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In this publication, we explore how more and more creators and celebrities are launching their own VC funds or family offices, winning exclusive deals by contributing not only capital, but also attention.

Traditional VCs:

• Dealflow: Developed through years of professional networks and reputation in the industry.

• Go-To-Market: Support founders with introductions, partnerships, and operational guidance to grow the business.

• Finance: Facilitate connections to other investors to raise additional capital.

Celebrity and creators win by:

• Dealflow: Their fame naturally attracts founders, who see both capital and the opportunity to leverage the creator’s audience and influence.

• Go-to-Market: Creators bring built-in distribution, credibility, and cultural relevance, allowing startups to launch directly to engaged audiences and accelerate value creation. Their networks also open doors to top-tier retailers, media, and trusted suppliers.

• Finance: Their presence on the cap table often draws extra investment and can drive higher valuations.

Examples in action:

The Sidemen’s Upside VC drove MILE to the #1 spot in the App Store, with over 70,000 downloads in one weekend.

Alix Earle’s investment in Poppi combined capital with authentic advocacy, scaling the brand to a reportedly ~$2B acquisition by Pepsi.

50 Cent’s backing of Vitaminwater paired early belief with active promotion, contributing to Coca-Cola’s $4.1B acquisition.

• Ashton Kutcher Sound Ventures. Manages over $1B in AUM, focuses on AI, fintech, enterprise software, and consumer tech, has made roughly 280 investments, and includes Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, and Duolingo in its portfolio.

• Kevin Hart HartBeat Ventures. Manages approximately $28M+ in AUM, focuses on consumer, media, technology, health and wellness, and lifestyle, has made 23 investments, and includes Simple, SweatPals, ElevenLabs, and Function Health in its portfolio.

• Jake & Logan Paul Anti Fund. Manages $65M in AUM, focuses on AI and robotics, has made 21 investments, and includes OpenAI, Anduril, Ramp, and Olipop in its portfolio.

• Jay-Z MarcyPen Capital Partners. Manages approximately $900M in AUM, and focuses on consumer, technology, media, and culture-driven companies, has made 61 investments, and includes Savage x Fenty, Partake Foods, Adwoa Beauty, and Spatial Labs in its portfolio.

• Kevin Durant Thirty Five Ventures. Manages $555M in AUM, focuses on technology, media, sports, and wellness, has made 147 investments, and includes Coinbase, Postmates, Gotham FC, and Boardroom in its portfolio.

• The Chainsmokers Mantis VC. Manages $215M in AUM, focuses on AI, health tech, cybersecurity, and fintech, has made 180+ investments, and includes Coinbase, Chainguard, Rupa Health, and Bitso in its portfolio.

• Serena Williams Serena Ventures. Manages over $1B in AUM, focuses on consumer, tech, AI, and infrastructure, has made 102 investments, and includes Impossible Foods, MasterClass, and Coinbase in its portfolio (16 have reached unicorn status).

• Caspar Lee Creator Ventures. Manages $65M in AUM, focuses on AI, creator tools, marketplaces, and consumer apps, has made 43 investments, and includes Beehiiv, Runna, and Lottie in its portfolio.

Evolving from the traditional model where they are paid to promote products, celebrities and creators now want a stake in the company and share the benefits of the upside. Creators understood that the real deal is in scaling great products and brands.

Turning attention into equity creates a true arbitrage opportunity for them. Creators are able to enter at lower valuations and accelerate growth through visibility, thus capturing the upside that traditional sponsorships never offered.

This is helping them build long-term value by using their fame, which is temporary.

The shift is clear: attention has become capital, and ownership has replaced exposure as the real reward for creators and celebrities.

Creator-led investing is reshaping how early-stage companies break through. Now traditional venture firms are noticing.

Leading VCs are adapting by building their own media and narrative platforms within the firm. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) understood this and last year launched a dedicated New Media division. It uses in-house content creators, narrative strategists, and programmes designed to embed media and storytelling directly into how portfolio companies go to market. Rather than simply writing checks, the firm treats media production and narrative influence as core components of its investment playbook, effectively integrating capital and distribution into a single strategy.

This underscores the new reality of consumer (and not only consumer) investing: capital alone is no longer enough, and the ability to shape culture, command attention, and drive resonance is equally essential.

For creator investors, that’s second nature; they’ve spent years monetising communities and commanding attention as their most valuable currency. For traditional VCs, it’s a strategic evolution: building media capabilities inside the fund to compete in a world where narratives win customers before products do.

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