Creator Co-Investment
Scale your opportunity.
Preserve your capital.
Keep ownership.
Ballast Ventures invests its own capital alongside established Amazon creators. In a seasonal window, we help fund a serious run at your next bonus tier. In steady months, we fund a proven ad set that tracks cleanly. Either way, you keep your business, and every term is signed before a dollar moves.
1The offer in one minute
Ballast puts capital behind what is already working.
Capital comes back to Ballast before anyone shares an upside, and Ballast only shares in the activity it funds. If you stop reading after this section, you have the whole idea.
What Ballast brings
Its own capital, and a second read on your numbers.
Typically $5,000–$10,000 of Meta ad spend per approved opportunity, from Ballast's own balance sheet. Diligence looks at your tier gap, pacing and marginal efficiency, and we walk you through what it shows.
What you bring
Measurable Amazon performance.
Paid media already running, dated evidence of how it has performed, and read-only access so Ballast can verify the numbers.
What stays yours
Your business, entirely.
Ownership of your business, audience, content, brand and accounts. No equity, no interest, no personal guarantee, and no say over what you post.
Seasonality decides which of two structures applies.
Every opportunity uses one structure, never both. The calendar decides first; tracking decides second.
October to December, and the Prime Day month
Bonus Participation
- Ballast funds a push toward a higher Amazon bonus tier.
- Amazon commissions received during the agreed period repay the capital Ballast actually deployed, and repayment stops the moment it is whole.
- You keep 100% of your Tier 1 bonus.
- Ballast shares only in the extra bonus above Tier 1, and only if a higher tier is reached and paid.
Every other month, when the ad set tracks cleanly
Ad-Set Participation
- Ballast funds one proven ad set, measured on its own Amazon tracking ID.
- Commission from that tracking ID returns Ballast's capital first, then any capital you chose to add.
- The profit left over is split on agreed terms, with the majority to you.
- Your bonus and everything outside that tracking ID stay entirely yours.
Neither fits? A steady period without clean ad-set tracking goes to manual review and is currently ineligible. It does not quietly become Bonus Participation.
True under both structures
- No equity
- No interest
- No personal guarantee
- No control over your content
- Capital is returned before any upside is shared
- Every term is signed before capital moves
2Where the risk sits
If Ballast's capital doesn't come back, you don't personally make up the shortfall.
Ballast participates in what Ballast funds, not in everything you've built. Its reach is defined in writing before capital moves, and it ends where the agreement says it ends.
If the funded activity doesn't return all of Ballast's capital through the agreed mechanism, the difference is Ballast's investment loss. Under the proposed structure it is not your personal debt.
- Capital deployed
- $8,000
- Capital returned
- $5,000
- Unrecovered
- $3,000
Ballast's investment loss, not your personal debt.
Under Bonus Participation, a shortfall means all Amazon commissions received during the agreed period came in below deployed capital.
Under Ad-Set Participation, a shortfall means the tracking ID's attributed commission came in below deployed capital.
- No personal guarantee
- No interest
- No equity
- No claim on brand deals, other income or personal assets
Go deeperThe protections, itemised, and exactly what Ballast can reachThe two structures reach different things. Here is the precise boundary for each.
- No personal guaranteeYou do not personally stand behind Ballast's investment under either structure.
- Unrecovered capital is Ballast's lossAny capital that isn't returned through the agreed mechanism stays unrecovered. It is not described or treated as personal debt unless a signed agreement expressly says so, and the proposed structure does not.
- Bonus Participation reaches two things, both cappedAmazon commissions you receive during the agreed period, only until Ballast's deployed capital is repaid. And the agreed share of the cash bonus above Tier 1, only if Tier 2 or higher is reached and paid.
- Ad-Set Participation reaches one thingCommission reported by the dedicated tracking ID for the funded ad set. Your other links, your organic commissions and your bonus are outside it by construction.
- Never in reachBrand partnerships, other affiliate income, your business assets and your personal assets. Ballast takes no equity and no ownership of your audience, brand, content or accounts.
- Co-investing is optionalUnder Ad-Set Participation you may add your own capital to the funded ad set, but you are not required to. Capital you add is returned after Ballast's, so it can come back short.
