Zarta, a new ad-free creator platform that focuses on pay-per-view video content, announced today that it has closed a $5.7 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The platform allows creators to upload videos, set parameters for a free preview and then charge viewers a small amount to unlock the whole video. Zarta is currently in limited alpha testing with a small set of creators, with plans for a broader launch later this year.
The company was founded in 2021 by YouTube creator and former Airbnb software engineer Luba Yudasina. She told TechCrunch in an interview that a lot of the inspiration behind Zarta came from her own personal journey as a creator. Yudasina wanted to monetize her content in ways other than sponsored brand deals and subscriptions. Although she initially wanted to start a Patreon, Yudasina heard from creators that it can be difficult to continuously pump out exclusive content for a small percentage of your audience, and that it can get e...
