YouTube trick shots channel Dude Perfect lands over $100 million investment

Dude Perfect, the popular YouTube sensation famed for their jaw-dropping basketball trick shots, has just landed a major investment from private investment firm Highmount Capital. The investment is reported to be in the range of $100 million to $300 million, marking a significant milestone for the group.

Dude Perfect will use the new cash infusion to explore new strategic opportunities and expand beyond its current ventures in the creator economy. The investment will also support the startup’s vision anchored in three core pillars—sports, entertainment, and faith—all underpinning its commitment to family-oriented experiences.

“We’re really excited to try to unlock some of the vision and stuff that we were afraid would only be dreams up to this point,” Coby Cotton, a co-founder at Dude Perfect said in a statement. “We’re really just looking to scale a lot of the things that up until now, we’ve just never even had anywhere close to the capability to do.”

The genesis of Dude Perfect traces back to Texas A&M University, where the quintet—comprising Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Tyler Toney, Garret Hilbert, and Cody Jones—first crossed paths. Since launching their YouTube channel in 2009, their meteoric rise to fame has been nothing short of extraordinary. Their viral videos have catapulted them onto television screens, into lucrative brand partnerships with major advertisers, and onto live tours that have captivated audiences worldwide.

With a staggering 60 million subscribers and over 17 billion views on their YouTube channel, Dude Perfect has firmly cemented its status as a digital powerhouse, ranking as the 35th most-subscribed channel according to data from Social Blade.

Yet, Dude Perfect transcends the confines of digital content creation. Anchored in Frisco, Texas, their operations extend far beyond YouTube. With a dedicated team of 25 employees, they’ve forged lucrative brand collaborations, such as their signature smoothie at Smoothie King and a line of Nerf products. Their entrepreneurial prowess has even birthed their own board game.

Jason Illian, co-founder of Highmount Capital, underscored the monumental success of Dude Perfect’s diversified ventures. “They built such a tremendous business now that we want to run in parallel with those and let those grow even faster,” Illian remarked.

Tyler Toney told the Dallas Morning News that the group aspires to create an inclusive environment where fans feel intimately connected to their journey.

“A lot of what we hear from (fans) is ‘Man, we love watching the videos together as a family. We feel like we’re a part of it. We feel like we’re almost a part of the team,’” said Toney, 33, who’s originally from Prosper.

The infusion of capital from Highmount Capital signifies a commitment to a long-term partnership. This strategic alliance is poised to propel Dude Perfect into uncharted territories, with plans to expand beyond digital realms. Dubbed “Dude Perfect 2.0,” the roadmap includes ventures such as opening a retail store, launching a streaming platform, introducing a line of toys and games in major retail outlets like Walmart, and ambitiously envisioning a $100 million theme park.

As the digital landscape evolves, Dude Perfect remains keenly attuned to the shifting preferences of its audience. Highmount Capital’s investment heralds a new chapter for the group—one characterized by innovation, diversification, and unwavering commitment to their legion of fans.