GM! It's Tuesday, February 14th - Today, we're covering a YouTuber's $100m theme park, a startup mass extinction, Taylor Swift becoming the highest-earning female entertainer, and the wild drama behind the Paramount media empire.

- Callum

FEATURE

YouTubers Develop a $100M Theme Park

In 2009, Dude Perfect started out as five roommates from Texas A&M University filming trick-shot videos in their backyard.

Today, they are bringing their internet brand to the public through a $100 million theme park.

So What’s the Business?

Dude Perfect is a sports and comedy group that’s leveraged their internet fame into a lucrative business. Since 2009 they've built an 88m person community across their platforms:

• 58.7m YouTube subscribers

• 11.6m Instagram followers

• 17.9m TikTok followers

While there are other content creators with similar subscriber counts, few make as many high-value sponsorship deals as Dude Perfect. That’s because other influencers have overlooked one key ingredient for mass-market appeal: family-friendly content.

It’s estimated that they earn between $20m and $25m/yr across their 3 revenue streams:

1. Advertisement revenue from their YouTube channel (over $15B views).

2. Sponsorship deals with name-brands like ESPN, Walmart, and Nike.

3. Extensive merchandising through partnerships with companies like Nerf.

The Theme Park (video here)

Sponsorship deals and merchandising is normal for content creators, but Dude Perfect is changing the game through their commitment to building a theme park that embodies their digital brand.

Dude Perfect has already attracted the eyes of major cities like LA and Atlanta, who’ve expressed interest in becoming municipal partners.

At the theme park, fans will be able to take part in activities seen in the channel’s most viral YouTube videos, such as the famous impossible shot and 100-pin bowling.

So What?

Dude Perfect’s theme park is the latest development in a trend where entrepreneurs convert internet brands into products that people engage with in the real world.

We’ve seen some notable examples of this take off recently:

• Logan Paul’s massively successful sports energy drink Prime Hydration

• Mr. Beast’s candy brand Feastables and MrBeast Burger Restaurant

• Content creators realize that they can convert their fan base of millions of consumers into equity in their own high-growth companies.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NAQI

Meet The Challenger To Elon Musk’s $2B Neuralink Company

Naqi is connecting the human brain to technology in a way that - unlike Elon Musk’s Neuralink - doesn’t require surgical brain implants.

What are they doing instead?

They’ve made a comfortable earbud that lets you control all of your digital devices using “microgestures.”

By using micro gestures, Naqi is expanding hands-free, voice-free, screen-free control to fast-growing markets like:

• Video Games - $195B potential: Esports is rising in popularity as a platform for competitive gaming, and Naqi’s tech has already been tested by national champions at Harrisburg University.

• Smart Homes: - $62B potential: Homes are becoming increasingly connected by various smart devices. Naqi could be the hands-free, voice-free, screen-free universal remote control for it all.

• Assistive Mobility - $20B potential: Naqi’s founder, David Segal, was inspired by prosthetics on military veterans to pursue their full potential. And the technology only stands to improve with tools like Naqi’s.

A top global mobility manufacturer is even integrating Naqi into their wheelchairs as we speak.

With 22 patents so far, no other company has been able to replicate what Naqi is doing – and companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink that require expensive, complicated implants, are still in testing. Naqi’s tech is safe for use and ready today

Become a Naqi shareholder now to pioneer a safer, more affordable brain-tech interface.

HEADLINES

The Sleazy Drama Behind The Paramount Media Family

> Real Life 'Succession'? The Sleazy, Slimy Drama behind the Paramount Media empire.

> Taylor Swift is the highest-paid female entertainer of 2023, earning $92m.

> Robotaxi: Amazon's Zoox tests robotaxi on public road with employees as passengers

> New $10 Billion Program for Energy Subsidies Set for Rollout by Treasury Department

> Ford will build $3.5b battery factory in Michigan that Virginia governor rejected

> Twilio lays off 17% of staff 5 months after layoffs>

> Palantir jumps after projecting first annual profit in 2023.

> New cars are only for the rich as automakers rake in profits.

> ChatGPT Clones: China’s tech giants are launching ChatGPT clones — and Beijing is watching closely.

> Via raises $110m at a $3.5B valuation to help commuters find and use public transit.

ON TREND

Startup Mass Extinction Coming

You should know:

Startups will experience greater competition for funding in late 2023, and 2024 with little return as VCs begin to tighten their purse strings.

• Tom Loverro, a Coinbase investor, predicts a mass extinction for startups in 2023/24.

• 4 in 5 very early-stage companies have fewer than 12 months of runway, according to a survey of 450 founders last fall by January Ventures. This will create a flood of startups coming back to the market.

• Startups receiving funding in 2021 will need to raise 2023/24 if they don't raise capital soon.

• Advice to do now; raise funds now, fund current R&D, be lean, and focus on survival.