In June 2026, Jimmy Donaldson, known online as MrBeast, became the first creator to reach 500 million YouTube subscribers on a single channel. That number is the headline. For business leaders, the more important fact is what sits behind it: a holding company, Beast Industries, reportedly valued at about $5 billion, with a snack brand, a streaming show, a software business, a fintech app and a toy line.
Forbes ranked him first on its 2026 Top Creators list with an estimated $300 million in earnings. Fortune put his net worth at roughly $2.6 billion in January 2026. This article walks through every major company, investment and deal, separates confirmed facts from projections, and draws out the lessons for founders and executives.
MrBeast at a glance
- Real name: James Stephen Donaldson, born 7 May 1998 in Wichita, Kansas, raised in Greenville, North Carolina.
- Holding company: Beast Industries, reportedly valued at about $5 billion.
- Forbes 2026 Top Creators: number one, with an estimated $300 million in earnings (Forbes profile, updated June 2026).
- Net worth: about $2.6 billion according to Fortune (January 2026). Most of it is equity in a private company, not cash.
- Reach: Forbes counts more than 640 million subscribers across his YouTube channels and more than 5 billion views a year.
- Chief executive of Beast Industries: Jeffrey Housenbold, a venture capitalist who joined in 2024 as president and chief operating officer.
- Offices: Greenville, North Carolina (production headquarters), New York, Chicago (Feastables headquarters) and San Mateo, California (engineering and AI), according to the company’s careers site.
How the MrBeast business empire is structured
Beast Industries is the umbrella company. Per Forbes, it manages his media, the food businesses (Feastables and Lunchly), the analytics tool Viewstats and the toy and clothing licensing business. Since February 2026, it also owns the fintech app Step.
Ownership. Business Insider reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Jimmy Donaldson told others he owns a little over half of the company. He has said he prefers to reinvest revenue into bigger projects rather than take it out, which Fortune highlighted in January 2026 when it reported that, despite a multi-billion-dollar paper fortune, he was borrowing cash.
Funding. Bloomberg reported, via Fast Company, that Beast Industries had raised more than $450 million in funding over four years. The company reportedly took a Series C round of about $300 million led by Alpha Wave in late 2024. In January 2026 BitMine Immersion Technologies, the Ethereum treasury company chaired by Tom Lee, announced a $200 million equity investment. At that time the company did not disclose the stake, the valuation, or any governance rights. Wikipedia and CNBC place the deal at a $5 billion valuation.
Team. Wikipedia reported more than 250 employees in 2023, and pitch-deck reporting from The Verge put the figure near 500. In October 2026 the careers site listed 130 open roles across engineering, sales, finance, production, and Step, and says equity is offered on all roles.
Revenue and profit: what is confirmed and what is projected
Company financials are private, so nearly every number below comes from investor materials seen by journalists. Treat them as reported, not audited.
- 2024 revenue: more than $400 million, according to investor materials seen by Business Insider. Some roundups cite $473 million.
- Feastables 2024: about $250 million in sales and more than $20 million in profit, according to documents reported by Bloomberg. Feastables reportedly earned more than the media division that year.
- Media division: reportedly lost money in 2024. The company said it expected the division to become profitable as production spending tightened.
- Projections: revenue of about $899 million in 2025, $1.6 billion in 2026 and $4.78 billion by 2029, and about $520 million of Feastables sales in 2025 rising to about $780 million in 2026. Investor documents also forecast roughly $300 million of profit in 2026.
- History of losses: Housenbold told TIME that the company had lost about $500 million over five years and expected to be profitable in 2026.
One caution for analysts: a 2026 summary of retail data reported that Feastables sales volume grew only about 2.3 percent in the 52 weeks to March 2026, a sharp slowdown from earlier years. Projections of tripling should therefore be read with care. Check each figure against the latest filings or press coverage before relying on it.
Company by company: every major business
1. The MrBeast media network (YouTube)
The flagship channel has more than 516 million subscribers and about 139 billion lifetime views, according to Wikipedia. Companion channels include MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), Beast Philanthropy and Beast Animations. By 2022 he was reportedly spending about $1 million on each flagship video, and Fast Company-cited reporting puts annual content spending in the hundreds of millions. YouTube advertising and brand sponsorships fund the videos. Bloomberg-sourced projections put YouTube revenue at about $288 million for 2025. In 2023, a free ad-supported TV channel carrying his past videos also launched on the Roku Channel, and in 2021 he signed a distribution deal with Jellysmack for Snapchat and Facebook.
