Yes Theory

What Yes Theory does

Yes Theory is a private media and community company founded in 2015 in Montreal, Canada by Ammar Kandil, Thomas Brag, Matt Dajer, and Derin, and now headquartered in Venice, California. The company operates a multi-platform content business anchored by a YouTube channel featuring documentary-style adventure videos built around the 'Seek Discomfort' philosophy, supplemented by the Yes Theory Podcast distributed across Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher. Its product portfolio includes the Seek Discomfort apparel brand (launched 2018) sold direct-to-consumer at SeekDiscomfort.com, a travel booking platform at travel.yestheory.com powered by MilesAddict, the Yes Club membership program, and the Yes Fam global community organized across regional Facebook groups and a Discord server. The underlying technology stack is conventional digital content creation and distribution, community management tooling, e-commerce, and a third-party travel affiliate integration, with no proprietary AI, software platform, or patented technology identified.

Yes Theory monetizes through five primary streams: YouTube advertising revenue, brand-sponsored video content (Google Pixel, SeatGeek, Bumble, Audible, Skillshare, Amazon/Destination Canada, United Nations, Walmart), podcast sponsorships (Headspace, Liquid I.V., Green Chef, Talkspace, PayPal, LinkedIn), merchandise sales through Seek Discomfort apparel, and affiliate/referral fees from the MilesAddict-powered travel booking service. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, leveraging the Yes Fam network spanning Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Oceania, and the USA, combined with event-driven flagship content moments such as the 2018 YouTube Originals documentary 'The Jump' with Will Smith that reached over 100 million viewers worldwide. The company serves two distinct customer sets: a consumer audience of personal-growth enthusiasts and community members, and enterprise brand partners seeking authentic reach to engaged millennial and Gen Z demographics. The company has not disclosed institutional funding and appears to remain founder-owned, with a current headcount in the 11-50 range.

Name

Yes Theory

Legal name

YES THEORY

Website

https://yestheory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yes Theory is a private media and community company producing adventure documentary content on YouTube, podcasts, and apparel under the 'Seek Discomfort' brand, monetizing via sponsorships, advertising, merchandise, and travel affiliate referrals for a global community of personal-growth seekers and enterprise brand partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media and Lifestyle Entertainment

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Q&A Knowledge Communities (MPACAJAD)

Keywords

• Digital content production
• Branded video entertainment
• Lifestyle apparel brand
• Online community platform
• Adventure media publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Brand Partnerships and Sponsorships: Sponsored video content with brands including Google Pixel, SeatGeek, United Nations, Bumble, Skillshare, Audible, Amazon/Destination Canada, and Walmart. Features adventure experiences integrating brand products and services.
2. Merchandise Sales: Seek Discomfort branded lifestyle apparel line launched in 2018, sold through SeekDiscomfort.com.
3. Travel Services: Travel booking platform (travel.yestheory.com) powered by MilesAddict, offering flights and hotel bookings as an affiliate/referral model.
4. YouTube Ad Revenue: Ad revenue from YouTube channel content including the YouTube Originals documentary series.
5. Podcast Sponsorships: Sponsored podcast episodes with ad reads for products like Headspace, Liquid I.V., Green Chef, Talkspace, PayPal, LinkedIn.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Yes Theory is a multi-platform media and lifestyle brand built around the "Seek Discomfort" philosophy. It produces documentary-style adventure video content on YouTube, publishes a podcast featuring expert guests, sells lifestyle apparel under the Seek Discomfort sub-brand, operates a travel booking platform for flights and hotels, and cultivates a global community called the Yes Fam across Facebook, Discord, and Instagram.

Product overview

Yes Theory is a multi-platform media and community brand built around the philosophy of 'Seek Discomfort.' The core offerings include a YouTube channel producing documentary-style adventure videos, the Yes Theory Podcast featuring expert conversations and personal narratives, and the Seek Discomfort lifestyle apparel line. Additional products include Yes Theory Travel (powered by MilesAddict) for booking flights and hotels, the Yes Club membership with exclusive content, and the Yes Fam global community with regional Facebook groups and Discord. The ecosystem is unified by the mission to help people find life's greatest moments outside their comfort zones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seek Discomfort: Lifestyle apparel brand for the Seekers movement

Products and services

• Yes Theory YouTube Channel Primary video content platform featuring documentary-style adventure videos, challenges, and collaborations centered on the Seek Discomfort philosophy. Reached 1M+ subscribers by 2018.
• Yes Theory Podcast Audio podcast series featuring weekly conversations with expert guests, authors, athletes, and thought leaders on personal growth topics. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher.
• Seek Discomfort Apparel Lifestyle apparel brand offering clothing and merchandise featuring the Seek Discomfort branding and movement messaging, sold through SeekDiscomfort.com.
• Yes Theory Travel Travel booking platform powered by MilesAddict, offering flight search across 500+ airlines and hotel price comparison with no hidden fees. Operates on an affiliate referral model.
• Yes Club Newsletter Membership and newsletter program titled '1 Minute Every Friday' offering weekly lessons, tips, and tricks from ten years of seeking discomfort, delivered via Substack.
• Yes Fam Community Global community of Yes Theory followers organized by region with local Facebook groups and a Discord server for connection, meetups, and real-time community engagement.

