The digital creator economy is rapidly expanding, with an expected reach of $1.49 trillion by 2034. However, the creators driving this growth, such as YouTubers, musicians, visual artists, and others, face significant challenges in securing funding. Traditional banks remain cautious about financing digital rights, while established industry players such as record labels and royalty management firms often demand up to 80% ownership for upfront capital. As a result, creators have limited, usually exploitative options for financing production, marketing, or launching new projects.
Insomnia Labs, backed by a $12 million credit line from Kamui Finance, Intrinsic Capital, and partners, has introduced CreatorFi to address this financing gap, bringing the total funding to over $14 million. This initial credit facility, with the ability to scale, provides the foundation for CreatorFi’s advances, beginning with a $5 million bond program for creators on Yoola’s platform in partnership with Kamui Finance. The platform’s integration with Avalanche ensures a secure, transparent, and scalable infrastructure, while support from real-world asset investors, such as Intrinsic Capital, sets the stage for further growth.
“Today, digital creators generate massive income through their content, yet banks still don’t know how to underwrite these modern revenue streams. At Insomnia, we believe creators are building the next generation of global brands. CreatorFi gives them the financing solutions they deserve,” says Billy Huang, CEO of Insomnia Labs.
Founders, mission, and the drive to empower creators
Insomnia Labs, led by CEO Billy Huang, is no stranger to innovation. The company has established a reputation as a premier blockchain partner for global brands, including Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Under Armour, the International Cricket Council (ICC), Michael Mann, and Chubby Group. Their mission is clear: empower digital creators with the financial tools and infrastructure they need to build and scale global brands, unlocking the actual value of their intellectual property.
On the company’s founding, Billy Huang explains exclusively to TFN: “Back in 2021, major brands were eager to explore Web3 but lacked the technical expertise to do it right. With a background in software engineering combined with Jack’s marketing prowess, we saw an opportunity to bridge that gap. Insomnia Labs was built to help brands not only enter the space but also thrive in it by delivering high-impact digital assets, scalable infrastructure, and genuine user engagement through emerging technologies like stablecoins. It wasn’t just about tech, it was about creating real utility and value in a new digital era.”
The vision behind CreatorFi is to create a future where creators can access capital seamlessly, without compromising ownership or facing predatory terms. The company’s motivation for embarking on this journey is rooted in the belief that creators are the next generation of entrepreneurs, and the financial system must evolve to support their distinct needs.
Billy Huang shares with us: “Insomnia Labs is a minority-owned business and maintains a diverse workforce: 7% Asian, 15% White, and 78% Black/African”
What sets CreatorFi apart?
CreatorFi is built on Avalanche, a high-performance blockchain designed for secure, transparent, and scalable asset tokenisation. The platform integrates with the Coinbase Developer Platform to manage stablecoin liquidity and streamline disbursement, ensuring every payout is accurate, transparent, and auditable. With Coinbase Offramp, creators can instantly convert stablecoin advances into local currencies, making global access to funds seamless.
Key differentiators include real-time, AI-powered underwriting with data-driven risk assessment; embedded payments, with advances and repayments managed directly through creator platforms; global, low-cost access via stablecoin and fiat lending; and blockchain-backed transparency for creators, platforms, and lenders.
Huang emphasises their edge: “CreatorFi combines AI-powered underwriting with smart contract infrastructure to offer stablecoin-based credit directly through creator platforms. It’s a full-stack solution that transforms future digital earnings into usable capital, without creators needing to sacrifice ownership or navigate broken legacy systems. This end-to-end approach, bridging Web2 usability with Web3 capabilities, is what defines Insomnia’s edge in the market.”
CreatorFi’s early traction underscores the demand for creator-focused financial solutions. Yoola, one of the world’s largest YouTube Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs), is among the first to adopt the platform, enabling over 1,200 creators, including Spizee, SlivkiShow, Kika Kim, Elsa Arca, RizaNova UZ, Home Animations, MultiDo Challenge, and Deny Montan, to access funding without banking friction.
In the music sector, Record, a royalty infrastructure and intelligence platform, is leveraging CreatorFi to offer fair, flexible financing to its enterprise clients, streamlining complex revenue flows for top artists, rightsholders, and institutional partners.
What’s next for Insomnia Labs? Scaling CreatorFi and the creator economy
While platforms like Spotter and Royalty Exchange exist, CreatorFi stands out as the only platform offering on-chain, real-time, and integrated credit solutions specifically for creators at scale. Most competitors rely on manual processes, off-chain underwriting, and often predatory terms. Insomnia Labs combines blockchain infrastructure, AI-driven underwriting, and stablecoin liquidity in a seamless and scalable manner.
Billy Huang concludes the company’s ambitions: “Our goal is to become the leading provider of accessible credit across the IP economy. With CreatorFi as our first major initiative, we’re starting with digital creators, but this is just the beginning. We see immense potential in expanding into other IP industries, such as gaming, music, and sports, where creators and rights holders often face similar financing challenges. Our long-term vision is to build a global, on-chain credit ecosystem where anyone who owns IP can access fair, fast, and transparent capital, without giving up control of their work.”
