Venture attention has shifted to the supply side of many marketplaces as more people are becoming independent. There are many startups across industries helping creators become independently successful, a trend detailed in this recent Techcrunch article.

On the broader trend of serving influencers:

…Entrepreneurs have also begun building services for creators and influencers from marketplaces that connect individuals with brands, financial solutions that help capitalize burgeoning influencer-led businesses, and tailored monetization platforms…

On the 3rd phase of the influencer economy (I think the term influencer here is synonymous with “independent entrepreneur”):

The first phase was the rise of the media platforms: YouTube, Instagram, etcetera, that allowed creatives to build audiences. The second phase was the emergence of influencer marketing, or connecting those influencers to brands to leverage their audiences … Now that influencer marketing has become an established part of the marketing playbook, we are in phase three: tools to help influencers further monetize their influence, like Cameo, and then manage their lives.

It could be seen simply in a shift in focus in marketplaces. But I think it represents a broader shift from software being overly consumer focused (to a certain extent value destructive), to serving those actually creating the culture.