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Will Smith / YouTube OriginalsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2018Documentary collaboration 'The Jump' where Yes Theory challenged Will Smith to bungee jump from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon on his 50th birthday. Watched by over 100 million people worldwide, featured in major publications from Variety to Vogue.
• Google (Pixel)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored video 'Two Strangers Swap Lives Across The World For 72 Hours' showcasing Google Pixel camera features and roaming capabilities. Generated 2.4m views.
• SeatGeekcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored video 'Spinning the Globe and Flying Wherever It Lands' featuring adventure to Great Barrier Reef showcasing SeatGeek's focus on experience deals. Generated 8.6m views.
• United NationsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable tourism partnership promoting carbon footprint reduction. Video 'Traveling On The World's Most Dangerous Road' traveled Bolivia showcasing sustainable travel methods. Generated 2.3m views.
• BumblecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content 'We Went To The World's Biggest Party' featuring Carnaval in Brazil. Showcased Bumble's Travel Mode feature allowing swiping in Brazil before traveling. Generated 1.8m views.
• SkillshareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo featuring travel to world's least visited country (Tuvalu) with Skillshare courses including travel photography. Generated 10.1m views.
• AudiblecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored video 'Overnight on the Most Dangerous Bed in the World!!' where Audible was used to stay calm during the dangerous overnight rope bed challenge in Arizona desert. Generated 5.1m views.
• Amazon Prime Video / Destination CanadacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOriginal series 'Vacations of the Brave' on Amazon Prime Video. Yes Theory surprised a hard-working American with the best day of her life. Generated 5.7m views.
• WalmartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership for content creation displayed in the 'Brands we've worked with' section on Work With Us page.
• HeadspacecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast sponsorship and 100-day meditation challenge partnership. Yes Theory partnered with Headspace for meditation content. Andy Puddicombe, Headspace co-founder, appeared as podcast guest. Code 'YesTheory' offered for 30 days free.
• MilesAddictcoreTechnology or IntegrationTravel booking technology powering travel.yestheory.com platform for flights (500+ airlines) and hotels with no hidden fees.
• SnapchatflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly career inflection point when Snapchat recruited Yes Theory to leave Montreal and move to Venice, CA to create videos for the platform.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MrBeast (Beast Industries): Largest YouTube-native media brand and the gold-standard comparable for creator-led businesses built on viral video, sponsorships, merchandise, and philanthropy. Same business model architecture (content → sponsorships → D2C) and similar Gen Z audience, but at vastly larger scale.
• Dude Perfect: YouTube-native entertainment brand built around challenge/stunt content with comparable monetization across brand sponsorships, merchandise, and live shows. Closely aligned business model and target demographic.
• Nas Daily: Adventure and global storytelling YouTube creator with a built-in community, courses, and branded experiences. Most directly comparable on content format (daily adventure/positive storytelling), audience demographic, and lifestyle-brand extension playbook.
• Jay Shetty (On Purpose Media): Personal growth creator-turned-media-brand with a top-ranked podcast, courses, and live events. Closely mirrors Yes Theory's personal-growth positioning, premium podcast sponsorships (Headspace-class), and community monetization model.
• Tim Ferriss: Pioneer podcast-led personal development brand with premium sponsorships, newsletter, courses, and books. Comparable in target audience (self-improvement seekers) and podcast-centric monetization, with more mature product extensions.
• Watcher Entertainment: YouTube-first media company built around creator-led video content, premium memberships, and brand sponsorships. Directly comparable business model architecture and audience targeting.
• Drew Binsky: Travel adventure creator with global community, sponsorships, and travel affiliate integrations. Closely comparable content vertical (global travel/adventure) and brand-partnership monetization.

Emerging players

• Headspace: Direct partner of Yes Theory (podcast sponsorship, 100-day meditation challenge) and the dominant premium meditation/wellness brand. Overlapping audience and content verticals, but a much larger productized subscription business.
• Gymshark: Creator-influencer-driven global apparel brand. Comparable on the Seek Discomfort lifestyle apparel extension playbook and community-driven D2C economics, though at a vastly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Smosh: Established YouTube-first comedy media brand with significant subscriber base, brand partnerships, and merchandise. Comparable business model and creator-led media structure, though in a different content vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yestheory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvK4bOhULCpmLabd2pDMtnA
• Facebookfacebook.com/yestheory
• Instagraminstagram.com/yestheory
• TikToktiktok.com/@yestheory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yes Theory