3Your path
The calendar decides the structure.
Amazon's high seasons are the fourth quarter and Prime Day. Everything else is non-seasonal.
- JanNon-seasonal
- FebNon-seasonal
- MarNon-seasonal
- AprNon-seasonal
- MayNon-seasonal
- JunSeasonal if Prime Day
- JulSeasonal if Prime Day
- AugNon-seasonal
- SepNon-seasonal
- OctSeasonal
- NovSeasonal
- DecSeasonal
No clean tracking in a non-seasonal month? That goes to manual review and is currently ineligible. It does not become Bonus Participation.
Go deeperThe two structures, side by sideWhat each one funds, what repays capital, what is shared and what is never touched.
| Feature | Bonus Participation | Ad-Set Participation |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | October, November, December and the Prime Day month | Every other month, with clean ad-set tracking |
| Ballast funds | A push toward a higher bonus tier | One proven ad set |
| Measurement boundary | The agreed period | One dedicated tracking ID |
| What repays capital | All Amazon commissions received during the agreed period | Attributed commission on that tracking ID |
| Repayment cap | The capital Ballast actually deploys | Ballast's capital first, then any creator capital |
| Upside shared | The incremental bonus above Tier 1 | The remaining profit from the funded ad set |
| Untouched | Your Tier 1 bonus, and every commission after capital is whole | Your bonus and all activity outside the tracking ID |
| Evidence needed | Your tier table and dated Amazon history | A tracking ID plus three complete months of history |
| End point | The agreed period, then settlement | The agreed run, then settlement |
4Bonus Participation, for highly seasonal windows
Fund the push. Keep Tier 1. Share only what the push adds.
Ballast supplies approved ad capital for a seasonal run at a higher bonus tier. Commissions repay that capital and then stop. Tier 1 is always yours.
- Ballast deploys capital
The approved advertising amount, put to work during the agreed period.
- Commissions repay it
Amazon commissions received during the period repay the deployed capital, dollar for dollar.
- Repayment stops
Once the deployed capital is whole, every later commission stays with you.
- Only the added bonus is shared
Tier 1 is set aside for you first. Only the cash bonus above it is split.
Strong period: $12,000 of commissions received
Weak period: $5,000 of commissions received
- Commissions returning Ballast's deployed capital
- Stays with you
- Shortfall: Ballast's investment loss
One difference from Ad-Set Participation, stated plainly.Here, the repayment covers all Amazon commissions you receive during the agreed period, not only commissions from the funded ads. It is capped at the capital Ballast actually deployed, and it ends when the period ends.
- Tier 1: always yours
- Your part of the incremental bonus
- Ballast's part of the incremental bonus
Ballast participates only in the incremental bonus above Tier 1, and only if the higher tier is reached and paid. You always keep more at a higher tier.
Ballast receives nothing from the bonus unless Tier 2 or higher is reached and paid. Shares are agreed in writing for each opportunity; the figures above are the current proposed terms.
Go deeperHow the repayment and the bonus split actually runWhat counts as capital, when repayment stops, what happens if commissions fall short, and the two numbers we never mix.
Repayment is measured against what Ballast actually spent on your ads, not the approved maximum.
All Amazon commissions received during the agreed period are applied to repayment, dollar for dollar, until deployed capital is whole.
The moment the deployed amount is repaid, repayment stops. Later commissions stay with you unless the signed terms say otherwise.
If the period's commissions don't cover the capital, the difference is Unrecovered Capital. It is not personal debt under the proposed structure.
At Tier 2 or higher, your Tier 1 cash bonus is subtracted exactly once. Only what remains, the Incremental Bonus Pool, is shared.
Ballast's share applies only to a higher-tier bonus that is actually paid. Qualifying on paper is not enough.
Two numbers we never mix.Every bonus program has a Revenue Required for Tier, the sales you need to qualify, and a separate Cash Bonus Paid at Tier, the money you receive. They are always recorded, shown and calculated as different values. A threshold is never treated as a payout.
Before any run, we ask for a screenshot of your program's tier table plus the thresholds, payouts, qualification dates and payment dates written out. The screenshot is kept as your evidence; the calculation uses the written-out values, checked against it.