2. Feastables: the profit engine
Launched in January 2022 with MrBeast Bar chocolates, Feastables had an estimated $10 million in sales within its first few months. It is the company’s largest business, reportedly around 55 percent of revenue by one 2026 estimate. Products are stocked at retailers such as Walmart, Target, and CVS, and the brand has moved into beverages and wellness, with revised recipes and packaging introduced in February 2024. Feastables was reportedly built with little paid advertising, relying on his channel as the marketing engine.
3. Beast Games and the Amazon deal
Performance and records
Beast Games launched on Amazon Prime Video on 19 December 2024. It featured 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize that was doubled to $10 million in the finale, a record for a competitive reality show. Amazon said it drew 50 million viewers in 25 days, and Guinness recorded 44 world records. Amazon renewed it for two more seasons in May 2025. Season 3 is in production and is going global, with a prize of $5 million.
Finances and legal risk
The finances are less glamorous. Wikipedia reports that Jimmy Donaldson called his reported $100 million Amazon deal a poor financial decision after losing tens of millions of dollars on it, and La República, citing Bloomberg, said the first season lost money after more than $100 million in spending. The show has also drawn legal risk: in September 2024, five former contestants filed a class action in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging unsafe conditions and unpaid expenses. The company’s spokesperson blamed external factors such as a global IT outage and extreme weather.
4. Viewstats: software for creators
Viewstats launched in December 2023, co-founded with Chucky Appleby, who worked at MrBeast headquarters and served as chief executive. It turns the analytics MrBeast uses internally into a public tool for other creators. A Pro tier at $49.99 a month followed in May 2024, and the company said it spent about $2 million converting internal tools into products. Bloomberg reporting says it is now owned by Beast Industries.
5. Lunchly
Unveiled in September 2024 as a joint venture with KSI and Logan Paul, Lunchly sells snack kits positioned against Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables, combining Feastables bars and Prime drinks. The launch hit an October 2024 controversy over reports of moldy cheese. Fast Company reported in 2026 that the brand survived and still sells four kit varieties in stores. Bloomberg describes Beast Industries as a shareholder, not the sole owner.
6. Step: the fintech bet
The deal
On 9 February 2026 Beast Industries announced the acquisition of Step, a mobile banking and credit-building app for teenagers and young adults. The price was not disclosed. Coverage cites roughly 6.5 to 7 million users. Step had raised about $500 million from investors including Stripe, General Catalyst, Coatue and Steph Curry, per press reports. Housenbold said the deal supports financial literacy, and Jimmy Donaldson said the same on X.
Context and risks
The move followed a trademark filing for MrBeast Financial in October 2025 and the BitMine investment, under which Beast Industries said it would explore decentralized finance in a planned financial platform. Forbes ran a February 2026 piece on the risks of a creator becoming a fintech entrepreneur, and the history matters: in April 2021 Jimmy Donaldson became an investor and long-term partner in the neobank Current, his first ownership stake taken as part of a sponsorship, and the same month fans lost money in a cryptocurrency venture he had endorsed.
7. Beast Mobile
At the New York Times DealBook Summit in December 2025, Housenbold announced a phone company, Beast Mobile, expected to run as a virtual network operator on an existing carrier’s network, as Mint Mobile does. Job listings in October 2026 for telecom account strategists suggest the commercial side is being built, but launch details and pricing were not confirmed in the sources reviewed here.
8. MrBeast Lab toys, Beast Animations and apparel
The toy line launched in 2024 with prices reported between $5 and $25, supported by the Beast Animations channel. Forbes lists toy and clothing licensing among Beast Industries’ businesses, and the company is hiring a director of apparel design. This line has had much less marketing push than Feastables.
9. Beast Philanthropy
Launched in September 2020 with a dedicated food bank, the nonprofit says it donates all channel advertising revenue, brand deals and merchandise proceeds to charity. The company reports more than 46 million meals delivered. Campaigns with Mark Rober raised more than $24 million for Team Trees, more than $34 million for Team Seas and more than $41 million for Team Water in 2025. Critics have called some videos spectacle, and he has answered that he does not profit from them and that systemic problems need government action.
10. Live and experiential: Beast Land
Beast Land was a temporary theme park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, run from 13 November to 27 December 2025 as part of Riyadh Season, with rides based on his videos. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Also Read: MrBeast Joins Shark Tank as Beast Industries Chases Legitimacy Beyond YouTube
11. Books, television and Shark Tank
He and James Patterson published the thriller The Most Dangerous Games with William Morrow on 1 September 2026. ABC announced in July 2026 that he would be a guest investor on season 18 of Shark Tank, alongside Housenbold. He also voices roles in films and appeared on Survivor 50, which adds reach but is not a major revenue line.
12. Earlier and smaller investments
- Backbone: an early investor in the mobile gaming controller company behind the Backbone One (2020).
