Creator Jerome ASF on 13 Years of Daily Content and Building Tech Companies

When Jerome Aceti started uploading content in 2008 at just 14 years old, he had no idea he was beginning a streak that would last over 13 years—publishing at least one piece of content every single day since 2012. Now, with over 8 million subscribers across platforms and a portfolio that includes co-founding multiple startups, investing in others, and even becoming an LP in several venture capital and private equity funds, Jerome represents a new breed of creator: one who builds infrastructure for the industry rather than just another consumer brand. His latest venture, NextTide, is a patent-pending AI platform that protects ad campaigns in real-time at scale—solving a problem that's plagued the streaming industry for nearly two decades and proving that creators are uniquely positioned to build the tech companies that will power the future of content. In this episode, you'll discover: How Jerome went from filming real-life skits with friends to building a family-friendly gaming empire focused on Minecraft and Roblox—and why he's maintained that same niche for over a decade The exact moment in his first year of college when his channel exploded and he made the decision to drop out and pursue content creation full-time (spoiler: it took five years from his first upload to get there) Why he started looking for alternative revenue streams as early as 2010 Why he believes creators should save and invest as if their entire career is ending in one year What NextTide's patent-pending LiveGuard technology actually does: using AI to monitor tone, context, and chat sentiment in real-time to instantly turn off ads when a stream becomes brand-unsafe—solving the "ad apocalypse" problem that's cost creators billions Why traditional ad spend hasn't increased in the streaming market despite billions of hours watched—and how brand safety fears from past incidents still cause innocent family-friendly creators to lose revenue when one random streamer says something controversial Why he believes the next wave of creator companies will be tech-focused rather than CPG brands—pointing to MrBeast's Viewstats and Steven Bartlett's Flightcast as proof that creators are uniquely positioned to build infrastructure for their own industry Why he'll probably never retire from content creation even if he achieves every financial goal—because his daily mission to "make someone somewhere smile" is so core to his identity that he doesn't know how he'd fill that gap What's next for NextTide: Immersive Frames, a new AI technology that detects what's happening on-screen during gameplay and serves contextual advertising at the perfect moment (like a life insurance ad when someone gets eliminated in Fortnite) From uploading 20,000+ videos over 17 years to co-founding a patent-pending AI company solving a 20-year-old industry problem, Jerome shares the unglamorous reality of building as a creator-turned-founder. Whether you're a creator thinking about launching a company, an investor evaluating the creator economy, or simply curious about the future of streaming and advertising technology, this conversation reveals why the most successful creators of the next decade won't just build brands—they'll build the infrastructure that powers the entire industry. Chapters: Chapters 00:01:08 Jerome's Journey: 17 Years of Daily Content 00:02:41 The Path to Full-Time Creator: A 5-Year Journey 00:04:55 Early Entrepreneurial Spirit: From Golf Balls to Revenue Streams 00:06:30 The Creator Career Lifespan: Lessons from Athletes 00:08:53 Finding the Right Partners: Merch For All and Beyond 00:13:42 Introducing Next Tide: AI-Powered Brand Safety for Streaming 00:15:49 Solving the Ad Apocalypse: Why Brands Fear Live Streaming 00:24:21 The Creator Advantage in Tech: Why Software Makes Sense 00:28:07 Consistency is Key: 20,000 Videos and Counting 00:33:15 What's Next: Immersive Frames and Contextual Advertising 00:35:20 Final Advice: Stay Creative and Find the Right Partners HotStart VC Subscribe to the HotStart VC newsletter: https://hotstart.beehiiv.com/ Become a HotStart Angel and co-invest with us in celebrity-founded brands starting from $5,000: https://www.hotstart.vc/hotstart-angels/ Check out our fund: https://www.hotstart.vc/ Scott van den Berg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottvandenberg_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottvandenberg_ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottvandenbergvc Jerome Aceti NextTide: https://www.nextide.io/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeromeASF LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromeaceti/ HotStart VC is a fund that exclusively invests in brands founded by celebrities and creators. We're the go-to platform for celebrities and creators launching brands, providing capital, strategic support, and the infrastructure to scale.