Brian Nichols is the co-founder of Angel Squad, a community where you’ll learn how to angel invest and get a chance to invest as little as $1k into Hustle Fund's top performing early-stage startups

Emma Chamberlain grew up in San Bruno, California, the daughter of an artist father. She has described her family's finances as tight. She started making YouTube videos in 2017 at 16, initially about fashion and lifestyle. Her editing style was raw and self-deprecating in a way that contrasted sharply with the polished aesthetic most creators were producing. She built an audience that identified with her.

She left school early to pursue content creation full time. By the time she was 18, she was earning millions from YouTube advertising and brand deals. She signed with a talent agency and appeared on magazine covers. She became one of the most followed creators of her generation.

Chamberlain Coffee

Emma Chamberlain investments started with her own brand. She launched Chamberlain Coffee in 2019, initially as a direct-to-consumer mail-order coffee company. The product line expanded to include beans, instant packets, matcha, cold brew, and canned lattes. The brand grew through her social channels without traditional retail distribution.

The first outside funding round closed in 2020. By 2022, Chamberlain Coffee had raised $7 million from Blazar Capital, the founders of the Ole & Steen bakery chain, Grin founder Brandon Brown, and marketing expert Nik Sharma. UTA Ventures also became an investor. Total raised across four rounds reached $19.6 million from 14 investors. The Series A closed in February 2024.

Retail distribution expanded to 8,500-plus stores. The brand entered Walmart, Target, Costco, and Sprouts. That kind of shelf space for a young DTC brand is meaningful. It also created operational complexity. In 2024, the company faced supply chain issues from a supplier problem, posted losses, and struggled to raise additional capital. Multiple investors declined. The company's valuation fell from a peak of approximately $54 million in 2022 to around $20 million.

Eric Bahn of Hustle Fund has written about how consumer brands built on founder identity face a specific kind of scaling risk: if the brand and the person are too fused, growth requires the founder to remain at the center of everything. Chamberlain Coffee has navigated that tension by promoting Chamberlain to co-CEO in 2024 and building operational infrastructure around her creative presence. Angel Squad members evaluating creator-led brands think through exactly that separation.

The Pivot and the Cafe

In 2025, the company shifted strategy: profitability over growth, streamlined SKUs, fewer retail doors, more cafes. The first Chamberlain Coffee Cafe opened at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles in January 2025 to large crowds and significant press. Four additional cafe locations were announced with a large publicly traded company as a financial partner.

The 2025 revenue forecast was $33 million, up 53% from 2024. If achieved, that would return the company to profitability.

She also has Angel Squad status: she made one angel investment outside her own brand, though the details have not been disclosed publicly.

Beyond the business, her cultural footprint is substantial. She was named a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton in 2023. She interviewed celebrities and world leaders for Vogue's Met Gala coverage. She launched a podcast, Anything Goes, with millions of listeners.

The Content Moat

What separates Chamberlain Coffee from most influencer brands is the depth of Chamberlain's ongoing content production. She posts consistently across YouTube, Instagram, and her podcast Anything Goes, which has millions of listeners. That content directly drives coffee brand awareness and customer acquisition without paid advertising.

Most influencer brands spend their best growth years in a race against the clock: the founder's cultural moment fades, and the brand has to find a new acquisition engine. Chamberlain's content output has been consistent and evolving since 2017. She has maintained relevance longer than almost any creator of her generation.

She has also been deliberate about not overmonetizing her personal platforms in ways that undermine audience trust. The coffee brand is promoted within her content, but her channels are not purely promotional. That restraint protects both the creative brand and the business brand simultaneously.

Shiyan Koh of Hustle Fund has observed that the most interesting creator-led businesses are those where the founder has genuine expertise in the product category, not just a large audience. Chamberlain has said she was obsessed with coffee before she started the brand. That product conviction is what separates durable creator brands from licensing arrangements. Angel Squad members evaluating creator economy investments look for that distinction at hustlefund.vc/squad.