Full detailA worked example, from capital to bonusA hypothetical tier table, the repayment in a strong and a weak period, and the bonus split at every tier.
The hypothetical tier table
Invented for illustration. Your program's real tiers come from your own screenshot.
| Tier | Revenue Required for Tier | Cash Bonus Paid at Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $150,000 shipped revenue | $2,000 |
| Tier 2 | $250,000 shipped revenue | $5,000 |
| Tier 3 | $400,000 shipped revenue | $9,000 |
Step one: the capital repayment
Illustrative example. Ballast deploys $8,000. Two ways the period could go.
| Strong period | Weak period | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Deployed | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Amazon commissions received in the period | $12,000 | $5,000 |
| Capital Reimbursed From Amazon Commissions | $8,000 | $5,000 |
| Commissions that stay with you | $4,000 | $0 |
| Unrecovered Capital | $0 | $3,000 |
Step two: the bonus split at each outcome
| No tier reached | Tier 1 reached | Tier 2 reached | Tier 3 reached | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual Cash Bonus | $0 | $2,000 | $5,000 | $9,000 |
| Creator's Protected Tier 1 Bonus | n/a | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Incremental Bonus Pool | $0 | $0 | $3,000 | $7,000 |
| Ballast share of the pool | n/a | n/a | ||
| Ballast Ventures Bonus Share | $0 | $0 | $1,500 | $3,500 |
| Creator Bonus Share (of the pool) | $0 | $0 | $1,500 | $3,500 |
| Total bonus you keep | $0 | $2,000 | $3,500 | $5,500 |
Hypothetical figures for illustration only, at the current proposed rates. They assume the bonus is paid in full and ignore timing differences, returns, cancellations, fees and later clawbacks, whose treatment is defined in the final agreement. Reaching any tier is never guaranteed, and projected results are not promised returns.
5Ad-Set Participation, for steady periods
One funded ad set. One dedicated code. One clean ledger.
Ballast funds a proven ad set, and participates only in what that ad set's own tracking ID reports. Your bonus is not touched.
- Capital is deployed
Ballast's capital, plus any you choose to add, funds one approved ad set.
- One code records it
A dedicated Amazon Associates tracking ID captures everything the funded ad set earns.
- Capital comes back
Ballast's capital is returned first. If you co-invested, yours is returned second.
- Then profit is split
Only what remains is shared, on terms agreed in writing, with the majority to you.
One approved ad setOne dedicated tracking IDAttributed commission
Nothing else enters the ledger: not your bonus, organic links, other ad sets or unrelated activity.
- Ballast's capital returned, first
- Your co-investment returned, second
- Agreed creator majority
- Agreed Ballast minority
Split agreed per opportunity; proportions illustrative. Your bonus and everything outside this tracking ID stay entirely yours.
What an ad set needs to qualify
A steady period
The proposed funding window is not highly seasonal, supported by dated evidence.
Its own tracking ID
The ad set already runs on a unique ID that measures only its activity, never shared with organic links or other campaigns.
Three complete months
At least three full, dated months of reliable history on that ID: spend, attributed shipped revenue, commission or margin, and refunds.
That history proves the ad set can be measured. The funded run itself then gets a fresh, dedicated tracking ID, so the ledger starts clean on day one. You do not need to put your own money in; Ballast can fund the ad set alone. The split of the remaining profit is set per opportunity, because it depends on how much capital each side commits, how much history the ad set has and how much room it has to scale.
Go deeperThe operating sequence, and what must be true before capital movesTwo clocks, five conditions, and six steps from a new code to final settlement.
Two different clocks
The ad set is funded through month end. Reporting stays open far longer, so commission that posts late, reversals and adjustments are all settled.
Five conditions, all true before a dollar is deployed
- The dedicated tracking ID for the funded ad set is created.
- The tracked link is live in the running ad, verified by Ballast through platform access or the agreed reporting tools. Screenshots and self-attestation are not accepted for this step.
- Reporting access on the tracking ID is granted in the platform, not promised.
- Written confirmation that the tracking ID is used for Ballast-funded activity only, or an explicit allocation rule if funding is mixed.
- Meta ad account spend visibility is in place.
