Influencers are becoming the new CEOs, is the new era of entrepreneurship?

Hello readers,

In this week’s dispatch, we’re digging into a cultural shift that's flipping the traditional brand-building model on its head:

> Creators aren’t just launching brands. They’re becoming the brand.

> And increasingly — the CEO behind it.

We’re witnessing a shift from audience → influence → brand equity.

And it’s changing what modern entrepreneurship looks like.

Let’s break it down.

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From Influence to Infrastructure

In the past, creators got paid to promote products.

Now, they’re owning the product.

Not just launching merch, founding full-blown companies. Often with VC backing, investor decks, and distribution strategies are more sophisticated than legacy CPGs.

This isn't hype, it's happening at scale:

💡 Case 1: Emma Chamberlain – From Vlogs to Venture-Backed Coffee

Brand: Chamberlain Coffee

Launched: 2019

Funding: $7M raised, with investors including Blazar Capital

Strategy: A direct-to-community brand powered by Gen-Z taste and Emma’s signature authenticity

Why it matters: She's not just a face. She sits on the board, leads product vision, and the brand now retails in Whole Foods.

💡 Case 2: MrBeast – YouTube’s First CPG Empire

Brands: Feastables (snacks), Beast Burger (fast food), and multiple tech ventures

Revenue: Estimated $500M across brands (2023)

Funding: Raised over $100M for Feastables, valued at $1.5B

The twist: He turned YouTube attention into real-world shelf power and restaurant franchising.

Why it matters: MrBeast isn’t just building products. He’s redefining DTC + distribution with viral thinking at its core.

💡 Case 3: Kusha Kapila – From Content to Category Disruption

Brand: UnderNeat

Why it matters: It positions itself as an affordable yet stylish brand for women aged 18–40 and Kapila emphasizes that the products solve “common fit and comfort issues often ignored by mainstream” brands

Funding: The launch was backed by notable investors: Fireside Ventures (a startup VC) and Ghazal Alagh (co-founder of Mamaearth cosmetics) have provided capital

Why it matters: Indian marketing press quickly noted UnderNeat’s data-driven launch strategy. By leveraging Kapila’s 4.2M influencer following and 4% engagement rate, the brand created a groundswell around inclusivity in lingerie. Observers see UnderNeat as an example of how content-first marketing (telling women’s everyday stories) can build a brand in a crowded segment

💡 Case 4: Masoom Minawala – Creator to Commerce

Brand: Style Fiesta (jewelry + fashion), founded pre-influencer era

Revenue: Not publicly disclosed, but the brand has scaled across India with a strong D2C footprint

Why it matters: Masoom’s journey reflects the earliest version of this pipeline — building brand equity via global influencer credibility and bringing it back home to fuel homegrown retail.

Why Now?

There are three reasons why this is exploding now:

1. Distribution is no longer the problem

The hardest part of launching a brand used to be getting people to care. Creators already have distribution baked in.

Think: A 30-second reel reaching 2M > months of media buying.

2. Trust > Traditional Advertising

Edelman’s Trust Barometer (2023) shows that 61% of consumers trust creators over brands when it comes to product recommendations.

In other words: attention backed by authenticity converts.

3. VCs are betting on creator-led brands

Why spend millions on CAC when you can plug into an existing, engaged audience?

VCs like a16z, Night Ventures (run by creators), and Slow Ventures are actively investing in influencer-led companies.

But Here’s the Catch

The “influencer to CEO” story is inspiring — but not everyone’s built for it.

Running a company requires:

- Logistics

- Team building

- Supply chain management

- Financial discipline

- Customer service

Clout doesn’t teach you how to hire a COO.

Virality doesn’t solve shipping delays.

And this is where many creator-led brands plateau or crash.

The personal brand needs to evolve into a business backbone.

Some pull it off (see: MrBeast).

Some hand it over to operators (see: many celeb beauty brands).

Others fizzle under the pressure of scaling.

The Bigger Shift in Media & Culture

This trend reflects something bigger:

> Influencers are becoming institutions.

They’re not just riding the wave of pop culture — they’re shaping it.

The new media moguls don’t look like Rupert Murdoch. They look like Emma, Kusha, or Beast.

And that tells us something about where the future of content and commerce is headed:

Media ≠ Just storytelling anymore.

It’s product. It’s trust. It’s leadership.

The next Unilever might be built on Reels.

The next Sephora could start on Shorts.

The next Disney could start with a creator, not a studio.

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Until next time,

Vipul Agrawal

— Leeds1888

> P.S. Want a follow-up on the biggest flops in influencer-led brands? Or how Indian creators are raising VC money? Hit reply — we might cover it next.

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