Stir
Stir lets creator teams split payments and revenue shares automatically.
On the record
Checkpoint: Confirmation of any funding round, revenue, or product update since 2023
The call
Stir has gone five years without new funding, lost a co-founder, and shown no product news since 2023, while Stripe ships the same features natively.
Stir helps creators manage their money and split payments, built on top of Stripe's existing tools. Stripe can easily offer the same features directly to creators without needing Stir as a middleman, and companies like Karat are building AI software that does revenue tracking and bookkeeping automatically, which could replace what Stir does. The company has not raised money or announced new products since early 2023, one of its co-founders now runs a different company, and the creator economy market has shrunk, all of which suggest Stir may be slowing down or shutting down quietly. The only thing that could change this picture would be proof that Stir is still hiring, bringing in paying customers, or raising new money from investors.
Why
01
AI pressure: Karat's AI bookkeeping tools. AI bookkeeping copilots like Karat automate the revenue reconciliation Stir was built to simplify. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.
02
Bigger players: Stripe. Stripe's own creator-economy suite already offers fee splitting and payouts, undercutting Stir's core pitch. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. Existing users' habit of routing splits through Stir's dashboard, though nothing stops them switching to Stripe directly.
What would change this call
Stir announces a new funding round, ARR figure, or paying-customer count within the next year. Would show the company is still growing rather than winding down.
Stripe publicizes expanded features in its creator-economy payout suite. Shows the incumbent directly absorbing the niche Stir occupies.
Kushal Byatnal's LinkedIn or Extend bio confirms he has fully exited Stir. Confirms loss of Stir's co-founder and technical leadership.
Stripe publicizes expanded features in its creator-economy payout suite. Shows the incumbent directly absorbing the niche Stir occupies.
Kushal Byatnal's LinkedIn or Extend bio confirms he has fully exited Stir. Confirms loss of Stir's co-founder and technical leadership.
Key numbers
- $17M Series A closed Feb 2021
- 12 employees listed on Pitchbook
- ~2,000 active users reported Jan 2023
Named risks
- No new funding round disclosed since February 2021 Series A, over five years of silence.
- Apparent departure of co-founder/CTO Kushal Byatnal to separate startup Extend by September 2025.
- Creator economy sector contraction: funding down 58% in 2023, job listings down 35.3% by Q3 2025.
- No verified product launches or announcements in 18+ months as of mid 2025.
- Core split/reconciliation product is a thin layer on Stripe rails, exposed to AI bookkeeping commoditization.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | gaining on | Markets native creator-economy suite with Connect fee splitting and 1099 automation, no barrier stops direct competition |
| Karat | gaining on | Markets AI Bookkeeping feature and claims over $1B in underwritten creator credit as of Sept 2025 (vendor-claimed) |
| Lumanu | contesting | Subscription-based creator payments platform with an Instant Pay cash-advance feature |
| Creative Juice | contesting | Creator banking with cash-advance product and investment arm backed by high-profile creators |
Questions people ask
- Is Stir profitable in 2026?
- No revenue figures have ever been disclosed. As of January 2023 Stir was still free to use with plans to start charging talent agencies in Q1 2023, and no funding, revenue, or profitability data has surfaced since, suggesting the business may still be unmonetized or stalled.
- Who owns Stir the creator payments startup?
- Stir is privately held and VC-backed, founded by CEO Joseph Albanese and CTO Kushal Byatnal. It raised a $4M seed in October 2020 and a $17M Series A in February 2021 led by Andreessen Horowitz at a $100M valuation, with no newer disclosed round since.
- Is Stir still operating or has it shut down?
- No public product news has appeared since early 2023 and no funding since the February 2021 Series A. Co-founder and CTO Kushal Byatnal is now listed as CEO of a separate startup, Extend, as of September 2025, raising open questions about Stir's current activity.
- Could AI replace what Stir does?
- Stir's core function, automating percentage-based revenue splits and 1099 tax reconciliation, is a rules-based workflow that AI bookkeeping tools can commoditize. Rival Karat already markets an AI Bookkeeping feature as of 2025, and Stripe's native creator-economy suite covers similar ground without needing AI.
- Who is Stir's biggest competitor?
- Stripe is the biggest structural threat: it markets a dedicated creator-economy payments suite with Connect-based fee splitting and 1099 automation that overlaps directly with Stir's product, and no compliance or channel barrier prevents Stripe from serving this niche itself.
- How much funding has Stir raised total?
- Stir has disclosed about $21M total: a $4M seed round announced October 2020 led by Homebrew, XYZ Capital, and Ludlow Ventures, plus a $17M Series A closed February 2021 led by Andreessen Horowitz at a $100M valuation. No later round has been publicly reported.
Timeline
- 2025-10-02Creator economy job listings down 35.3% year over year through Q3 2025
- 2025-09-23Rival Karat Financial says it has underwritten over $1B in creator credit (vendor-claimed)
- 2025-09-21Stir co-founder/CTO Kushal Byatnal listed as CEO of separate startup Extend
- 2025-07-30SaaSWorthy listing shows Stir features unchanged, no new product news
- 2024-01-19Creator economy startup funding reported down 58% in 2023 versus prior year
- 2023-01-06Stir still free to use, about 2,000 active users, plans to charge agencies in Q1 2023
- 2021-08-03Stir for Managers suite launched for talent management teams
- 2021-05-14Stir Pay launched, fee-free bank-to-bank payments vs PayPal/Venmo
- 2021-02-10Series A of $17M closed at $100M valuation, led by Andreessen Horowitz
- 2020-10-20Stir announces $4M seed round and launches public beta
Revision history
23 July 2026
First assessed. Little protection left. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees, Headquarters Locations (2023-04-29)
- Stir raises $4 million to help online collaborators split revenue (2020-10-20)
- Stir valued at $100M in Series A round (2021-02-10)
- Stir 2026 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors
- Creators Love to Collaborate and Stir Wants to Make it Easier (2023-01-06)
- Tech Startup Stir Launches 'Stir For Managers' (2021-08-03)
- Extend's Chief Executive Officer contact info (2025-09-21)
- Lumanu vs. Stir: Which Is Best for Paying Influencers?
- Features & Pricing (July 2025) (2025-07-30)
- Karat Financial's Push To Put Creators On Equal Financial Footing (2025-09-23)
- A complete solution for the creator economy
- Karat Visa Business Credit Card