Why the next UGC Platform needs a Siri?
Here is something really interesting about the creative economy: there's a participation gap hiding in plain sight.
I've been seen this pattern across platforms. Wattpad has 100M MAU, but only 2% publish stories. TikTok has 1B users, but 85-90% are pure consumers. Roblox sees millions of players, but <5% build experiences.
The gap isn't talent or tools, it's collaborative confidence. People don't lack ideas, they lack creative partnerships. Watch a filmmaker work: they're never alone. Directors collaborate with cinematographers, writers work with editors, game developers partner with artists.
But individual creators are stuck with single-player creation tools, hitting walls that teams naturally navigate together. This creates a massive untapped market. I think there lies an opportunity building agentic UGC platforms where AI agents act as creative co-pilots:
AI creative assistants that help storyboard, generate assets, and orchestrate elements across models
Voice-first creation making storytelling as natural as conversation
Multiplayer experiences where gaming communities build lore, book clubs write together
End-to-end workflows that feel like "Cursor for storytelling"
Distribution wedges serving micro communities like anime/sports better than anyone
The pattern is clear: every breakout UGC platform started hyper-focused on one passionate community, then expanded. TikTok used a similar strategy and won with Gen Z dancers.
The one question is: which creative community feels most paralyzed by the gap between imagination and execution, and how might AI agents turn that creative anxiety into collaborative confidence?
The next Harry Potter won't come from traditional publishers, it'll emerge from those niche micro-communities. Building something in this space? I would love to chat. Reach out to me at shashank@gembacapital.in