Most YouTubers never escape the content hamster wheel. Kyle Forgeard did. The Canadian YouTuber started with a camera and zero dollars. Today? He’s sitting on a $25 million net worth that makes other content creators look like they’re playing Monopoly with fake money. This isn’t a story about ad revenue or sponsorship deals. It’s about a Nelk founder who figured out something most influencers miss: audiences are assets, not just attention.
Kyle transformed viral prank videos into an empire spanning merchandise, alcohol brands, and real estate. Let’s break down exactly how he did it.
Kyle Forgeard Net Worth At A Glance
Here’s what Kyle’s financial empire looks like today:
| Category | Details |
| Current Net Worth | $25 million (2025 estimate) |
| Primary Income Source | Happy Dad hard seltzer & Full Send merchandise |
| Secondary Revenue | YouTube channel, podcast, premium membership subscriptions |
| Age | 30 years old |
| First Million | Reached at approximately 24 years old |
| Monthly Earnings | Estimated $400K-$600K across all ventures |
Kyle’s wealth didn’t come from traditional YouTube monetization. Ad revenue became pocket change compared to what he built outside the platform. The Nelk Boys transformed from pranksters into businessmen who happen to make viral content.
His revenue breakdown tells the real story:
- Happy Dad Sales: 60% of income
- Full Send Apparel: 25% of income
- Digital Content/Subscriptions: 10% of income
- Investments & Other: 5% of income
Compare this to Danny Duncan ($7M) or even David Dobrik ($20M). Kyle’s entrepreneurial approach created wealth that compounds instead of depending on algorithm changes.
Who Is Kyle Forgeard?
Kyle John Forgeard was born in Mississauga, Ontario. No silver spoon. No trust fund. Just a kid who understood something critical: people crave authentic chaos in a filtered world.
Before becoming a millionaire entrepreneur, Kyle attended Ryerson University in Toronto for film. He didn’t finish. Why would he? The classroom couldn’t teach what the streets and a camera could. That decision to drop out and pursue content creation full-time separated him from people who play it safe.
His personality traits made success almost inevitable:
- Risk tolerance that makes other creators uncomfortable
- Marketing instinct that turns controversy into currency
- Partnership skills that built lasting business relationships
- Work ethic that sacrifices comfort for compound growth
Meeting Jesse Sebastiani changed everything. The two Canadians created chemistry that audiences couldn’t ignore. Their pranks pushed boundaries most YouTubers wouldn’t touch. That authenticity? It built the foundation for everything that followed.
Kyle’s not your typical video producer either. He thinks like a CEO who happens to make content. Most influencers chase views. Kyle chased ownership.
How Kyle Forgeard Got Rich From Youtube Channel Nelk
The Nelk Boys started in 2010. Success didn’t happen overnight.
Early prank videos like “Coke Prank on Cops” gained traction because they felt dangerous. Real. Unscripted in ways polished content never achieves. Kyle and Jesse built their subscriber count by doing what others feared: pushing boundaries without crossing into actual harm.
But here’s where most people misunderstand the story. YouTube ad revenue never made Kyle rich. The platform was a customer acquisition tool, not the business model.
The Full Send Revolution
In 2017, Kyle launched Full Send merchandise. The clothing brand became more than apparel—it represented a lifestyle. College kids and young adults wore it as identity. That’s when everything shifted.
Full Send generated millions while YouTube demonetized their channel repeatedly. Kyle didn’t panic. He’d already built the real asset: a loyal audience that bought whatever he sold.
The numbers tell the transformation story:
- 2015: Making $5K/month from YouTube ads
- 2017: Merchandise brings in $50K monthly
- 2019: Full Send hits $2M in annual sales
- 2021: Happy Dad hard seltzer launches, changes everything
- 2023: Combined ventures exceed $50M annual revenue
Happy Dad Hard Seltzer: The Real Goldmine
Launching an alcoholic beverage seemed insane. The Nelk Boys had no beverage industry experience. Distributors doubted them. Traditional business types called it reckless.
Kyle didn’t care about what “should” work. He knew his audience. College students and young professionals who trusted the Full Send brand would try anything the group endorsed. He was right.
Happy Dad became one of the fastest-growing hard seltzer brands in America. The product line captured market share from established players because it had something they didn’t: authentic connection with consumers.
Kyle’s stake in Happy Dad represents his largest wealth driver. Estimates suggest the brand’s valuation exceeds $150M, with Kyle holding a significant ownership percentage as a Nelk founder.
