YouTube channels owned or backed by outside capital
A running list of YouTube channels and creator brands with outside investors. Each entry is tagged by deal type — PE (private-equity acquisition or majority stake), VC (venture-capital growth round; creator keeps majority), or catalog licensing (firm licenses the back catalog; channel stays creator-owned). Sources are linked on every entry.
36 channels · 11 firms
Cocomelon
youtube.com/@CoComelon ↗Owned by Moonbug Entertainment, which was acquired in November 2021 for ~$3B by Candle Media, a Blackstone-backed venture led by ex-Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug had itself bought the Cocomelon IP in July 2020 for $120M.
Blippi
youtube.com/@Blippi ↗Part of the Moonbug Entertainment portfolio acquired in the November 2021 Candle Media / Blackstone $3B deal. Blippi IP was bought by Moonbug in 2020 from creator Stevin John.
Little Baby Bum
youtube.com/@LittleBabyBumSingalongs ↗Founding property of Moonbug Entertainment. Rolled into the Candle Media / Blackstone portfolio in November 2021.
Veritasium
youtube.com/@veritasium ↗In May 2023 Electrify Video Partners (a London creator-economy investment firm backed by CapitalD) completed a majority investment in Derek Muller’s Veritasium business.
Fireship
youtube.com/@Fireship ↗Electrify Video Partners partnered with Fireship founder Jeff Delaney in 2024 to develop new content and expand the Fireship brand across platforms.
Simple History
youtube.com/@SimpleHistory ↗One of the channels Electrify Video Partners invested in between 2023 and 2024 as part of its informative/educational creator portfolio.
Mentour Pilot
youtube.com/@MentourPilot ↗Aviation channel by Petter Hörnfeldt. Part of the Electrify Video Partners creator portfolio.
Mentour Now!
youtube.com/@MentourNow ↗Sister channel to Mentour Pilot. Part of the Electrify Video Partners portfolio.
Astrum
youtube.com/@AstrumSpace ↗Space & astronomy channel. Listed in the Electrify Video Partners creator portfolio.
fern
youtube.com/@fernTV ↗Mini-documentary channel. Part of the Electrify Video Partners creator portfolio.
Simplicissimus
youtube.com/@Simplicissimus ↗German explainer channel. Acquired by Electrify Video Partners — the deal drew debate in German media about PE ownership of creator brands.
Improvement Pill
youtube.com/@ImprovementPill ↗Self-improvement animation channel. Listed in the Electrify Video Partners creator portfolio.
The Game Theorists
youtube.com/@GameTheory ↗In December 2022 Matthew "MatPat" Patrick and Stephanie Patrick sold the majority of Theorist Media — including The Game Theorists, The Film Theorists, The Food Theorists and GTLive — to Berlin-based investor Lunar X.
The Film Theorists
youtube.com/@FilmTheory ↗Part of Theorist Media, acquired by Lunar X in December 2022.
The Food Theorists
youtube.com/@FoodTheory ↗Part of Theorist Media, acquired by Lunar X in December 2022.
The Style Theorists
youtube.com/@StyleTheory ↗Fourth Theorist channel, operating under Lunar X-owned Theorist Media.
GTLive
youtube.com/@GTLive ↗Live-stream arm of Theorist Media, included in the Lunar X acquisition.
Economics Explained
youtube.com/@EconomicsExplained ↗Economics commentary channel acquired by Lunar X as part of its roll-up of informative YouTube brands.
Donut Media
youtube.com/@donut ↗Largest automotive brand on YouTube at the time of the deal. Acquired by digital-media roll-up Recurrent Ventures in November 2021, joining The Drive and Car Bibles.
The Drive
youtube.com/@TheDriveYT ↗Automotive media property owned by Recurrent Ventures, now part of the same portfolio as Donut Media and Car Bibles.
Task & Purpose
youtube.com/@TaskPurpose ↗Military-focused channel; part of the Recurrent Ventures digital-media portfolio.
Dude Perfect
youtube.com/@DudePerfect ↗In April 2024 Dude Perfect took a nine-figure growth investment from private-equity firm Highmount Capital — reported at between $100M and $300M, one of the largest creator-led infusions on record.
Real Stories
youtube.com/@RealStories ↗Long-form documentaries channel operated by Little Dot Studios, a UK-based digital studio owned by All3Media.
Real Crime
youtube.com/@RealCrime ↗True-crime documentary channel in the Little Dot Studios / All3Media network.
History Hit
youtube.com/@HistoryHit ↗History channel founded by Dan Snow, distributed through Little Dot Studios (All3Media).
REACT
youtube.com/@React ↗The REACT channels (originally by the Fine Brothers) are operated by UK-based creator-investment firm Electric Monster.
Kids Learning Tube
youtube.com/@KidsLearningTube ↗Educational kids channel within the Electric Monster portfolio.
MrBeast
youtube.com/@MrBeast ↗Jimmy Donaldson still controls his holding company Beast Industries (parent of the flagship MrBeast channel and Feastables) with a majority ownership stake. In 2024 the business raised a ~$300M Series C led by VC firm Alpha Wave Global; a follow-on round in late 2025 targeted a ~$5B valuation.
Colin & Samir
youtube.com/@ColinandSamir ↗Took funding from Spotter, whose model is catalog licensing — a lump-sum payment in exchange for long-term ad-revenue rights on the creator’s existing videos. The channel itself remains creator-owned; Spotter earns from the back-catalog revenue stream, not equity.
Like Nastya
youtube.com/@LikeNastya ↗One of the largest Spotter catalog clients. Anastasia Radzinskaya’s English-language channel has 100M+ subscribers; Spotter licensed her video back-catalog for an upfront payment while the channel stays under Radzinskaya family ownership. Named alongside MrBeast and Dude Perfect as a flagship Spotter client.
The Try Guys
youtube.com/@TryGuys ↗After leaving BuzzFeed in 2018 as the independent 2nd Try LLC, the Try Guys licensed their YouTube back-catalog to Spotter. 2nd Try continues to own and operate the channel and Second Try streaming service; Spotter holds rights to older ad-monetization revenue.
Deestroying
youtube.com/@Deestroying ↗Former NFL/UFL kicker Donald De La Haye Jr. Named among Spotter’s core catalog clients alongside MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Like Nastya and The Try Guys. Channel remains creator-owned; Spotter licenses ad-revenue rights on existing content.
Good Good Golf
youtube.com/@GoodGood ↗Prosper, TX-based golf-entertainment brand founded in 2020. In March 2025 it closed a $45M growth round led by Creator Sports Capital (founded by ex-YouTube exec Ben Grubbs and Brian Kabot), with participation from Manhattan West Private Equity, Sunflower Bank and Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.
The Sorry Girls
youtube.com/@TheSorryGirls ↗DIY/lifestyle channel by Kelsey MacDermaid and Becky Wright. In August 2023 Mythical Ventures (the venture arm of Rhett & Link`s Mythical Entertainment) made what it described as its largest single creator-equity investment to date, taking a minority stake.
Jarvis Johnson
youtube.com/@jarvis ↗Commentary YouTuber. First portfolio investment of Rhett & Link’s Mythical Creator Accelerator fund — a minority equity stake in Johnson’s creator business, made in 2021.
Daniel Thrasher
youtube.com/@DanielThrasher ↗Comedy/music channel. Took a minority-equity investment from Mythical Ventures in April 2022 — the fund’s second creator-equity deal.