Sep 30, 2026 · 53 min
Jake Paul and the Chainsmokers turn attention into operating leverage
Jake Paul & The Chainsmokers: Turning Fame into Funds, Jake Enters Politics? & Venture Bubble Signs
The episode tests whether fame creates durable value only when paired with execution, domain expertise, and disciplined capital allocation.
- 1Jake Paul treats audience reach as a business asset spanning media, sport, investing, philanthropy, and possible politics.
- 2The Chainsmokers argue that celebrity opens doors in venture but cannot replace sustained work, judgment, or investor returns.
- 3The panel links inflated startup valuations, complex deal structures, and weak liquidity to warning signs of bubble behavior.
Don't miss
The panel connects inflated unicorn valuations, secondary transactions, and complex deal structures to potential bubble behavior.
The brief
Jake Paul traces his path from Vine creator to boxer, investor, and entrepreneur, arguing that attention becomes valuable when paired with execution and operating expertise.
His proposed flywheel connects content, fighting, investing, philanthropy, and a possible political future, with free boxing gyms and women’s boxing as examples of his broader ambitions.
The Chainsmokers describe moving from music and touring into technology investing, using entrepreneurial and go-to-market experience while focusing on cyber, AI, infrastructure, deep tech, and health tech.
Their venture discussion strips away celebrity glamour: venture is illiquid and competitive, fame can trigger skepticism, and returns—not access—ultimately determine credibility.
The panel’s sharpest warning arrives around unicorn valuations, secondary transactions, and complex structures that can disguise weak fundamentals or signal bubble behavior.
Across both interviews, the conclusion is consistent: attention may open doors, but mastery, persistence, and years of work determine whether it compounds.
What was said on this episode
28 statements · 15 positive · 7 negative · 6 neutral
Attention is now among the most valuable currencies.
“The world has shifted to attention being one of the most valuable currencies.”
Listen at 0:14
Jake Paul aims to become world champion and exit a company for $1 billion.
“Definitely becoming world champion, and I want to exit a company for $1 billion.”
Listen at 0:33
Vine died within months after top creators stopped posting there.
“We all stopped posting on the platform, transitioned to posting on Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat. And within a couple of months, Vine died out.”
Listen at 4:22
Streaming platforms must cooperate to solve harmful-content problems.
“So if they don't come together to solve the problem, then I don't think the problem will be solved.”
Listen at 6:32
UFC pays fighters roughly 15% of total revenue versus 50% elsewhere.
“So they pay their fighters roughly 15% of their total revenue, which in other professional sports leagues it's 50%, 5-0.”
Listen at 10:41
MVP’s merger with PFL will produce an exciting next couple of years.
“we just merged with PFL and it's going to be a very exciting next couple of years.”
Listen at 11:46
Bringing attention to companies and cap tables is extremely valuable to founders.
“But bringing attention to a company and to a cap table is something that we've found to be extremely valuable and something that founders need and want.”
Listen at 12:31
Attention-seeking without building quality products creates downside.
“if people forget to build great things and are focused on just building something to gain attention and to have eyeballs and to make it seem like they're doing something big. That's, that's where there can be downside.”
Listen at 12:55
Jake Paul advised OpenAI to launch a social media app.
“I actually was the one that told them like, hey, this could be a good idea for you to launch a social media app”
Listen at 14:22
Anti Fund intends to compete with Sequoia on five-year DPI and IRR.
“compare me to the Sequoias of the world, our DPI and IRR, and let's see who does better over the next 5 years.”
Listen at 15:09
Anti Fund invests across early-stage and growth-stage companies.
“we have a barbell approach. First check-in, helping founders build their company from the ground floor, identifying talent, or going in growth stage”
Listen at 15:45
Jake Paul’s fighting brings attention to his other businesses.
“When I'm fighting, It brings attention to all of my other businesses.”
Listen at 16:39
Jake Paul’s foundation has opened 40 free boxing gyms for children.
“I have a foundation that we've opened up 40 gyms for kids to go and box in for free.”
Listen at 17:00
Politics is among the best ways to create change in the world.
“I believe that the best way to— it's one of the best ways to make change in the world.”
Listen at 17:31
Future officeholders will have built-in social-media followings.
“I believe that the future people in office will have a natural built-in following that they can talk to.”
Listen at 18:23
Social-media-native figures will become future leaders and capture votes.
“These are the future leaders of the next generation who will have that built-in following and be able to capture the vote.”
Listen at 18:59
The Chainsmokers expect to remain in Las Vegas indefinitely.
“we've been in Vegas for 10 years, and I think we are gonna be— we're gonna die there.”
Listen at 21:17
Spotify receives 300,000 song uploads daily.
“now there are 300,000 songs being uploaded to Spotify every day.”
Listen at 25:32
Artists may soon reject traditional label contracts and go direct.
“I think we're like on the precipice of that.”
Listen at 28:16
DJ touring has substantially better economics for the Chainsmokers.
“And luckily for us, like, we came up in dance music. We were DJs before we were anything. And that's a big part of, I guess, our touring business. And, and there's vastly better economics there.”
Listen at 29:50
The Chainsmokers’ venture firm invests at Series A without leading rounds.
“We invest in Series A stage companies. We don't take lead positions.”
Listen at 34:05
Large amounts of liquidity are currently entering venture markets.
“there is so much liquidity going into everything right now”
Listen at 40:29
Some venture companies may be marked up despite weak long-term prospects.
“there's a ton of companies where you're like, I know this is just going to get marked up, but I just don't see the vision long-term for where this company heads.”
Listen at 40:59
Dandy and Fun1 has doubled annually and begun international expansion.
“Dandy and Fun1, which is an amazing company that continues to double every single year, just started international expansion.”
Listen at 46:29
Unicorn status should be defined by revenue rather than valuation.
“being a unicorn now really should be redefined, redefined not on the valuation, on the revenue.”
Listen at 50:41
Chamath defines a unicorn as a company with $1 billion revenue.
“I consider unicorns a billion in revenue.”
Listen at 50:46
Second-tranche investors sometimes pay two to three times initial valuations without performance improvement.
“the guy piling on on that second tranche is paying a significant markup, sometimes 2x or 3x what the company is initially valued at, for absolutely no change in underlying performance.”
Listen at 51:23
Large valuation markups without performance improvement indicate bubble behavior.
“That's bubble behavior, by the way.”
Listen at 51:33
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
Featuring
Jake Paul
Alex Pall
Drew Taggart
The Chainsmokers
Sequoia Capital
X (formerly Twitter)
Google/YouTube
UberListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.