The operating sequence
A new tracking ID for the funded run only, separate from the ID that carried the ad set's history, and never reused for organic links, another ad set or another co-investment.
Day 1 is the first full day the tracked link is live in the running ad, not the wire date.
Funded activity stops and the tracked link comes down. Only commission on activity already inside the window continues to settle.
Daily pulls from Associates Central across the window, so the ledger reflects actual daily production, not a pro-rata slice of a monthly total.
The code exists only for the funded ad set, so there is no attribution window to negotiate. Untracked account activity is never included.
Ballast's capital first, any capital of yours second, then the agreed split. Reporting stays open 240 days past month end for the final settlement.
Full detailFour cases, followed all the way throughA baseline where you fund none of it, three co-investment cases, every figure in a table, and the return each case must clear before any profit exists.
Same waterfall every time. All four assume the dedicated code reports commission equal to 2.0 times the capital deployed, and all four stop at the profit pool, because how that pool is divided is agreed per opportunity.
Baseline: you fund none
- Attributed commission $16,000
- Ballast capital $8,000 returned first
- No capital of yours in the ad set
- Profit pool $8,000, split as agreed
Case A: code live Day 1
- Attributed commission $32,000
- Ballast capital $8,000 returned first
- Your capital $8,000 returned second
- Profit pool $16,000, split as agreed
Case B: code live Day 15
- Attributed commission $24,000
- Ballast capital $8,000 returned first
- Your capital $4,000 returned second
- Profit pool $12,000, split as agreed
Case C: code live Day 8
- Attributed commission $22,000
- Ballast capital $8,000 returned first
- Your capital $3,000 returned second
- Profit pool $11,000, split as agreed
- Ballast's capital returned, first
- Your capital returned, second
- Agreed creator majority
- Agreed Ballast minority
Split agreed per opportunity; proportions illustrative.
Every number, in one table
| Baseline | Case A | Case B | Case C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code goes live | Day 1 | Day 1 | Day 15 | Day 8 |
| Days live | 30 | 30 | 16 | 23 |
| Your capital | $0 | $8,000 | $4,000 | $3,000 |
| Ballast capital | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Daily spend (yours + Ballast's) | $0 + $267 | $267 + $267 | $250 + $500 | $130 + $348 |
| Commission the code reports | $16,000 | $32,000 | $24,000 | $22,000 |
| 1. Returns Ballast's capital | −$8,000 | −$8,000 | −$8,000 | −$8,000 |
| 2. Returns your capital | n/a | −$8,000 | −$4,000 | −$3,000 |
| 3. Profit remaining, shared under the agreed split | $8,000 | $16,000 | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Ballast whole once the code reports | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| You are whole once the code reports | n/a | $16,000 | $12,000 | $11,000 |
What has to come back
The commission return on ad spend (CROAS) at which each case moves from loss into profit. The thresholds are set by the capital split, not the profit split.
The dedicated code removes the hardest question. There is no "was this sale mine or ours?" Everything the code reports runs through one sequence, and everything on your other links stays yours by construction.
Co-investing is a choice, not a condition. In the baseline nothing of yours is at risk. Co-investing buys a bigger ad set and a bigger profit pool, at the cost of capital that can fail to come back.
Order of repayment is the term that matters most. Every case needs the same 1.00× to return all capital. The more you co-invest, the earlier Ballast is made whole, and the wider the band where you carry the loss alone. That band is the real price of co-investing, and it is worth pricing before you agree to it.
A later start compresses spend. Case B deploys the same $8,000 of Ballast capital in 16 days instead of 30. Whether the ad set absorbs that as efficiently is what diligence is for.
Illustrative examples only. The approved ad set, dedicated tracking ID, Funding Date, reporting timezone, funded window, 240-day reporting period, qualifying capital, commission fields, adjustments, repayment priority, profit share and settlement timing are defined in the final executed agreement, which controls if it differs from this page. Past campaign performance does not guarantee future results.
6Who it's for
Proven performance is the prerequisite.
Ballast reviews actual results rather than a headline average: consistency, volatility, marginal efficiency, attribution quality, available scale, timing, seasonality and downside. The goal is to fund activity with enough evidence to justify putting more capital at risk.
