02 / Izisurf
A creator platform.
And a business to build.
K-culture has a global audience. Izisurf set out to give emerging creators a clearer route from publishing their work to being discovered and considered for paid opportunities.
The venture
Build participation before promising a marketplace.
The hard part was not putting creators and brands on opposite sides of a screen. Both needed a reason to return before the other side was fully established.
I shaped an initial model around themed creator activity and recurring contests. They gave creators a reason to publish, audiences something to follow and the team a rhythm for learning. Brand opportunities could develop around participation that was already visible.
With a three-person core team, I led product and UX, worked with engineering on delivery, recruited creators and developed early commercial relationships. Product scope and the cost of running the service were the same conversation.
The product model
Let the work introduce the creator.
An upload-led feed made visibility depend too heavily on timing. A directory asked audiences to choose a person before they had seen enough work to care.
I prioritised category-based discovery. Dance, music and other K-culture content became routes into the platform, with the creator’s identity carried through viewing, following and collaboration. The structure accommodated uneven content supply without filling the product with empty categories.
A commercial decision
Charge for an introduction.
Earn the conversation.
Paid introductions offered a potential revenue model, but payment could not reasonably buy unrestricted access to a creator. I separated the commercial transaction from permission to start a conversation.
The brand presented its identity and opportunity. The creator could inspect the request and accept, decline, report or block. That boundary protected the supply side of the marketplace while giving brands a more meaningful signal of interest.
Relationships and operations
The launch continued after people signed up.
I recruited and screened creators, negotiated collaborations and organised invitations, reminders and contest communications. At industry events in Seoul, I developed conversations with prospective brand partners and used their objections to refine the proposition.
I also established a repeatable campaign rhythm: recruitment, submission, moderation, voting and follow-up. The operating model gave the product team a view of where participation broke down, and gave creators a more dependable experience.
Creator acquisition
Lead with a specific opportunity to participate, rather than a request to join another empty platform.
Marketplace trust
Make identity, opportunity and consent explicit before a commercial introduction opens into a conversation.
Operational learning
Review campaign participation alongside onboarding issues and partner feedback when setting the next release.
A repeatable programme
Keep the next step clear.
- 01
Recruit
A specific invitation for the right creators.
- 02
Publish
Submission guidance and timely reminders.
- 03
Review
Moderation before the work goes forward.
- 04
Participate
A clear voting stage for the audience.
- 05
Follow up
Results, feedback and the next opportunity.
What changed
A working platform.
A more credible venture.
We launched web and mobile experiences and an early community: 307 registered users, 187 vetted creators and seven campaigns and contests by August 2026. The strategic work was establishing an operating rhythm and a clearer commercial proposition around that first participation.
- A connected journey from discovery to creator opportunity.
- An explicit trust boundary around paid introductions.
- A recurring campaign model the team could operate and improve.