Jellysmack Confirms Series C Investment from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 to Drive International Expansion

The funding will accelerate the company's creator-focused technology with expanded AI development, new products and future M&A activity.

LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jellysmack, the global creator company, has raised a Series C investment round from SoftBank Vision Fund 21. The investment was announced today by SoftBank Chairman & CEO Masayoshi Son during their Earnings Results Briefing for FY2020. The funding will accelerate Jellysmack's international expansion and acquisitive growth as well as R&D investment in its core technology. In connection with the investment, Yanni Pipilis, Managing Partner for SoftBank Investment Advisers, will join the Jellysmack board of directors.

Jellysmack Confirms Series C Investment from SoftBank Vision Fund 2

Jellysmack combines its AI-powered technology and expertise to identify social video creators and fuel their growth by optimizing video performance, uncovering new audiences, and establishing new revenue streams across multiple platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. The company tailors a creator's original video for each social platform then runs extensive multivariate testing with its proprietary technology to help each video find the ideal audience. In this way, Jellysmack unlocks exceptional performance, frequently yielding from 25M to upwards of 300M in incremental views per month for each creator. Jellysmack-managed content commands the largest social audience of all digital companies in the U.S., raking in 125 million viewers and approximately 10 billion views each month.

The Series C investment will fuel the company's international expansion, allowing it to identify and partner with the most talented creators all over the world in support of its vision of shaping the future of the creator economy. The funds will also go towards further enhancing Jellysmack's powerful AI technology and accelerating future mergers and acquisitions with the goal of providing the best solutions for creators.

Jellysmack co-founder and co-CEO Michael Philippe commented, "We have lofty goals and ambitions at Jellysmack, and it's very exciting to partner with such a forward-thinking investor who truly believes in our vision to become the one-stop-shop for creators." Jellysmack co-founder and co-CEO Robin Sabban added, "Creators are the future of entertainment and we're committed to discovering the world's most influential talent and powering their success across every existing and future platform with our technology."

"Media consumption has pivoted massively in recent years with mobile video content rapidly outpacing TV," said Yanni Pipilis, Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers. "There are now 50 million creators but only 0.1% are able to make a full-time living from their content. Jellysmack straddles AI and the creator economy to help video makers embrace their passion and build new audiences. We're excited to support the company as it continues to scale the platform internationally."

About Jellysmack 

Co-founded in 2016 by Michael Philippe, Robin Sabban, and Swann Maizil, Jellysmack is the global creator company that detects and develops the world's most talented video creators through technology. The company's proprietary data and video optimization tools drive social audience growth, unlocking new revenue streams and amplifying monetization. Currently home to nearly 200 influential creators, including PewDiePie, MrBeast, Bailey Sarian, Derek Deso, Karina Garcia, Charles & Alyssa Forever, and Brad Mondo. Jellysmack optimizes, operates, and distributes creator-made video content to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. The company's creator strategy builds upon its success in scaling its own original content channels in beauty ("Beauty Studio"), soccer ("Oh My Goal"), gaming ("Gamology"), and more. Combined Jellysmack-managed content boasts 10 billion global monthly video views and a cross-platform reach of 125 million unique U.S. users, reaching nearly 45% of all Americans and making it the largest digital-first U.S. company in monthly social media viewers. The company's investors include Highland Europe, Interplay, OneRagtime, Partech and Unilever Ventures. To learn more, visit jellysmack.com.

1 As of the date of this press release, SoftBank Group Corp. has made capital contributions to allow investments by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 ("SVF 2") in certain portfolio companies. The information included herein is made for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy limited partnership interests in any fund, including SVF 2. SVF 2 has yet to have an external close, and any potential third-party investors shall receive additional information related to any SVF 2 investments prior to closing.

Contacts

Jellysmack Public Relations:

The Brand Agency

jellysmack@thebrand-agency.com

Related Links

http://jellysmack.com