E30: Building a Marketplace with Laura Lalonde

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In this episode of the SaaS Operators, we sat down with Laura Lalonde, founder and CEO of Gridbank. Laura led creative at a Montreal gaming company spending millions a month on performance ads. After shipping hundreds of iterations across geos and languages, she saw one style win everywhere: videos that look like they were shot on a phone. Gridbank is her answer to that reality.

The problem

Performance ad accounts need volume and variety more than polish. Teams need authentic vertical video they can test now, not in weeks.

The insight

Everyone has a phone. Everyone has videos sitting on it. That is an untapped asset class. Turn it into a living library that advertisers can browse and download daily. Make it passive for creators so supply keeps flowing.

What Gridbank is

A marketplace and app for everyday, phone-shot video.

• Most popular plan: 790 dollars per quarter
• 120 downloads over 90 days to match typical campaign cycles
• Every download pays the creator instantly
• Payouts use a demand and scarcity algorithm so needed content earns more

It feels like stock, but real life and fast.

Why the H1 matters

Their H1 says the outcome: “All the content you need.” They tested lines. This one converts and stays clear as the product grows.

Say no to distractions

Requests for gigs, custom briefs, or photos come up often. They say no. Focus preserves the core value.

Pricing the marketplace

Pricing was the hardest problem.

• Supply anchor: public comps like Shutterstock and Getty give rough creator share. Gridbank set creator payouts above that baseline
• Demand reality: serious buyers do not need ten clips a month. They need hundreds of variations. Hence a quarterly plan with real volume

More downloads on a theme attract more uploads of that theme. Supply follows intent.

AI vs real content

This is not anti AI. It is pro paying people for what they make.

• Browsing a quality library beats prompting from zero for many teams
• Agencies protect reputation with real, rights clean footage
• Clear labeling matters. In media terms, the viewer should consent to the suspension of disbelief

In practice, new model launches have coincided with Gridbank growth. People still want fast, credible footage they can ship today.

What creators get

Dignified passive income. Upload what is already on your camera roll. No briefs. No edits. No deadlines. Top contributors are paying rent from royalties with an hour or two of effort a month. The algorithm protects consistent earners as the creator base grows.

What buyers get

• Real vertical video that fits feed behavior
• Speed from browse to download
• Lower reputational risk than uncanny AI artifacts
• Enough volume to actually test

Build notes for operators

• Match billing periods to the job. Campaigns run about a quarter. Align credits to that window
• Keep the headline tied to the outcome
• Close the loop. Feed search, hover, and download data back to creators to shape supply
• If you are non technical, live in Figma and over communicate with clarity
• Profitability with cash flow discipline is slower than VC but compounds into durability

The goal

Make uploading to Gridbank the default instinct after anyone records video on a phone. Everyone participates. Everyone gets paid. When that is obvious to the market, ring the bell.

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If you run ads and need volume without chaos, Gridbank is worth a look.