TPThe Plate Financial Model
Media/Gaming Startup Financials (Free Excel Download)
B2B2C SaaS platform enabling culinary creators (chefs, food editors, cookbook authors) to monetize their social following via subscription communities
professionals from Deloitte
Used by professionals from
About this model
The Plate gives culinary creators subscriptions for fans to access recipes, on-demand video, live cooking sessions, Q&As, group chats, and playlists. The product is designed to convert followers from Instagram into a freemium or premium creator community, combining recurring income with fan interaction.
Pricing is €6 per month for the lower tier and €12 for premium access. Fans pay for individual creator subscriptions and The Plate appears to take a platform cut, although the research does not disclose the fee, payment processing, creator payout, or a brand revenue line.
Four creators were live, with Instagram followings ranging from 4,000 to 33,000. The illustrative funnel assumes 20,000 followers can yield 200 subscribers, or 1% conversion. The model should track creator onboarding, follower reach, free-to-paid conversion, tier mix, churn, creator payouts, platform take rate, and community-support costs.
A turnkey financial model
Live formulas, no hardcoded values
Outputs are driven by live formulas, so the workbook updates from its assumptions instead of relying on hardcoded results.
All assumptions in one tab
Inputs are clearly marked in the Assumptions tab and separated from calculations, making it clear what to change and what to leave intact.
Statements always balancing
For integrated-statement models, the balance sheet, cash flow, and supporting schedules tie through properly.
Distinct schedules for clarity
Debt, working capital, taxes, and cash flow can get messy quickly. We group calculations in clear schedules, not across disconnected tabs.
No hidden macros or external links
There are no unexplained external workbook links or macros to undermine auditability or portability.
Changes flow through the model
Update a key driver and see the impact carry through the forecast, financing, and return outputs. We never use hardcoded numbers in formulas.
About The Plate
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How to build a detailed financial model for The Plate
A complete walkthrough of the business, drivers, and assumptions behind the downloadable The Plate model - distilled from its pitch deck and publicly available information.
Product & value proposition
Platform gives culinary creators three monetization pillars:
- Monthly income: Creator hosts a subscription page; fans subscribe on freemium or premium plan
- Community interaction: Live culinary sessions (cooking demos, Q&As) with subscribers
- Creative outlet / multimedia: On-demand video, recipe posts, group chats, hosting playlists
Acquisition funnel: creator promotes on Instagram → followers visit The Plate landing page → join freemium (free tier) or premium (paid tier)
Revenue model
- Freemium / Premium subscription tiers per creator page
- Pricing visible on creator page mockup: €6/month (free/base tier label partially visible) and €12/month (premium)
- Platform model appears to be: fans pay the creator's subscription; The Plate likely takes a platform cut
- Channels: Instagram organic (primary discovery), direct landing page
Traction & metrics
- 4 creators live on platform, launched between Dec and Feb:
- Cemre Torun: 23k IG followers; launched Feb
- Victoire Loup: 33k IG followers; launched Feb
- Dominik Hartmann: 4k IG followers; launched Dec
- Xanthe Gladstone: 12k IG followers; launched Jan
- Illustrative conversion benchmark used in deck: 20,000 followers → 200 subscribers = 1% conversion rate
- No revenue, MRR, or subscriber count figures disclosed
Unit economics
- Implied illustrative unit economics from funnel slide:
- Follower-to-subscriber conversion: 1%
- Example creator with 20k followers → ~200 subscribers
- At €12/month premium → ~€2,400/month gross per creator at 200 subs (all premium)
Competition / moat
- Implied moat: curated high-credential creator roster (Michelin-starred chefs, Vogue editors, TheWorld's50Best Chair); niche culinary vertical vs. generic creator platforms (Patreon, Substack, OnlyFans)
Team & funding ask / use of funds
- Founders: Isabell Weiser, Nadine Erk
- No bios, backgrounds, or LinkedIn info shown
Recommended financial model
- Archetype + why: Creator-economy marketplace / SaaS - two-sided model tracking (a) creator supply and (b) fan subscriber demand per creator. Revenue = platform take-rate × aggregate fan subscription GMV. Best modelled as a GMV/take-rate model with cohort-based creator and subscriber growth, similar to a vertical marketplace.
- Forecast horizon & granularity: 3 years monthly; Year 1 focus on creator onboarding and per-creator subscriber ramp
- Key drivers & assumptions:
- Number of active creators on platform
- Average IG followers per creator
- Follower-to-subscriber conversion rate
- Free-to-premium mix
- Premium monthly price per fan
- Freemium price
- Platform take-rate
- Monthly subscriber churn per creator
- Creator churn / inactivity rate
- Scenarios (Base / Bull / Bear - which variables flex):
- Bear: Conversion 0.5%, premium mix 15%, 2 new creators/month
- Base: Conversion 1%, premium mix 30%, 4 new creators/month
- Bull: Conversion 2%, premium mix 45%, 8 new creators/month
- Required sheets / outputs:
- Assumptions (all drivers above)
- Creator Cohorts (new creators per month × ramp curve)
- Subscriber Model (followers × conversion × free/premium split × churn)
- GMV & Revenue (gross subscription GMV, platform take)
- P&L (revenue, estimated COGS/hosting, gross margin, opex placeholders)
- Dashboard (creator count, total subscribers, MRR, GMV, take-rate revenue)
Frequently asked
Is the The Plate financial model free?+
Yes. The The Plate model is a free Excel (.xlsx) download with live formulas. Sign up with your email and the workbook is yours to keep, review, and edit.
What's included in the model?+
A 5-year monthly forecast with P&L, cash flow and runway, valuation (exit multiple plus a DCF cross-check), MOIC/IRR returns, and unit economics, with live formulas throughout.
How was this model built?+
It was built from The Plate's pitch deck and publicly available information, then structured to investment-banking standards as a fully editable Excel model.
Can I change the assumptions?+
Yes. You can change assumptions and the live formulas will recalculate in the downloadable Excel model.
Have more financial modelling questions? Contact us
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