Not every creator qualifies, and not every ad set qualifies. A tier deadline does not override investment discipline.
Make a serious run at the next tier
In a seasonal window, where your pacing suggests added spend could carry you over the line.
Scale a proven ad set
Where steady, tracked performance suggests room to run.
Extend a strong campaign
Keep efficient spend working longer when the data supports it.
You do not need to be short on cash.
Creator Co-Investment can make sense for a creator with $200,000 available and for one with far less. The question is how the next increment of risk is allocated, not what is in the account.
A higher Amazon bonus tier may be a reason to scale. It does not guarantee investment, continued spending or tier attainment. The right target is the highest tier that makes economic sense for your actual numbers, not the highest one on the page.
7How it works
Four steps, operator to operator.
Share your performance
Confidentiality protections first, then read-only access to the relevant Amazon and advertising data.
Settle the structure
The months you want to fund set the path: Bonus Participation, Ad-Set Participation or manual review. You confirm it.
Agree it in writing
Capital, funding pace, dates, tracking, repayment, shares and settlement are signed before any capital moves.
Make the run
Capital deploys at the agreed pace: upfront, weekly or gated on performance. Settlement follows the signed terms.
Go deeperWhat we'll ask you for, and what "read-only" meansDated evidence rather than unlabeled snapshots. Every figure needs a source and an as-of date.
You and the request
- Creator and business identity
- Ad manager name and contact
- Requested amount
- Exact start and end dates
- Funding pace: upfront, weekly or performance-gated
Current performance
- Total ad spend
- Shipped revenue
- Amazon commissions
- Bonus program name
- Source and date for every figure
Amazon Associates comparisons
- Year to date, and prior-year year to date
- Quarter to date, and the same prior-year quarter
- Prior-year Sep–Nov, Oct–Dec and Nov–Jan
- Exact dates on every period; no unlabeled "last year"
Funding window
- The exact months you want funded
- For June or July, confirmation that Prime Day falls in that month
- The comparable prior-year period
Bonus evidence
- A screenshot of your tier table
- Revenue Required for each tier
- Cash Bonus Paid at each tier
- Qualification and payment dates
Ad-set evidence
- The unique tracking ID for each ad set
- Three complete monthly rows per ID
- Spend, attributed shipped revenue, commission or margin, refunds
- Confirmation the ID measures only that ad set
Screenshots are welcome, and are recorded as evidence you supplied rather than machine-verified data. Where exports are available, we ask for those too. Missing numbers stay missing; they are never assumed to be zero.
Read-only means read-only
- Mutual confidentiality protections in place first
- Read-only Amazon Associates access
- Read-only advertising account visibility
- Ongoing reporting sufficient to calculate the agreed economics, and nothing beyond that
Full detailThe terms we use, defined, and what is settled in writingThe same labels appear in every term sheet and settlement report, so a number means one thing everywhere.
| Term | Meaning | Guardrail |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Deployed | Advertising funds Ballast actually put to work | Not the approved or requested maximum |
| Capital Reimbursed From Amazon Commissions | Commission applied dollar for dollar to Capital Deployed (Bonus Participation) | Can never exceed Capital Deployed |
| Unrecovered Capital | Capital Deployed minus Capital Reimbursed | Not personal debt by default |
| Revenue Required for Tier | The sales threshold to qualify for a tier | Never treated as a cash payout |
| Cash Bonus Paid at Tier | The money a tier pays | Recorded separately from the threshold |
| Actual Cash Bonus | The cash bonus actually earned and paid | Ballast shares only if Tier 2 or higher is paid |
| Creator's Protected Tier 1 Bonus | The Tier 1 cash bonus, kept by the creator in full | Subtracted exactly once |
| Incremental Bonus Pool | Actual Cash Bonus minus the protected Tier 1 bonus | Zero below Tier 2 |
| Ballast Ventures Bonus Share | The agreed percentage of the Incremental Bonus Pool | With the Creator Bonus Share, adds up to the pool exactly |
| Creator Bonus Share | The rest of the Incremental Bonus Pool | Paid in addition to the protected Tier 1 bonus |
Settled in writing before capital moves
- The structure and why it applies: Bonus or Ad-Set Participation, and the seasonality evidence behind it.
