Talk about literally owning your brand. Top Twitch streamer Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa, who made waves last year as a prominent figure during the streaming service’s “hot tub meta,” has recently purchased an inflatable pool company, she announced on Twitter today.
Siragusa teased the announcement on Twitter yesterday, writing, in all caps, “IF THIS POST GETS 400 LIKES I’LL REVEAL ANOTHER INVESTMENT I MADE. CRAZIER THAN A GAS STATION,” referring to her seven-figure purchase last year that, thanks to some complex tax math, resulted in essentially guaranteed personal profit. (As of this writing, yesterday’s tweet currently has 1,600 likes.)
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The inflatable pool tool company, which was not publicly named, does about $15 million of revenue per year, Siragusa noted on Twitter. It’s reportedly a major supplier to big-box stores like Amazon and Costco. It was purchased for a bit more than $10 million, of which half was “financed using low interest debt.” Siragusa, who described herself as an “LP of a private equity venture” in relation to the deal, has committed $7 million of her own money over a seven-year period. (In this instance, “LP” likely refers to “limited partner.”)
Going all-in on an inflatable pool tool company—or, to lift Siragusa’s words, a “consumer pool paraphernalia, accessories and inflatable toy product manufacturer”—is in-line with her brand. Last spring, as covid-19 infections hit an apex while vaccinations weren’t yet widely available, Twitch channels featuring streamers in hot tubs surged in popularity. Streamers, typically wearing swimsuits, would sit in a hot tub to chat or play games, thus falling in line with Twitch’s rules around clothing.
Speaking to Kotaku, Siragusa described the hot tub meta as a “Twitch Rorschach test,” in that someone’s opinion on the matter instantly reveals their biases.
“People extrapolate their own agenda onto the meta,” she said. “There are two re-occurring themes that people go back to: 1) Twitch is for gaming or 2) Twitch is unfair towards male streamers—alternatively, Twitch is more lenient on female streamers.”
In May, Twitch demonetized Siragusa’s channel—essentially, turned ad revenue off—without warning or explanation, ostensibly chalked up to her participation in the hot tub meta. (Her ad revenue eventually came back online.)
It’s unclear if Siragusa’s role in the hot tub meta influenced her purchase of an inflatable pool toy company. Siragusa did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.