- Juice Funds: a $2 million pool launched in March 2021 with Creative Juice to invest in emerging creators.
- Current: the neobank investment described above (2021).
- East Carolina University: a 2022 plan for a creator-industry credential program that, per USA Today in October 2025, had not materialized.
13. MrBeast Burger: the cautionary exit
MrBeast Burger launched in December 2020 as a delivery-only virtual restaurant with Virtual Dining Concepts, expanding to about 2,000 locations and opening its first physical restaurant at American Dream in New Jersey on 4 September 2022. In July 2023 Jimmy Donaldson sued the partner over quality, citing thousands of negative reviews and saying he had not received a dime. The partner countersued for damages in the nine-figure range and denied most claims. In 2024, Jimmy Donaldson said he was moving on. This report did not confirm the final outcome of the litigation, so check the court record before citing it.
Deals and fees: where the money comes from
- Amazon Prime Video: a reported $100 million production deal for Beast Games, with financial losses acknowledged by Jimmy Donaldson.
- BitMine: $200 million equity investment (January 2026), terms undisclosed.
- Series C: about $300 million reported in late 2024, led by Alpha Wave.
- Sponsorships: his first brand deal, with Quidd in June 2017, paid $10,000, which he gave to a homeless man in a video. Brand deals have grown with his audience, and Beast Industries now hires strategic account executives for financial services, technology and telecom advertisers.
- Step acquisition: price undisclosed.
- Prize money: $10 million awarded in Beast Games season 1, and a large production budget for each season.
- Appearance and licensing fees: Beast Land, Shark Tank, and toy licensing terms are not public.
A note on earnings versus wealth: Forbes’ $300 million is annual income, and Fortune’s $2.6 billion is an estimate of his stake in a private company. Neither figure represents cash in his bank account.
Risks every investor and partner should weigh
- Key-person dependence. The channel, the brand, and the deal flow all depend on one person’s reputation and output.
- Platform dependence. YouTube still anchors distribution. The company’s plan to eventually run businesses beyond Jimmy Donaldson’s personal presence is aimed at this risk.
- Workplace and legal claims. These include a 2021 New York Times report of former employees alleging a hostile culture (Jimmy Donaldson rejected the claims), the 2024 Beast Games class action, and an April 2026 lawsuit by former employee Lorrayne Mavromatis alleging harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination, which Jimmy Donaldson denied.
- Brand and quality risk. The burger dispute and the Lunchly mold controversy show how a licensed or partnered product can damage the main brand.
- Regulatory and reputational risk in fintech. Financial services for minors, crypto exposure and trust issues are tougher than snack foods. Mexican authorities also questioned a 2025 video shot at Chichén Itzá that included Feastables promotion, and he said his team held full permits.
- Projection risk. Many headline numbers are forecasts from investor decks.
What business leaders can learn from MrBeast?
- Own the distribution, then build products on top. The channel acts as a free marketing engine for Feastables and the other brands.
- Reinvest early. He has said he prefers to plough revenue back into content, which explains the gap between income and cash.
- Bring in operators. Hiring Housenbold, a venture capitalist, marked the shift from creator to company.
- Fix the unit economics. Feastables was profitable when media was not, which is why investors rated it so highly.
- Control quality when you license. The burger dispute is a textbook case of losing control of a brand through a partner.
- Diversify beyond the founder. Software, consumer goods, fintech, and streaming spread risk, but each adds new regulation and execution risk.
- Be transparent about misses. Jimmy Donaldson publicly called the Amazon deal a poor financial decision. Candor builds credibility if it comes with fixes.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is MrBeast’s net worth in 2026?
Fortune estimated about $2.6 billion in January 2026, mostly his stake in Beast Industries. Other outlets give lower or higher figures, and the company’s financials are private.
2. How much does MrBeast earn?
Forbes estimates $300 million in earnings on its 2026 Top Creators list, where he ranks first.
3. What companies does MrBeast own?
Through Beast Industries: Feastables, a stake in Lunchly, Viewstats, MrBeast Lab toys and apparel licensing, the Beast Games production, the YouTube channels, and Step. Beast Mobile has been announced. Beast Philanthropy is a charity.
4. How much is Beast Industries worth?
About $5 billion, according to reports tied to investor materials. That is a private valuation, not a market price.
5. What is Feastables’ revenue?
About $250 million in 2024 with more than $20 million in profit, with projections of about $520 million in 2025.
6. Did MrBeast buy a bank?
He bought Step, a banking app for young people, in February 2026. Step is a fintech app and not a chartered bank itself, so check how its banking services are provided.
7. Who is the CEO of Beast Industries?
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