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# Creators trade brand deals for cap-table stakes and sweat equity
- URL: https://www.medianexis.com/creators-trade-brand-deals-for-cap-table-stakes-and-sweat-equity/
- Published: 2026-09-25T21:59:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T21:59:18.000Z
- Description: Digiday’s Alyssa Mercante reports that the creator economy is moving past one-off brand deals into angel investing and sweat equity, with platforms like Cherub and agency JERi building infrastructure to get creators onto startup cap tables.
- Author: The Signals Desk
- Tags: Creators, Alyssa Mercante, Digiday: creators seeking equity stakes over fees

**Why it matters.** Brands now compete for top creators not just with fees but with equity, shifting negotiating power toward creators who can offer strategic distribution and market insight.

*Signal from* [*digiday.com*](https://digiday.com/?ref=medianexis.com) *·* [*Alyssa Mercante*](https://www.medianexis.com/tag/by-alyssa-mercante/) *·* [*read the original*](https://digiday.com/media/from-brand-deals-to-equity-deals-creators-want-a-stake-not-just-a-fee/?ref=medianexis.com)*.*