In less than 10 years, media mogul MrBeast has conquered YouTube with an empire of stunt videos branded philanthropic ventures, and a hoard of teenage fans. Now, the YouTube star wants to dominate store shelves. According to an Axios report Tuesday, MrBeast is searching for $150 million in funding, which would help the YouTuber expand his presence in the consumer goods space. With this round of funding, MrBeast has valued his company at $1.5 billion — marking another attempt by the social media star to cement his online domain with a physical (and cash-rich) retail stronghold.
Known by his mother and veritable entourage of vlogging friends as Jimmy Donaldson, MrBeast is one of the most popular YouTube stars to date. His main channel alone boasts 107 million subscribers, making him the fifth-most subscribed creator on the platform. But the YouTuber isn’t just focused on growing his subscriber count. Instead, he has positioned his popularity and loyal fanbase into an ever-growing empire for video production, philanthropy, consumer goods, merchandise, restaurants, and more. MrBeast isn’t just a content creator anymore. He’s an all-encompassing brand, one he says will change the world.
While Axios reports the structure of MrBeast’s investment is still unknown, the cash could be used to expand any venture in the creator’s overall portfolio, which includes at least three other profitable Youtube channels and a myriad of businesses. (A representative for MrBeast did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.) Since December 2020, MrBeast has launched a delivery-only burger brand MrBeast Burgers, a snack business called Feastables, and a physical MrBeast Burger location at the American Dream Mall in Rutherford, New Jersey. According to an Axios source, Feastables alone will bring in “tens of millions” in revenue in 2022, a sum shadowed by the millions MrBeast reportedly rakes in each month from ads.
The cash-heavy success of MrBeast’s channel comes as other Youtube stars seek to replicate MrBeast’s passive income stream. According to Fortune Magazine, a growing number of media and venture capital firms have made a name (and millions) for themselves by turning creators’ online subscriber counts into tangible and diversified portfolios. Creators bring along a fan base, and the firms use ad deals and distribution strategies to generate more views and more cash. In short, they get top creators who make the most money to make much, much more.
While he previously told Rolling Stone in April that his driving focus was his channel, MrBeast’s continued expansion into retail goods is just one more example of the YouTuber’s growing plan to continually reinvest in his brand. MrBeast has said on multiple occasions that some of his biggest videos cost millions of dollars to produce and are funded by sponsorships and the money he pulls in from his other channels. While MrBeast told Insider he could live off his old videos for the rest of his life, this cyclical business cycle of reinvestment could cripple a less secure creator — and only thrives as long as the ad schemes on top platforms remain the same, Fortune reports. Take those away, or see a sudden exodus of fans, and the bubble of MrBeast could burst just as easily as it grew. In the meantime, MrBeast has said his main goal is to work as hard as possible to become the biggest YouTube creator of all. “I could be doing cheaper videos,” MrBeast told Rolling Stone. “But I just don’t want to. I want to push the boundaries to go bigger, bigger.”