Electrify Video Partners is investing in one of YouTube’s top educational channels. The U.K.-based firm has agreed to fund Veritasium, the STEM-focused hub led by Derek Muller.
The deal is described as a “strategic investment” that will support Muller’s on-camera work as well as his off-YouTube ventures. The exact size of the investment has not been disclosed. In February, when Electrify announced a $50 million funding round, a company rep said that the size of Electrify deals with creators range from “several hundred thousand dollars to many millions.”
Electrify typically takes a stake in the creator channels it backs, and the Veritasium pact is no exception. An Electrify rep confirmed that the company will acquire an ownership stake in Muller’s learning hub.
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Muller and his team will apply their latest injection of capital in a few distinct areas. On the Veritasium channel, the Electrify funding will support an increase in production values. Meanwhile, Muller will pursue additional commercial opportunities, including an expansion of the Snatoms STEM kit. Muller initially funded Snatoms through Kickstarter, and the “better representation of what molecules actually look like” is now available through retailers like Amazon.
In a statement, Muller said that his partnership with Electrify will allow him to prioritize his “core passion” for video creation. While he focuses on the fan-facing side of Veritasium, Electrify will assist him with his ever-expanding operational needs. “With their additional resources I can be more ambitious with both the quality and quantity of content,” Muller said.
Petr Lebedev and Emily Zhang, who have served as key producers for Veritasium, will retain their pivotal roles post-investment. A recent video on probability was co-produced by Lebedev, Zhang, and Muller and picked up more than 2.4 million views. In total, the Veritasium YouTube channel reaches more than 13 million subscribers.
Other channels that have received investments from Electrify include astronomy hub Astrum, LEGO creator Spitbrix, and kid-friendly destination Fizzy. “It was a delight to get to know Derek and the Veritasium team during the deal process,” said Electrify Co-Founder Owen Maher in a statement. “Science and learning is a key content vertical for Electrify as we continue building our portfolio of leading digital content brands.”
