Dude Perfect®, the leading family-friendly sports and entertainment group, and Highmount Capital®, a private investment firm focused on early growth-stage and middle market investments in transformative technology, media and growth-oriented platforms, today announced a strategic partnership to fuel Dude Perfect’s growth and influence on and beyond traditional channels. The partnership includes a 9-figure growth capital investment, which Dude Perfect will use to pursue bold new opportunities and projects, add to their slate of creative partnerships, and build a robust management team to lead the group to new heights.
“The mission of Dude Perfect is to serve families with the most trusted entertainment on earth,” said Coby Cotton from Dude Perfect. “By partnering with Highmount Capital, we hope to pour gas on the fire and take the Dude Perfect fun that families have witnessed on screens these past 15 years and turn it into real life products and memory-making experiences they can actually touch and feel for themselves.”
Dude Perfect – composed of Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney, Cory Cotton, and Coby Cotton – started with a trickshot video in 2009 and has since amassed a following of 100 million+ who loyally tune in for family-friendly entertainment, consume the group’s various partnerships spanning retail, food & beverage, and more, and show up to experience the group’s one-of-a-kind live events.
“The Dudes have truly captured the hearts and minds of the next generation, pioneering the new creator-led media space and expanding far beyond video and traditional channels,” said Jason Illian, Co-Founder and General Partner at Highmount Capital. “In addition to creating content that garners billions of views every year, which is an impressive feat on its own, the Dudes have built something even more valuable and that is trust – trust with families, brands, and consumers of all ages and backgrounds.”
“The name ‘Dude Perfect’ is synonymous with creative, fun, and wholesome entertainment at the intersection of sports and comedy. The Dudes’ success over the past 15 years is an incredible foundation upon which the next phase of growth will be built,” said David Hawkins, Co-Founder and General Partner at Highmount Capital. “We are excited and humbled to partner with Dude Perfect to expand its reach and impact and cement it as an enduring brand for many years to come.”
The strategic partnership with Highmount Capital is the latest in a series of impactful activations for the creator group including the forthcoming Dude Perfect headquarters in Frisco, Texas, which will provide valuable space for content creation, community events with athletes – from high school to professional – a retail store, and new spaces for podcasts and gaming; a multi-city international tour, which comes in response to overwhelming global fan demand; the Dude Perfect streaming app, where fans enjoy Dude Perfect’s content along with new outtakes and content; and the upcoming ESPN ’30 for 30′ documentary titled ‘Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot’ focused on the group, which will air at the Dallas International Film Festival in April 2024.
CAA Evolution served as the exclusive financial advisor to Dude Perfect and King & Spalding acted as its legal advisor. Highmount Capital was represented by Stinson LLP.
About Dude Perfect
Dude Perfect® is the leading family-friendly sports and entertainment group in the world. Since launching their YouTube channel 15 years ago as college roommates at Texas A&M University, Dude Perfect has amassed a total following of over 100 million through their “sports adjacent” content, hundreds of trick shots, content franchises on YouTube including “Stereotypes”, “Overtime”, “Bucket List”, sold-out national arena live tours and content collaborations with some of the world’s most famous athletes and celebrities. Beyond content, the Dudes inspire and engage with fans around the world with their top selling books, mobile games, board games and toys, retail and food and beverage partnerships, merchandise, and more. The Dudes – Tyler “The Bearded Guy” Toney, twin brothers Cory and Coby Cotton, Cody “The Tall Guy” Jones and Garrett “The Purple Hoser” Hilbert – have come to define accessible family-friendly entertainment on YouTube and beyond. For more on Dude Perfect, check out their YouTube channel @dudeperfect or visit www.dudeperfect.com.
About Highmount Capital
Highmount Capital® is a private investment firm focused on early growth-stage and middle market investments in transformative technology, media and growth-oriented platforms. We build long-term partnerships with bold, high-potential, principled entrepreneurs to create enduring companies. Highmount Capital was founded by Jason Illian and David Hawkins. For more information about Highmount Capital, visit www.highmountcap.com.