- The capital: how much each side contributes, the funding pace, and the mechanism it deploys through.
- The clock: Funding Date, reporting timezone, the participation period, and any reporting tail.
- The tracking: the bonus program and tier evidence, or the dedicated tracking ID and the access granted on it.
- The waterfall and the shares: repayment order, the agreed percentages, and how late commissions, returns, cancellations and clawbacks are treated.
- Settlement: how and when money actually moves.
8Behind Ballast
Built from operator experience.
Oscar Barbarin is the Founder and General Partner of Ballast Ventures LLC. He founded ARMR, an Amazon marketplace agency, ran it for more than a decade and sold it in 2024. Before that, he worked at Amazon, where he launched health and personal care for Amazon Canada. He studied industrial and operations engineering at the University of Michigan and holds an MBA from Chicago Booth. Ballast Ventures is an independent venture, and the capital it puts at risk is its own.
9Questions, answered plainly
The things creators ask first.
The two structures
Which months count as seasonal?
October, November and December, plus the month Prime Day falls in, which is June or July depending on the year. Those use Bonus Participation. Every other month is non-seasonal and uses Ad-Set Participation, but only when every proposed ad set has its own tracking ID and at least three complete months of reliable history. You then confirm the structure in writing.
What if I want to fund a non-seasonal month but my tracking isn't clean?
It goes to manual review and is currently ineligible. It does not automatically become Bonus Participation. Setting up a unique tracking ID now starts the three-month history clock.
Does Ballast take a share of my bonus?
Under Ad-Set Participation, no. Under Bonus Participation, your Tier 1 bonus is always 100% yours. Ballast takes a flat of the incremental bonus above Tier 1, at every higher tier, and only if that higher tier is reached and paid.
Why does the Bonus path use all my commissions?
A seasonal push lifts your whole account, not one ad set, so repayment draws on all Amazon commissions you receive during the agreed period. It is capped at the capital Ballast actually deployed and stops the moment that is repaid. Everything after that, and everything after the period ends, is yours.
Risk and repayment
What if commissions don't repay Ballast's capital?
The difference is Unrecovered Capital, and it is Ballast's loss. Under the proposed structure it is not your personal debt, and Ballast has no claim on unrelated revenue, business assets or personal assets.
Do I personally guarantee Ballast's investment?
No. There is no personal guarantee under either structure.
Do I have to put my own money in?
No. Under Ad-Set Participation, Ballast can fund the approved ad set alone. If you choose to co-invest, your capital is returned after Ballast's, so it can come back short, or not at all, if the ad set underperforms.
Is this a loan?
Ballast puts its own capital into defined advertising activity and receives first-priority return of that capital from the agreed source, then shares in upside on agreed terms. There is no interest, no personal guarantee, no traditional consumer credit check and no equity. This page makes no legal classification of the structure in either direction.
Ownership and control
Does Ballast take equity in my business?
No.
Do you control my content?
No. Ballast's investment conveys no ownership of your audience, brand, content or accounts, and no say over what you post.
Fit and diligence
How much does Ballast typically invest?
Approximately $5,000–$10,000 of Meta advertising spend per approved opportunity, subject to diligence.
What counts as three complete months?
Three full, dated calendar months on the same unique tracking ID, each with spend, attributed shipped revenue, commission or margin, and refunds or returns. A partial month or a blended total-account figure does not count.
Do I need to already be running paid ads?
Yes. That is the real prerequisite. Ballast underwrites a track record, not a plan.
Tracking and settlement
How is commission attributed under Ad-Set Participation?
The funded ad set uses its own dedicated Amazon Associates tracking ID from the Funding Date through month end, so everything that code reports belongs to the funded activity. Ballast keeps reporting access for 240 days so commission, reversals and adjustments that post later still settle.
What happens after Ballast's capital is repaid under Bonus Participation?
Repayment stops, and every later commission is yours. Ballast's only remaining participation is its agreed share of the incremental bonus above Tier 1, if a higher tier is reached and paid.
Already have something that's working? Let's look at the numbers.
Bring your dates and evidence. We'll settle the structure together, walk through the economics, and put every term in writing before capital moves.
Start a confidential conversation