A London-based creator monetisation platform co-founded and led by a former FIFA YouTuber has raised $22 million (£16.4m) in a Series A round as it looks to scale its business and expand internationally.
Fanvue, which was co-founded by Joel Morris, Will Monange and Harry Fitzgerald, only launched in 2022 but has now surpassed $100m in ARR.
Morris has been a household name in the creator industry for over a decade, growing his now mainly dormant YouTube channel, JMX, to 2.4m subscribers.
He previously created videos on popular video games including FIFA and Fortnite, and then turned to YouTube boxing before fully focusing on Fanvue.
The funding for the business was led by Inner Circle, with backing from a group of founders and investors spanning tech, finance, sport and entertainment.
Other supporters include Moonbug founder René Rechtman, the founders of UK unicorn Marshmallow and partners from several European venture firms.
The startup now serves more than 17m monthly active users and is home to around 250,000 creators.
It claims more than 93% of them have used at least one of its in-house AI tools, including analytics, voice and content features.
“AI is redefining the creator economy,” said James Cox, co-founder of Inner Circle.
“Fanvue isn’t reacting to that shift; they are pioneering it. Joel, Will, Harry and the team are building the category-defining platform, enabling creators globally to monetise their audiences at scale.
“We’re proud to be their partner, opening up our community’s access, influence and distribution as they scale.”
Could a UK social media ban for under-16s be on the horizon?
Fanvue’s leadership team operates from a hub in Canary Wharf and the business said its global headcount has grown from 42 to 115 over the past 12 months.
It also reported a 450% year-on-year rise in revenue and was recently named “Fastest Growing Company in Europe” at the International Business Awards.
The company has also moved to increase its presence in mainstream creator circles, including the signing of Swiss footballer and influencer Alisha Lehmann, who has more than 16m Instagram followers.
It plans to use the funding to accelerate global expansion, hire talent and further develop its AI capabilities, as it positions itself around what it describes as a new “creator AI economy”.
Fanvue also saw more than 20,000 creators join the platform last month, with further creator partnerships expected to be announced in early 2026.
Morris, who serves as the company’s CEO, added: “We’ve quietly been building a world-class team from our London base, hiring from Amazon and TikTok in key leadership positions to deliver on our vision to transform how creators monetise content on a global scale.
“This fundraise enables us to accelerate those plans. We’re just getting started.”