Gigastar

About the offering

GigaStar is a Chicago, IL-based fintech and marketplace platform that operates at the intersection of the Creator Economy and regulated digital securities markets. The company bills itself as 'the NASDAQ of the Creator Economy,' positioning itself as the first and only SEC- and FINRA-registered marketplace where Creator businesses — starting with YouTube channels — are turned into investable securities called Creator Revenue Tokens (CRTs). Creators raise capital by selling a share of their future YouTube revenue as a digital security; Investors then receive monthly distributions (paid via smart contracts) proportional to that channel's ongoing YouTube earnings. After a 12-month holding period, those securities can be bought and sold on GigaStar Trading, the company's SEC-registered digital Alternative Trading System (ATS) secondary market — a capability the company states no other platform currently offers. GigaStar reports having raised over $7M for Creators and already distributed more than $1.4M to Investors, with $3.6M in annualized YouTube revenue currently being processed for Investors — representing 364% year-over-year growth. The platform has completed 31 Creator 'drops' to date. The company states it is one of only 10 entities in the US cleared to trade digital asset securities, a regulatory status it describes as a meaningful moat given the time and expense required to obtain such clearances. The leadership team includes CEO Hazem Dawani (2x exited founder; OptionsCity acquired by Vela Trading, Predata acquired by FiscalNote; named to Crain's Chicago 40 Under 40), CTO Victor Glava (co-founded OptionsCity; founded Cove Markets, acquired by Robinhood in 2021), CMO Sarah McNabb (20+ year financial marketing executive, grew investor database to 30K+), CBO Scott Kitun (grew Songfinch to $100M+ in sales, paid artists $50M+), COO Mohammed Asfour (built largest YouTube partner network in the Middle East, 44M subscribers), and VP of Partnerships Andy Faberlle (helped build Maker Studios, acquired by Disney for $950M+). Financially, the company reported audited revenue of $350,792 in 2024, growing 56% to $548,790 in 2025, with gross profit up 65%. The company acknowledges spending approximately $3.9M to date on regulatory licensing and building its secondary trading platform. It carries a current valuation of approximately $58M, which has been a point of skepticism among some community investors given the sub-$400K annual revenue base. The company has raised $9.8M in total funding to date, including from institutional backers Belvedere Strategic Capital (which also holds stakes in Clear Street, MEMX, and Pyth Network) and Nameless Ventures, as well as a $2.4M investment from OneLegacyOne LLC, a private vehicle managed by Rick Tomsic (founder of Tradovate, acquired by NinjaTrader/Kraken, and Open E Cry, acquired by optionsXpress/Schwab). On the current Wefunder community round, GigaStar has raised approximately $3.93M from 2,627 investors, with $1.5M reportedly coming in within the first 12 hours — claimed to be the fastest Wefunder raise in 2025. The minimum investment is $400. The company's stated go-forward strategy includes attracting institutional capital to the platform, expanding liquidity on GigaStar Trading, and extending the model beyond YouTube to platforms such as Substack, Twitch, Beehiiv, Instagram, and TikTok. The company frames its long-term exit potential around the trend of regulated digital-securities platforms commanding significant acquisition premiums or public market valuations, citing its dual SEC/FINRA registration and existing user base as key assets. Goldman Sachs projections cited by the company estimate the Creator Economy will grow from $250B today to $480B by 2027. Future revenue projections and any exit scenarios are explicitly noted as not guaranteed.

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