DreamRP

What do they actually do

DreamRP is a platform for creators and rights‑holders to turn their characters into chatbots that fans can chat with. It focuses on official, creator‑ or IP‑owner‑backed characters rather than unlicensed fan bots, with a revenue‑sharing model for rights owners (YC profile).

Today, creators can log in to draft and publish characters on DreamRP’s site and gate access behind paid subscriptions, with payments handled via Stripe and standard subscription terms (auto‑renewal, monthly billing, no refunds per policy) (Create, Terms of Service). Public chat pages indicate support for premium, creator‑specific subscriptions that unlock “premium characters” for fans (example chat page).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Established IP owners (authors, studios): Unofficial fan chatbots use their characters without permission, undermining control and brand; they lack a straightforward, compliant way to let fans interact while capturing revenue and protecting IP.
• Independent creators (webcomic authors, illustrators, small-game studios): They worry about backlash for using AI and don’t trust existing platforms; building a high‑quality character bot is tedious without easy creation tools.
• Fan-community operators / moderators: They can’t reliably surface canonical, high‑quality character experiences; unverified bots create inconsistent experiences that fragment engagement and can backfire during events.
• Creators who monetize audience interactions (Patreon-style creators, streamers): They need dependable ways to sell character interactions, but current options are piecemeal or rely on gray‑area IP; they also need discovery and low‑lift tools to keep experiences engaging.
• Paying fans who want authentic character chats: They want believable, consistent, creator‑approved characters and struggle to find trustworthy bots amid low‑quality knockoffs; they will pay for safe, higher‑quality experiences backed by the creator.

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

• First 10: Run hands‑on pilots with 8–10 indie creators and 1–2 mid‑sized IP contacts from founder networks, offering a free build and 90‑day revenue‑share trial with a co‑marketed launch and recorded walkthroughs (YC profile, Create).
• First 50: Turn the initial pilots into case studies and a referral program; recruit via fandom moderators, Discords, and Reddit, pairing each with a fixed‑scope paid “build sprint” to ship a working, permissioned character quickly (YC profile).
• First 100: Add integrations/co‑promotions with creator payment and streaming tools, publish licensing templates and a self‑serve onboarding playbook, and run targeted ads/sponsored community events to scale lower‑touch acquisition (YC profile).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

DreamRP sits at the overlap of three large markets: conversational AI (~$11.6B, 2024), the creator economy (~$205B, 2024), and IP/licensing (~$24.5B, 2024) (Conversational AI, Creator economy, IP licensing).

Bottom-up calculation:

As a planning anchor: if 5,000 creators each convert 200 paying fans at $5/month, and DreamRP takes a 20% fee, that implies roughly $12M in annual platform revenue (5,000 × 200 × $5 × 12 × 20%).

Assumptions:

• Creators can launch paid, subscription‑gated characters with pricing around $5/month and retainers are acceptable to fans.
• DreamRP maintains a ~20% take rate on gross fan payments (aligned with standard creator‑platform economics).
• A few thousand professional/indie creators are reachable near‑term via pilots, referrals, and creator communities.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Character.ai: Large consumer platform for creating and discovering conversational characters; default destination for many unofficial IP bots, competing on discovery, scale, and fan habit.
• OpenAI (Custom GPTs / GPT Store): ChatGPT’s GPT Store lets creators publish custom bots and earn revenue, offering a mainstream distribution alternative inside ChatGPT’s app (GPT Store).
• Inworld AI: Tools for lifelike NPCs and voice characters used by game/media teams; overlaps when studios want production‑quality, integrated interactive characters.
• CHAI: Mobile‑first platform for creator‑made conversational bots with social discovery and leaderboards; competes for creators seeking app‑based reach and community.
• NovelAI: Text‑focused writing platform with chat workflows and tools for character consistency; attracts independent creators crafting interactive text experiences.