An influential YouTube star from the mid-2010s has become a prominent figure in the creator economy. Caspar Lee and his cousin Sasha Kaletsky have raised $45 million to launch a new fund for Creator Ventures, the early-stage venture capital firm they launched in 2022.
In a LinkedIn post, Lee described the $45 million war chest as Creator Ventures’ “Fund II.” It adds fresh capital on top of the firm’s previous Funds: Between a $1 million “Fund 0” and an ensuing Fund I, Creator Ventures has grown the total assets under its management to $65 million, according to What’s Trending.
On X, Kaletsky wrote that Fund II will connect Creator Ventures to “the next great consumer internet founders.” Across previous investments in creator economy and consumer tech spaces, Lee and Kaletsky’s firm has taken stake in several buzzy companies, including the newsletter platform beehiiv and the generative AI startup ElevenLabs. The size of those investments has ranged from $200,000 to $2.5 million.
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Embolded by the ongoing trend of creator-investors — the Sidemen-led firm Upside is a recent example of that phenomenon — Creator Ventures has cultivated strong ties in the financial community. Lee’s LinkedIn post cited the Limited Partners who have contributed to Creator Ventures’ new fund, including “Level Ventures, Cendana Capital, Vintage Investment Partners, Sequoia Capital, Isomer Capital, and existing LPs from Fund I.”
Lee, who grew up in South Africa, made his name as one of YouTube’s premier vloggers during the 10s. As his career wore on, it became clear that he had aspirations in the business world. He teamed up with fellow creator Joe Sugg to launch a talent firm called Margravine, and his role at marketing startup Influencer helped him become one of the first prominent creators to gain experience as an investor.
More than a decade after his initial YouTube breakout, Lee has now positioned himself at the forefront of the creator economy. His pivot from vlogging to investing now seems like a savvy, forward-thinking decision, and at just 31 years old, he’s still a rising star who figures to do big things with his deep-pocketed Fund II.
