How Much Did youtube Raise? Funding & Key Investors

Date August 22, 2025
Y

youtube

COMPANY INFO

YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, all former PayPal employees. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, YouTube operates as a subsidiary of Google LLC and serves a global audience. The company has approximately 7,173 employees as of 2025 and generates revenue primarily through advertising and paid content subscriptions. YouTube is the second-most-visited website worldwide, offering a platform for users to upload, share, and view videos across various categories including music, news, entertainment, and education. Its official website is youtube.com, and it operates within the internet and video hosting service industries.

How Much Did YouTube, Inc. Raise? Funding & Rounds and Investors

YouTube, Inc. is a leading American social media and online video sharing platform founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, YouTube has rapidly grown to become the second-most-visited website worldwide. The company employs over 7,000 people and provides a comprehensive platform for users to upload, share, and view videos across diverse categories including music, news, entertainment, and education. Operating within the internet and video hosting service industries, YouTube serves a global audience and primarily monetizes its services through advertising and paid content subscriptions.

YouTube, Inc. funding history reflects a focused strategy geared towards rapid development and widespread adoption. Across two major funding rounds, the company raised a total of $11.5 million. The initial Series A round was pivotal for early product and platform development, while the subsequent Series B round fueled market expansion and operational scale. Key investors such as Sequoia Capital and Artis Ventures played instrumental roles in backing YouTube's growth prior to its landmark acquisition by Google. The company’s concise funding journey highlights its swift ascent and the strategic confidence of its early backers.

Funding Rounds

Series B - $8M - 2006-04-01

This Series B round provided crucial capital for YouTube’s market expansion and scaling operations, positioning the company for global reach and technical fortification ahead of its acquisition.

Series A - $3.5M - 2005-11-01

The Series A funding was aimed at product development and building the core platform, enabling YouTube to accelerate user growth and introduce critical features necessary for early adoption.

Key Investors

Sequoia Capital

Sequoia Capital is a prominent venture capital firm recognized for early investments in transformative technology companies. As the lead investor in both YouTube, Inc. funding rounds, Sequoia’s commitment was critical in providing financial stability, product guidance, and operational expertise during YouTube's formative period.

Artis Ventures

Artis Ventures participated in the Series B funding round, supporting YouTube, Inc. investment at a pivotal stage of growth. Their involvement reinforced investor confidence in YouTube's venture capital trajectory and helped solidify its position for expansion.

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