Stu Smith

Stu Smith is a seasoned investor and venture capitalist, co-founding Coughdrop Capital with his brother Austin Petersmith in 2015. The firm focuses on early-stage B2B software startups, with Stu having led investments in over 90 companies including Lattice, Mercury, Superhuman, and Varda Space Industries. He actively invests in the pre-seed and seed stages, aiming for founder/market fit. coughdropcapital+4

Stu has extensive experience in the entertainment and media industry, with nearly two decades dedicated to driving innovation in the space. He served as Senior Vice President at WarnerMedia (Fullscreen), where he ran Creator Labs and managed partnerships. Prior to this, he held executive roles at Omaze, Teespring, CrowdSurge, and spent four years at Red Light Management, focusing on talent management, business development, and direct-to-consumer strategies for artists and creators. sacra+4

As a co-founder and COO of Racket.com, Stu applied his expertise in the creator economy to build a social audio app. His insights on the creator market emphasize the shift from advertising-based models to subscription services and direct relationships between creators and their audience, noting that platforms that truly empower creators will displace those serving them sacra+3