Canopy is a brand-new peer-to-peer social networking application that enables content producers to communicate, crowdsource knowledge, and, for want of a better phrase, “spill the tea.” Communicate, crowdsource knowledge, and, for want of a better phrase, “spill the tea.”
On Canopy’s website, creators can register to receive early access. The waitlist currently has 1,200 names on it.
Canopy will also explore three different monetization strategies in addition to the trial, including a monthly membership service that provides instructional tools like a webinar series, live events, and accountability groups. Along with a community management portion for talent agencies and businesses, the company will also test a research marketplace that links brands with creators.
The app welcomes all kinds of artists, including those who publish pornographic content as well as content related to pop culture, gaming, gastronomy, and other topics. Canopy, however, primarily targets content creators in the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industries because “those are the content niches that have the highest earning potential and spending power,” according to Samaraweera. As a result, those creators “are [typically] people who take it seriously and want to make it their full-time career.”
Including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, OnlyFans, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, Canopy allows influencers from most of the main social media sites. To join Canopy, you currently need between 1,000 and 100,000 followers. In the future, it will be accessible to all creators.
Canopy contains the elements you would anticipate from a social networking app: posts, comments, likes, profiles, and so on, just like Reddit and X (previously Twitter). Users can also join “Branches” or discussion groups that are centered on particular subjects, such as brand collaborations, pay transparency, business news, mental health, events & programming, monetization opportunities, platform algorithms, talent agencies, and more.
Notably, everyone on Canopy is anonymous to provide a secure environment where producers may express their problems with the business and ask questions without worrying about being judged. Users only know their origins and the kind of content they produce. An account name can be “NY Fashion Creator,” for instance.
Samaraweera discovered that creators like the app’s sense of anonymity since they didn’t want to “damage their careers or upset anyone” if they wanted to share a negative brand experience or alert others to potential fraud. Learning more about the field, developing relationships with professionals in the field, and expanding their network is also beneficial for emerging and new innovators.
There shouldn’t be as much hierarchy and gatekeeping, according to Samaraweera. According to a HigherVisibility survey from 2022, “one in four Gen Zers want to become content creators, but there is no college degree or clear path on how to do that.”
The app also offers a section or group called “Creator Collabs” where creators can organize in-person meetings and be more forthcoming about their identity. At the end of October, Canopy intends to launch a toggle feature that will give creators the option of remaining anonymous or disclosing their true identity.
A reward program called “Aura Points” will also be introduced by Canopy by the end of the year. This program will provide creators points for commenting on posts, offering helpful information, and authoring posts that receive a lot of engagement. The points can be exchanged for editing tools, creation tools, and subscription services that advance their abilities.
Samaraweera worked in internal communications while employed by TikTok, and she currently has more than 25,000 followers on the app. Samaraweera most recently served as the president’s chief of staff at the creator growth company Jellysmack, where she gathered important knowledge about the creator economy.
Samaraweera created Canopy to address the problems she had when expanding her TikTok audience. Hustle Fund VC, Sean Atkins, president of Jellysmack, and the creators of Jellysmack are investors in the business. Additionally, Canopy was just admitted to Techstars Seattle. Canopy has raised a total of $240,000.
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