# Caspar Lee
**Caspar Lee** is a British-South African YouTuber turned entrepreneur and investor who rose to prominence as one of YouTube's early breakout creators before co-founding the influencer marketing company Influencer.com, the talent management firm MVE Management, the venture capital fund Creator Ventures, and the student housing company Proper Living.[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) • [2](https://casparlee.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| YouTube career | Started his channel in 2010; his first videos drew around 5 views, and it took two years to reach 1,000 subscribers[3](https://www.influencerupdate.biz/influencer-icon/68485/caspar-lee-on-a-decade-of-youtube-and-the-transition-from-consumer-to-business/) • [4](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caspar-lee-13584456_my-first-speech-since-freezing-during-a-sales-activity-7239570355135168512-4Wq4) |
| Audience at peak | More than 6 million YouTube subscribers by 2017; about 15 million followers across platforms at his peak[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) • [5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee) |
| Influencer.com | Co-founded in 2017 with CEO Ben Jeffries; Lee serves as Chief Vision Officer; raised a £3 million (about $3.6 million) Series A led by Puma Private Equity in September 2019[6](https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/youtuber-caspar-lee-co-founds-influencer-marketing-platform-raises-3m-series-a/) |
| Creator Ventures | Venture capital fund launched in 2021 with managing partner Sasha Kaletsky, investing in early-stage companies at the intersection of technology and internet culture[7](https://www.raconteur.net/marketing-sales/how-i-became-a-youtuber-turned-entrepreneur) • [2](https://casparlee.com/) |
| Other ventures | MVE Management, a talent management company co-founded with Joe Sugg and backed by WME; Proper Living, a student accommodation company in South Africa[2](https://casparlee.com/) |
| Recognition | Listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 for media; chairperson of the RISE Board at The King's Trust (formerly The Prince's Trust)[8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee) • [2](https://casparlee.com/) |
## YouTube career
Lee grew up in South Africa and launched his YouTube channel in 2010, at a time when monetization on the platform was largely nonexistent and "YouTubers" were not taken seriously.[3](https://www.influencerupdate.biz/influencer-icon/68485/caspar-lee-on-a-decade-of-youtube-and-the-transition-from-consumer-to-business/) His first videos received around 5 views each; to counter early dislike counts he created 20 fake accounts to secure 20 likes per video, a story he later told publicly at the [Oxford Union](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxford-union).[4](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caspar-lee-13584456_my-first-speech-since-freezing-during-a-sales-activity-7239570355135168512-4Wq4) It took him two years to amass 1,000 subscribers.[3](https://www.influencerupdate.biz/influencer-icon/68485/caspar-lee-on-a-decade-of-youtube-and-the-transition-from-consumer-to-business/)
**Growth through collaboration.** Around 2012, at age 16, Lee visited England and collaborated with popular British YouTubers, leveraging his South African identity; the exposure drove significant growth and prompted his move to the UK.[9](https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/5e005d7e-faa9-4ec2-a518-22a8febbbb80/content) He became part of the "Brit Crew", one of the earliest YouTuber collectives, whose members included Zoella, Alfie Deyes, and [Joe Sugg](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-sugg) and who pioneered collaboration-driven growth.[5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee) Lee has said he did not rely on a single standout talent but on consistency and collaboration, posting regularly and partnering with other creators and later mainstream celebrities including [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran) and [Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson).[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) His collaborations also extended to Chris Pratt, Kevin Hart, and Anna Kendrick.[8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee)
Between 2013 and 2017 he amassed a following of more than 6 million people.[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) At his peak he commanded about 15 million followers across platforms.[5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee)
**Screen and publishing work.** Alongside his channel, Lee starred in the film *Spud* with [John Cleese](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cleese) and [Troye Sivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/troye-sivan), co-starred in Universal's *Laid in America* with KSI, and executive-produced *Joe and Caspar Hit The Road* for the BBC. In 2016 he published a Sunday Times best-selling biography with [Penguin Random House](https://www.edgepedia.org/penguin-random-house).[8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee)
## Transition to business
Lee moved into the corporate world in 2017 when he took the role of chief innovation officer at Influencer LTD, a young company in the influencer marketing space; he has characterized this shift as broadening his creative projects rather than leaving them behind.[3](https://www.influencerupdate.biz/influencer-icon/68485/caspar-lee-on-a-decade-of-youtube-and-the-transition-from-consumer-to-business/) Influencer.com was launched in 2017 by Ben Jeffries, then 23, who leads the company as CEO, and Lee, then 25.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/youtuber-caspar-lee-co-founds-influencer-marketing-platform-raises-3m-series-a/) The platform aims to simplify influencer marketing for advertisers and creators, offering a network of pre-vetted macro and micro creators along with campaign management and reporting; early brand clients included Boohoo, Alibaba, Pepsi, Starbucks, Pantene, Uber Eats, PrettyLittleThing, and Apple Music.[6](https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/youtuber-caspar-lee-co-founds-influencer-marketing-platform-raises-3m-series-a/) Lee's stated aim was to professionalize what he calls the "cowboy-ish" world of influencer marketing by creating a B2B agency where companies could see a return on investment.[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee)
