meme stocks have proven as much."</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tradingtv-is-a-new-livestreaming-app-focused-on-stock-trading-2021-8">Read more about the new platform and how it works, here.</a></strong></p><h2><div type="image" title="state of hollywood main 4x3" height="1563" width="2084" msid="85272462" hostid="261"></div></h2><h2>We want to hear from you: </h2><p>Michael and I are compiling a list of the leading women in gaming and esports. We are highlighting women creators and execs who are spearheading change within the industry. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-leading-women-in-esports-gaming-2021-8">Please submit your nominations through this form by August 13.</a></strong></p><p>And my colleagues JP Mangalindan and Dan Whateley are compiling a list of the top media startups in LA shaping tech and entertainment. They will weigh factors like user adoption, fundraising success, innovation, and impact on the media industry. <strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seeking-nominations-for-the-top-media-startups-in-la-2021-8">Please submit your ideas through this form by August 13.</a></strong></p><h2>More influencer industry news:</h2><p><strong>Industry moves</strong></p><ul><li><keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> star Bella Poarch <a href="https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/11/tiktok-bella-poarch-signs-with-a3-artists-agency/">signs with A3 Artists Agency</a>.</li></ul><p><strong><keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword></strong></p><ul><li><p>YouTuber Anna Campbell sells a lifestyle of sex, drugs, and drama. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anna-campbell-youtube-allegations-natalia-taylor-youtube-fans-drugs-2021-8">Her exes say she's a danger to teens</a>.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Gaming</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/zach-king-explained-tiktok-star-vine-youtuber-2021-8"></a>A new report on the esports industry looked at the most engaging teams and brands. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/esports-teams-and-brands-that-get-the-most-engagement-list-2021-8">Here were 4 key takeaways.</a></li><li><p>There are a few legal topics that streamers and gamers should watch out for. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-streamer-gaming-influencer-can-protect-business-according-to-lawyer-2021-8">A lawyer shared 4 ways these influencers can protect their businesses.</a></p></li></ul><h2><div type="image" title="TikTok" height="981" width="1308" msid="85272463" hostid="261"></div></h2><h2>TikTok hashtag of the week: </h2><p>Every week, we highlight a top trending hashtag on TikTok, <a href="https://iq.kyra.com">according to data provided by Kyra IQ</a>.</p><p>This week's hashtag: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cleanwithme">cleanwithme</a><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/buildabish" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p><ul><li><p>This uptick is centered around the cleaning TikTok community sharing their viral cleaning tips and tricks. </p></li></ul><div type="image" title="Collab Crib" height="976" width="1302" msid="85272466" hostid="261"></div><h2>Here's what else we're reading and watching:</h2><ul><li><p>Atlanta-based content house Collab Crib is launching a show on Instagram and Facebook Watch this month. <a href="https://twitter.com/Kaychelle_/status/1425537150276276225">Watch the trailer here.</a></p></li><li><p>Fans can now watch shows from the creator-focused entertainment <a href="https://twitter.com/brat/status/1425198824520175617">startup Brat TV on Peacock. </a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.tubefilter.com/2021/08/06/nickmercs-under-armour-ambassador/">Faze Clan coowner and streamer Nickmercs is Under Armour's new global ambassador</a> (James Hale, from Tubefilter)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/11/snap-creators-say-theyre-leaving-the-apps-spotlight-feature-as-payments-dry-up.html">Snapchat creators say they're leaving Spotlight for TikTok and YouTube as payments dry up</a> (Salvador Rodriguez and Jessica Bursztynsky, from CNBC)</p></li></ul><h2><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/influencerdashboard"><strong>Subscribe to the newsletter here</strong></a><strong style="color: #000000;">.</strong></h2><p>And before you go, check out the top trending songs on TikTok this week to add to your playlist. The data was collected by UTA IQ, the research, analytics, and digital strategy division of United Talent Agency.</p><div type="image" title="UTA IQ" height="1327" width="1062" msid="85272469" hostid="261"></div><h2><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/influencerdashboard"><strong>Subscribe to the newsletter here</strong></a><strong style="color: #000000;">.</strong></h2>

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