At VidCon 2026 in Anaheim, California, a San Francisco startup called Momo Networks unveiled what it describes as a community super-app designed to give digital creators something most social platforms cannot: genuine ownership over their audience relationships.
MOMO BOARD, the company’s flagship product, combines forum boards, group chat, event creation, and ticketing into a single platform that creators control directly, rather than renting space on algorithm-driven social networks where reach can vanish overnight.
“Real community — the kind with memory, culture and belonging — is the most durable asset a creator can have,” said Jae Shin, the company’s founder and CEO. The statement cuts to the heart of a growing frustration among digital creators who have watched platforms repeatedly change algorithms, throttle organic reach, and introduce monetization structures that primarily benefit the platforms themselves.
The VidCon debut included previews of several upcoming features: paid content capabilities allowing exclusive posts, videos, and gated access; subscription models enabling direct fan support; and native e-commerce tools expected to launch later this year. Together, these features would allow creators to build sustainable businesses without depending on advertising revenue or platform-controlled monetization programs.
The company has already established an international presence. In Seoul, MOMO BOARD operates through SFACTORY, an offline event space that bridges digital communities and in-person gatherings. In Japan, the company has partnered with Hakuhodo, the country’s second-largest advertising agency, and supported the Japan Podcast Festival 2026 in collaboration with InterFM and J-WAVE.
Max Zaharenkov, founder of ZAHARE Media and a member of the company’s Creators Ambassador Council, offered a perspective that resonated with many at the convention. “MOMO BOARD offers something different. It’s not just another platform to perform on,” he said, highlighting the distinction between platforms built for content consumption and those designed for community building.
The launch comes amid a broader industry reckoning over creator economics. Despite the creator economy’s estimated multi-billion-dollar valuation, most creators earn modest incomes, with revenue concentrated among a small percentage of top performers. Tools that allow creators to monetize directly through their communities, rather than through advertising middlemen, represent a potential shift in how the economics of content creation could work.
Whether MOMO BOARD can successfully challenge established platforms remains to be seen, but its debut at one of the creator economy’s largest gatherings signals serious ambitions in a market hungry for alternatives.
