Channel F

Name

Channel F

Legal name

Channel F GmbH

Website

https://channel-f.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Company Building and Investment Returns: Channel F builds and invests in startups for the creator economy, developing brands from idea through financing to scaling. They build dedicated startup teams and act as active shareholders, generating returns through equity stakes in portfolio companies.
2. Strategic Consulting: Channel F advises companies, management, and agencies on strategic direction in influencer marketing, helping partners generate growth and navigate transformation pressures in the creator economy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Channel F is a company builder and investor that develops brands for the creator economy, either independently or jointly with influencers, managing the full lifecycle from idea development and financing through to scaling. The firm assembles dedicated startup teams including management and all key positions, provides operational support until appropriate personnel is in place, and then acts as an active shareholder in the resulting company. As a complementary service, Channel F provides strategic consulting to companies, management teams, and agencies on influencer marketing transformation and growth.

Product overview

Channel F is a company builder and investor focused on the creator economy. The company develops brands either independently or collaboratively with influencers, managing the full lifecycle from idea development through financing to scaling. Channel F builds dedicated teams for startups including management and key positions, supporting in all areas until appropriate personnel is found, after which Channel F acts as an active shareholder. The company also provides consulting services advising companies, management, and agencies on strategic direction in influencer marketing. The portfolio companies referenced include: Dogs Tiger, Audiotool, AAB Sport, WTF Social, Ins.gg, Shikenso, Coach OS, and BETR (a vegan burger restaurant venture).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Company Building & Investment in Creator-Economy Brands

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 400 million monthly views on YouTube achieved through flow:fwd
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• flow:fwdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerflow:fwd was founded by Channel F founders Markus Frey and Pepe Wietholz in 2014/2015 as a leading German influencer management company. After being sold to Webedia Group, they built it into the leading German influencer agency on YouTube with over 400 million monthly views. This represents the founders' primary prior venture and track record that informs Channel F's approach.
• Dogs Tiger (dogs-tiger.de)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio in the creator economy.
• Audiotool (audiotool.com)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio, related to music/audio technology in creator space.
• AABSport (aabsport.dk)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio in the sports/athletics space.
• WTF Social (wtf.social)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio in social media/creator platform space.
• ins.ggminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio.
• Shikenso (shikenso.com)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio.
• Coach OSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio company in Channel F's investment portfolio.
• BETRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBETR is Sascha Hellinger's vegan burger restaurant opened in Hamburg in May 2025, representing Channel F's involvement in creator-branded physical products. Everything is vegan-focused with emphasis on great taste rather than health positioning.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio71: Global creator-economy company and multi-platform influencer network (ProSiebenSat.1 subsidiary) that develops creator-led brands and content businesses. Highly comparable in building commercial ventures around individual creators at scale.
• Founders Factory: Global company builder and investor that co-creates startups with operators and corporate partners, providing dedicated teams and active shareholder support. Closely mirrors Channel F's model of hands-on portfolio company building.
• Antler: Global company builder that builds startups 'from idea to scale' with founding teams, mentorship, and capital. Directly comparable to Channel F's venture-building model and full-stack team-construction approach, even though Antler is vertical-agnostic.
• Divimove: Hamburg-based creator-economy company builder and influencer network (RTL Group subsidiary) operating an almost identical model of building brands and businesses around creators in Germany. Most directly comparable peer given shared geography and venture-building approach.
• Pulse Advertising: Hamburg-based influencer marketing agency offering strategic consulting and influencer campaign services. Directly comparable to Channel F's consulting arm serving brands navigating the creator economy.
• Reachhero: Munich-based influencer marketing platform and agency operating in the DACH market with similar strategic-marketing and campaign-management capabilities as Channel F's consulting practice.

Broad incumbents

• Patreon: Major creator-economy platform enabling creators to monetize audiences via subscriptions and memberships. A broader incumbent whose growth and tooling shape the underlying market in which Channel F's portfolio companies operate.
• Webedia Group: French global media and tech group that acquired flow:fwd from Channel F's founders. A broader incumbent in the creator economy that overlaps strategically with Channel F and represents a likely acquirer profile for future portfolio exits.

Emerging players

• Jellysmack: Creator-economy company builder that partners with creators to build and scale multi-platform content businesses. Closely mirrors Channel F's equity-based approach to creator brand-building, though at a larger global scale.

Others

• Boldstart: Early-stage venture firm focused on enterprise and creator-economy infrastructure investing in founder-led startups. Relevant comparator for the capital-deployment side of Channel F's company-builder model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Channel F