MTS Building for Gen Z Entrepreneurs, API-First Platforms, and Internet Businesses | Best Of 5/12/26
May 13, 2026
Steven Schwartz, founder of Whop, builds monetization and marketplace tools for internet entrepreneurs. He discusses acquiring Hidden Studios to scale ad distribution. He explains using payment flows to run ads instantly. He outlines an API-first platform powering diverse digital businesses. He talks about Gen Z’s demand for ultra-simple commerce and the central role of the financial layer.
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Early Internet Hustles Shaped WAP
- Steven Schwartz grew up building many internet businesses from games to sneaker bots and launched WAP during COVID to help people sell software and other digital products.
- That origin story explains WAP's focus on enabling creators to start businesses, accept payments, and monetize online quickly.
Ads Work Best When Coupled To Payment Flows
- WAP acquired Hidden Studios to give its tens of thousands of businesses direct ad distribution and a simpler ads UX integrated with payment flows.
- With WAP processing ~$350M/month, their unified money and customer data enables optimized ad loops across Meta and other platforms.
Reinvest Payment Dollars Instantly Into Ads
- Run ads immediately after getting paid so the same revenue can be reinvested into acquisition and auto-optimized into a growth loop.
- WAP's product makes this low-friction by combining money flows, millions of data points, and a cleaner UX for tens of thousands of businesses.