Creator Ventures Raises $45M: A Big Win for Consumer Internet Startups and AI Innovation
Looking to understand how Creator Ventures’ new $45 million fund is reshaping the future of consumer internet startups? You’re not alone. In 2025, investors and founders alike are asking: Where is early-stage capital flowing? and What startup sectors are thriving today? The answer increasingly points to AI-driven consumer apps and digital products—and Creator Ventures is right at the center of this trend. The London-based VC firm, co-founded by YouTube creator Caspar Lee and ex-Bridgepoint investor Sasha Kaletsky, has more than doubled its capital commitment from its first fund, signaling confidence in the explosive growth of consumer internet and generative AI startups.
The fund’s origin story is as unconventional as its strategy. In a viral TikTok, Caspar Lee recounts how a LinkedIn message about an eco-friendly deodorant startup called Wild led to a chain reaction of investments. Initially skeptical, Lee took a closer look after a nudge from Kaletsky. Fast-forward to April 2025, and Wild was acquired by Unilever for a staggering $286 million—a massive exit that validated the duo’s creator-led investing thesis.
That early success paved the way for Creator Ventures Fund I, which launched in 2019 and backed a series of breakout startups. These include Eleven Labs, an AI audio company now valued at over $3.3 billion, and Runna, which was recently acquired by fitness giant Strava. The firm also led early rounds for Beehiiv, a fast-growing newsletter platform, and Praktika, an AI-powered language learning app gaining traction worldwide.
With Fund II, Creator Ventures plans to invest deeper into AI-powered consumer apps, an area showing record user acquisition and monetization potential. According to Kaletsky, “There’s over a trillion dollars in annual spending across the iOS and Android app stores. Even a fraction of that shifting toward consumer AI apps means we’ll see a surge of new unicorns.”
Among the high-conversion keywords for tech investors—“AI startups with high ROI,” “top consumer apps 2025,” and “early-stage VC with high exit potential”—Creator Ventures hits all the marks. The firm is not only capitalizing on the AI boom but also tapping into underexplored sectors like microdrama streaming apps, a genre popular in Asia that’s beginning to capture U.S. audiences. Kaletsky highlights ReelShort, a rising star in this space, noting, “It’s wild—users are paying $20 a week, more than a Netflix subscription.”
This move comes amid a broader shift in VC strategy toward performance-based funding, creator-economy enablement, and high-engagement mobile apps—all trends that align with Google’s Helpful Content update and people-first search behavior. Creator Ventures is positioning itself at the intersection of content, commerce, and code, with a focus on early exits and scalable digital products.
As the 2025 startup landscape heats up, Creator Ventures' $45 million war chest is poised to back the next generation of breakout companies, from AI SaaS tools to direct-to-consumer brands redefining mobile monetization.
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