This will enable Arcade to accelerate its expansion across EMEA, and marks its first external funding and fuels ambition to become the leading creator-first platform and build lasting IP that drives conversation and culture.

Founded in 2021 by Jordan Schwarzenberger, Sam Uwins and Aaron O’Neill, Arcade has set its sights on becoming the most exciting creator-first platform that offers creative solutions for brands and audiences across content, community, and consumer. At the heart of its model is a simple belief: the world is becoming talent and creator first. By uniting creators, audiences and brand services under one ecosystem, Arcade is shaping the next generation of IP-driven entertainment publishers that can help brands truly impact Gen Z and define global culture.

The investment from Lumina Media, founded by award-winning producer and entrepreneur Thomas Benski, will bring both capital and strategic expertise to expand Arcade’s platform, helping it to accelerate at the right inflection point in a growing creator economy - broadening its reach into new markets, formats and audiences.

Arcade, which has helped The Sidemen grow from 1 to 50 employees since it launched in 2021, has already proven the strength of its creator-first approach through its flagship partnership with The Sidemen – now one of the world’s most successful creator collectives with more than 130 million YouTube subscribers and 40 billion views. Arcade and The Sidemen have launched six businesses spanning food & beverage, venture capital and content production, including ventures into television, music, sponsorships, consumer products, and the direct-to-fan membership platform Side+.

With Schwarzenberger and Uwins spearheading the next chapter of Arcade, and O’Neill leading their in-house business management services, Arcade and Lumina will now work together to grow Arcade across EMEA and beyond. The investment will accelerate Arcade’s ability to help brands become creator-first, access The Sidemen’s unrivalled audience and expand creator IP into new formats and geographies.

Arcade and Lumina are both united in their belief that the creator economy represents the next great frontier of intellectual property, brand partnerships, and consumer engagement. Where Arcade brings the creative vision, talent infrastructure, and proven execution model, Lumina adds strategic expertise, a global network, and a track record of co-building talent-first platforms across entertainment and consumer industries.

Arcade marks Lumina’s 12th investment since the group launched in late 2024, reinforcing its strategy of growing talent and IP platforms at the intersection of content, community, and consumer. Arcade joins a portfolio that includes Carrousel Studios (with Omar Sy, Louis Leterrier, and Cecile Gaget), Magna Studios (with Marisa Clifford and Davud Karbassioun), Strike (the global kids’ sports IP and brand), and Creators Corp (a Webby Award-winning game studio) - together already generating more than $100m in combined revenues.

"Arcade is building exactly the kind of creator-led platform the market needs - where talent expands IP, builds brands, and engages consumers at scale. Jordan, Sam, and Aaron have already proved the power of their model with The Sidemen, and now we want to take it further: cementing The Sidemen as generational talent and IP with a truly global, multi-platform reach, while giving more creators the chance to become true entertainment powerhouses," said Thomas Benski, Founder and CEO, Lumina Media. "We’re proud to back visionaries like the team at Arcade and The Sidemen to seize this moment and capture the full scale of the opportunity.”

“Our mission at Arcade has always been to unlock the true potential of creators, helping them grow from content makers into culture-shaping brands. The Sidemen have shown what’s possible when you combine authentic talent with ambition, and their journey remains central to the future we’re building. With Thomas, and his team at Lumina as active partners, we now have the strategic platform to take this model further, helping brands scale their IP, to become truly creator first, and at the heart of global culture," said ordan Schwarzenberger, Co-Founder of Arcade.