The creator economy is a growing phenomenon in business, entrepreneurship and the global economy. This thesis seeks to explore the identity of content creators and the format of creator accelerator programs to help understand the growing phenomenon of the creator economy. In comparing the two ecosystems of content creators and entrepreneurs we can begin to understand the effects and implications. The thesis also aims to understand the similarities between upcoming content creator accelerator programs and mature startup accelerator programs. Through qualitative methods, primary sources are collected to compare content creators to entrepreneurs and creator accelerator programs to startup accelerator programs. By reviewing one hundred eighty-two (182) content creators and four hundred and three (403) entrepreneurs, the results are divided into three categories; the top roles identified, the number of times the role appeared in the group, and the percentage of roles based on the total number of people. The primary difference between content creators and entrepreneurs is content creators focus on the content produced, whereas the entrepreneur focuses on the organization, product or services. In exploring similarities between the two types of accelerator programs four categories emerge in organizing the program information: length of the program, goals, mentorship or networking opportunities, and funding. This paves the way in understanding the growing creator economy phenomenon by finding overlap amongst content creators and traditional entrepreneurs alongside accelerator programs.

Fintech and Web 3.0 represent two important constructs for an emerging web experience that is decentralized, social, and immersive. When integrating fintech solutions into digital projects, understanding market performance and impact from shocks can inform decisions around integrations as businesses and creators move towards Web 3.0 and emerging use cases that leverage NFTs, smart contracts, extended reality, and blockchain to deliver value. Additionally, fintech and Web 3.0 create new challenges for established firms where peer-to-peer value exchanges happen in real-time without the need for intermediaries and thus provide greater access to resources for disruptors, small enterprises, and creators. This proposal outlines a mixed methods research study that examines fintech performance and how it has responded to market shocks to answer the research question: What is the level of financial performance for fintech? The study is followed by an examination of how technology can power an immersive, decentralized digital experience that transcends borders and device platforms to answer the research question: What is the relationship between fintech and Web 3.0? The ability of fintech to increase banking inclusion and access to capital would be valuable as a facilitator of transactions between brands and peers (P2P) in a Web 3.0 ecosystem. Hence, understanding fintech performance and its relationship to a decentralized Web 3.0 will inform business leaders, creators, and researchers in identifying new use cases that combine both constructs building a more inclusive global value exchange ecosystem. While there is a growing body of knowledge on fintech, much less has been written about Web 3.0 and even less literature exists on the relationship between the two constructs. / Business Administration/Management Information Systems