Beluga Labs

What do they actually do

Beluga Labs makes a bookkeeping and tax automation tool for independent creators and freelancers. Users connect their bank and payout accounts, Beluga imports transactions, auto‑categorizes expenses for tax purposes, and generates tax‑ready books and estimated tax obligations so creators can plan quarterly payments and file more smoothly (website, YC profile).

For customers who want a hands‑off option, Beluga offers a managed bookkeeping tier that produces clean, tax‑ready reports tailored to creator income sources like platform payouts, brand deals, tips, and subscriptions (website, AllCreatorTools).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Independent content creators monetizing via platform payouts, tips, subscriptions, and brand deals: Income and transactions are split across many platforms, making categorization and deductions messy; this often leads to surprise quarterly tax bills and missed write‑offs (site and directory overviews).
• Freelance creators doing brand gigs and one‑off client work who are considering forming an entity or hiring contractors: They don’t know how to structure an entity or payroll to minimize taxes and stay compliant; current contractor payment and bookkeeping workflows are error‑prone (hiretop, LinkedIn).
• Small creator businesses (podcast teams, small studios, multi‑creator channels) paying teammates or contractors regularly: Running payroll, paying contractors, and offering benefits is manual and fragmented, forcing them to juggle multiple vendors and spreadsheets (hiretop).
• Creators who want to outsource bookkeeping and tax prep: Generic tools still require heavy manual work; they want a managed, tax‑ready service that hands off clean reports to an accountant (AllCreatorTools, website).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder‑led pilots via YC and creator networks with concierge onboarding (account connections, manual categorization) in exchange for feedback and testimonials; convert pilot users to paid or managed plans (YC profile, website, AllCreatorTools).
• First 50: Seed communities with webinars and creator‑specific tax guides/estimators; list in creator tool directories and co‑sell with a few creator‑focused accountants/bookkeepers who can refer clients (website, AllCreatorTools, hiretop).
• First 100: Ship direct integrations for major payout sources (e.g., Stripe/PayPal/Patreon/YouTube), partner with creator agencies/talent managers and payroll vendors, and scale referrals/affiliates and lightweight paid content campaigns using early case studies (website, hiretop, Business Insider).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Depending on scope, the addressable creator base ranges from roughly 2 million professional creators to about 50 million monetizing creators globally, a commonly cited figure in creator‑economy overviews (SignalFire).

Bottom-up calculation:

Using price anchors of $120/year for self‑serve bookkeeping (QuickBooks Solopreneur) and ~$4,788/year for managed bookkeeping (Bench), the 2M professional creators imply ~$0.24B–$9.6B; an 80/20 mix yields ~$2.1B. Extending the same anchors to 50M creators implies ~$6B–$239B; an 80/20 mix yields ~$52.7B (QuickBooks Solopreneur, Bench pricing).

Assumptions:

• Professional creators ≈ 2M; monetizing creators ≈ 50M (do not double‑count with broader freelancer figures).
• Price anchors: $120/year self‑serve (QuickBooks Solopreneur) and ~$4,788/year managed (Bench).
• Example mix: 80% self‑serve / 20% managed to reflect price sensitivity and limited appetite for full‑service.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• QuickBooks Solopreneur: Low‑cost bookkeeping and tax estimates for self‑employed individuals; a default choice for many freelancers and a baseline self‑serve alternative.
• Keeper: Tax filing and write‑off tracking for 1099 workers that auto‑categorizes expenses; popular among creator‑adjacent freelancers.
• Collective: S‑Corp formation, bookkeeping, payroll, and taxes for solo businesses; overlaps with Beluga’s roadmap on entity setup and managed back‑office.
• Bench: Managed bookkeeping with tax prep; a higher‑touch alternative for customers who prefer human‑in‑the‑loop services.
• Found: Banking plus expense tracking and tax automations for self‑employed users; competes on integrated money management and tax features.