The company has grown considerably since the 2019 Series A. One 2026 profile reports more than 180 employees and revenues close to £100 million; other profiles give employee counts of over 120 and over 150.[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) • [8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee) • [10](https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/article-youtube-fame-entrepreneurial-game-conversation-caspar-lee) Jeffries oversees day-to-day operations as CEO while Lee, as chief vision officer, focuses on long-term strategy.[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee)
**MVE Management.** In 2018 Lee started a talent management company with fellow former YouTuber Joe Sugg.[7](https://www.raconteur.net/marketing-sales/how-i-became-a-youtuber-turned-entrepreneur) The firm, MVE Management, is backed by WME and co-founded with the Endeavor Group.[2](https://casparlee.com/) • [8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee)
## Creator Ventures and investing
In 2021 Lee launched the venture capital fund Creator Ventures with managing partner Sasha Kaletsky, aimed at "investing in technologists shaping internet culture".[7](https://www.raconteur.net/marketing-sales/how-i-became-a-youtuber-turned-entrepreneur) His own website describes the fund as having $65 million under management, investing in early-stage companies at the intersection of technology and internet culture.[2](https://casparlee.com/) Other profiles give different figures: a $20 million fund in a Marketing Society biography and a 2025 profile describing a $45 million fund.[8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee) • [5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee)
The fund typically invests at seed or pre-seed stage and favors technical founders who can build and iterate with minimal external support; Lee emphasizes that the team is "investing in the founder".[1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee) Despite the name, the fund does not primarily invest in creator economy platforms; its four target sectors are consumer applications, creative tools, marketplaces, and product-led growth SaaS companies, with the stated value proposition of helping founders navigate distribution through creators.[11](https://www.netinfluencer.com/from-viral-videos-to-venture-deals-caspar-lee-pivot/) Reported portfolio companies include Eleven Labs and Beehiiv, and, per a 2026 profile, Wild Deodorant, Beehiiv, and Dash Drinks.[12](https://creatorthepodcast.com/episode/caspar-lee-the-playbook-brands-need-to-win-with-creators/) • [1](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee)
## Proper Living and other roles
Lee co-founded Proper Living, a student accommodation company in South Africa targeted at university students, which he describes as an attempt to build a brand that understands how to market itself on social media to a generation that discovers things online.[2](https://casparlee.com/) • [13](https://www.varsity.co.uk/interviews/25396) He serves as chairperson of RISE, The King's Trust's next-generation giving group, a network of 21- to 40-year-old entrepreneurs and philanthropists focused on social mobility.[2](https://casparlee.com/) He was listed in [Forbes 30 Under 30](https://www.edgepedia.org/forbes-30-under-30) for his work in media.[8](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee)
## Stepping away from YouTube
Lee stopped posting on YouTube to become a serial entrepreneur.[14](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/caspar-lee-how-he-built-a-10-million-youtube/id1587142091?i=1000584039452) His last upload came two years before a 2025 profile, with the one before that five years earlier; the slow wind-down aligned with the growth of his four businesses, which gave him financial independence from platform algorithms and content output.[5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee) He has described the transition as gradual rather than a calculated exit strategy: "I took off a week, and that week turned into a few months, and then a few years."[5](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee) He has also spoken openly about the anxiety of leaving a career he knew well and about imposter syndrome in the boardroom, saying he wondered whether he was there only because of his YouTube success.[7](https://www.raconteur.net/marketing-sales/how-i-became-a-youtuber-turned-entrepreneur)
## References
1. [Caspar Lee on turning online fame into a £100m business, Business Leader](https://www.businessleader.co.uk/insights/caspar-lee)
2. [Caspar Lee, official website](https://casparlee.com/)
3. [Caspar Lee on a decade of YouTube, and the transition from consumer to business, Influencer Update](https://www.influencerupdate.biz/influencer-icon/68485/caspar-lee-on-a-decade-of-youtube-and-the-transition-from-consumer-to-business/)
4. [Caspar Lee, LinkedIn post on his first speech at the Oxford Union](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/caspar-lee-13584456_my-first-speech-since-freezing-during-a-sales-activity-7239570355135168512-4Wq4)
5. [He stopped posting at his peak. Now, he runs 4 companies, Creator Spotlight](https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/caspar-lee)
6. [YouTuber Caspar Lee co-founds Influencer marketing platform, raises £3M Series A, TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/26/youtuber-caspar-lee-co-founds-influencer-marketing-platform-raises-3m-series-a/)
7. [Caspar Lee: how I became a YouTuber-turned-entrepreneur, Raconteur](https://www.raconteur.net/marketing-sales/how-i-became-a-youtuber-turned-entrepreneur)
8. [Caspar Lee, The Marketing Society](https://www.marketingsociety.com/caspar-lee)
9. [WELCOME BACK TO MY CHANNEL: CREATIVE DIGITAL, Wits University institutional repository](https://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/5e005d7e-faa9-4ec2-a518-22a8febbbb80/content)
10. [YouTube fame, entrepreneurial game: in conversation with Caspar Lee, Startups Magazine](https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/article-youtube-fame-entrepreneurial-game-conversation-caspar-lee)
11. [From Viral Videos To Venture Deals: Caspar Lee's Pivot, Netinfluencer](https://www.netinfluencer.com/from-viral-videos-to-venture-deals-caspar-lee-pivot/)
12. [Caspar Lee: The Playbook Brands Need to Win with Creators, Creator the Podcast](https://creatorthepodcast.com/episode/caspar-lee-the-playbook-brands-need-to-win-with-creators/)
13. [Caspar Lee on Cambridge May Balls, social media struggles and how student housing can be done differently, Varsity](https://www.varsity.co.uk/interviews/25396)
14. [Caspar Lee: How He Built A 10+ Million YouTube Following In His 20s (And Why He Quit), Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/caspar-lee-how-he-built-a-10-million-youtube/id1587142091?i=1000584039452)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Online creators and internet personalities › Comedy and prank creators › Sketch and vlog comedians › Vlog and storytime comedians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license