For decades, the African creative economy has been defined by a “painful paradox”: immense cultural influence paired with systemic financial leakage. While global platforms have opened doors to visibility, they have often locked the doors to true profitability, leaving creators with as little as 10% of the value they generate after platform fees, middlemen, and algorithm taxes.
Pinched is changing the math. By building the home of authentic storytelling, self sustaining infrastructure designed for ownership rather than extraction, Pinched is ensuring that Africa’s storytellers no longer just “reach” an audience or chase vanity metrics, rather they own the value they create. Nigeria’s creator economy, currently valued at just $31.2 million, could grow into a multibillion-dollar sector by the end of the decade, according to a new report by The Nigerian Creator Economy Report. Goldman SachS predicts the global creative economy to hit over $500B BY 2027. Pinched is building the backbone to ensure creators capture that value.
The proof is in the traction
We didn’t just build a theory; we built a magnet. In 30 days of our soft launch, the Pinched ecosystem proved its product-market fit with aggressive organic numbers:
• 10,000+ Unique Visits: Driven entirely by organic interest and community word of-mouth.
• Global Footprint: Activity recorded from over 12 countries, validating the cross-border demand for African creative infrastructure.
• Early Enterprise Adoption: Secured 5 strategic partners and clients before the full platform rollout.
The infrastructure gap: Why talent is no longer the bottleneck
Africa’s creative boom is often measured in viral songs and global trends. What is discussed less is Revenue Retention. For years, creators have been forced to rely on ad-driven models that require millions of hits to earn pennies, opaque distribution where middlemen take the lion’s share, and algorithm volatility that makes a livelihood subject to a code change.
The problem has never been a lack of talent; it has been a lack of Structural Integrity. Pinched is the “plumbing” designed to stop the leakage and keep wealth within the creative ecosystem.
Flipping the script: The 90% standard
The centrepiece of this infrastructure is a fundamental shift in how money moves. Through features like “Give A Pinch,” we remove the traditional “Platform Tax.”
In the old model, the system takes 90% and the creator hopes for the remaining 10%. On Pinched, the creator keeps 90% of their revenue. By enabling direct micro contributions and peer-to-peer commerce, Pinched turns “fans” into “key supporters” and “content” into “equity.” This allows creators to fund their next project and build a career independent of brand approvals or social media reach. While we maintain a lean operation through a transparent 10% infrastructure fee, our model ensures capital remains in the hands of the creator.
Documentation as a financial asset
In a digital world, visibility is cheap, but credibility is expensive. Pinched understands that for a creator to be “bankable,” they need more than a following; they need a record.
Beyond immediate revenue, Pinched provides Permanent Editorial Storytelling. Unlike social media posts that disappear in 24 hours, Pinched creates professional digital footprints. These curated narratives document a creator’s journey, wins, and impact, serving as a “Proof of Impact” for global partnerships and institutional investment for years to come.
A precision-engineered audience strategy
Pinched is not a “broad” play. We are focused on high-value segments that drive the entire ecosystem:
1. Primary: The Legacy Creators. Storytellers in music, adventure, food, culture, film, sport, and tech who need documented credibility and direct funding to scale.
2. Secondary: High-Growth SMEs. Small and mid-sized businesses that currently overpay for “noise” (Ads/PR) and need structured storytelling to build authority.
3. Tertiary: Scalable Enterprise. A long-term gateway for Agencies, NGOs, Telcos, and Media Buyers to interact with a verified, structured creative market.
Meet the founder: Joseph Eshio Oghanyan
The vision for Pinched is built on a decade of “Proof of Work” at the highest levels of the industry. Joseph Eshio Oghanyan, Founder of The Pinch Network, is a certified Product Manager and global digital strategist who has spent over a decade translating African culture into global commercial value.
Before founding Pinched, Joseph spent seven years leading digital campaigns for The Headies Awards, driving over 8 billion impressions worldwide. As a director of global sync licensing at The Showcase Global Company, he has placed African talent Beekay on Amazon Prime (Breath of Life) and acted as a partner support for Netflix (Hijack 99), building a robust network of over 16 global sync partners. He is currently the convener of The Exclusive Sync Program (for sync licensing enthusiasts, musicians, music producers, sync agents, music supervisors and music executives) and The 1% Fellowship (for founders, thought leaders, executives and future designers).
“I truly believe the future isn’t just observed; it’s actively built. My goal with Pinched is to design the infrastructure and foundational systems that allow every creative no matter their current size to turn small, consistent moves into monumental, self sustained impact while building an ecosystem for the African creative industry.” – Joseph Eshio Oghanyan.
ThesShift: From rented attention to owned infrastructure
The global market is shifting toward Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) models. Pinched is the first infrastructure built specifically for the African reality of this shift. We are moving the industry away from “Rented Attention” and toward “Owned Infrastructure.” In this new era, the power doesn’t lie with the algorithm; it lies with the architect.
• For Creators: Sign Up, reclaim your value and start collecting a Pinch here. • For Partners & Investors: We are seeking visionary partners to co-build the next generation of sovereign creative ventures. For inquiries, contact partner@staypinched.com or visit www.staypinched.com.
• Be a part of our Global Community at Pinched- Here
The future of Africa’s creative economy will not be powered by attention alone. It will be powered by infrastructure. Pinched is building it.
Join us in building an infrastructure for this generation and the next.
Stay Creative
Stay Driven
Stay Pinched.