Beyond YouTube: Multiple Revenue Streams
The Full Send Podcast monetizes differently than typical shows. Premium membership subscriptions give fans exclusive access while creating recurring revenue. Live events sell out. Sponsorships from brands wanting to reach their demographic pay premium rates.
This diversified approach protects against platform risk. When YouTube demonetized Nelk content, revenue barely dropped. Kyle had built a business that owned its audience, not rented it from a social media platform.
How Kyle Forgeard Invests
Making millions and keeping millions require different skills. Kyle understood this early. His investment philosophy mirrors his content approach: bold moves, unconventional thinking, calculated risks.
Startups
Kyle became an angel investor in the creator economy. He backs companies building tools and platforms for influencers. This strategy makes sense—he lives in that world and understands pain points other investors miss.
His startup portfolio includes:
- Creator-focused technology platforms
- Entertainment and media companies
- Fellow YouTuber ventures where he provides capital and advice
Some bets paid off spectacularly. Others flopped. Kyle’s transparent about failures, which separates him from entrepreneurs who only showcase wins. He invested in a delivery app that folded within 18 months. Cost him $200K. He moved on.
The successful investments more than compensate. One early bet on a creator management platform returned 5x when a larger company acquired it. These business pursuits diversify wealth beyond his primary ventures.
NFTs
Kyle entered the NFT space during the 2021 boom. The Metacard project launched with massive hype. Initial sales generated millions.
Then the market crashed.
Kyle’s NFT investments lost significant value as the bubble burst. He’s honest about it: “We rode the wave up and didn’t exit fast enough.” The Nelk Boys’ Metacard NFTs that sold for thousands trade for pennies now.
But here’s what matters—Kyle treated NFTs as a calculated experiment, not his primary wealth strategy. The losses stung but didn’t devastate. He allocated only a small percentage of net worth to digital assets.
What did he learn? Hype cycles are real. Exit strategies matter. And sometimes you’re the one left holding the bag when music stops.
Real Estate
Property investment represents Kyle’s most traditional wealth-building strategy. He owns multiple properties across the United States, with concentrations in Miami and Newport Beach.
His real estate portfolio includes:
Investment Properties:
- Miami residential units generating rental income
- Newport Beach housing positioned for appreciation
- Los Angeles properties used for both business and personal purposes
Lifestyle Assets:
- A Miami penthouse serving as home and content backdrop
- California properties where Nelk content gets filmed
- Luxury realty that doubles as brand-building tools
Kyle’s approach differs from typical real estate investors. He views property through dual lenses: appreciation potential and content value. A mansion that looks great on camera provides marketing benefits beyond just being an asset on a balance sheet.
His strategy leans toward holding long-term rather than flipping. California and Florida markets offer both lifestyle benefits and solid fundamentals. As a Canadian YouTuber, he chose American markets for both business reasons and personal preference.
Kyle Forgeard Investing Quotes
Kyle drops wisdom in podcasts and interviews that reveals his business philosophy. These aren’t rehearsed corporate soundbites. They’re real insights from someone who built wealth unconventionally.
1. Know Your Worth
“Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re worth. If you believe in it, charge for it.” – Kyle Forgeard, Full Send Podcast
This mindset allowed Kyle to price Full Send merchandise at premium rates when competitors suggested going cheaper. He understood brand value transcends cost of goods. People pay for identity and belonging, not just cotton and polyester.
When launching Happy Dad, distributors wanted to position it as budget-friendly. Kyle refused. He knew his audience would pay premium prices for products they trusted. He was right. Happy Dad’s price point matches White Claw despite being newer.
How this applies to you:
- Research what similar products/services actually sell for
- Factor in your unique value proposition
- Don’t race to the bottom on pricing
- Test higher price points before assuming resistance
Your audience will tell you if you’re overpriced. They’ll also pay more than you think if you’ve built trust.
2. Learn Your Market
“We spent six months just talking to people who drink hard seltzer before we launched anything.” – Kyle Forgeard, interview
Most entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea and skip market research. Kyle did the opposite. Before Happy Dad launched, the Nelk Boys surveyed their audience, tested flavors, and studied competitor positioning.
That research revealed something critical: young consumers wanted a hard seltzer brand that felt authentic rather than corporate. Every major player felt like a big company trying to be cool. Happy Dad felt like friends who happened to make an alcoholic beverage.
When Kyle invests in startups, he asks founders tough questions about market understanding. Can they describe their customer’s daily routine? Do they know what competing products get used? Have they experienced the problem they’re solving?
Market ignorance kills more businesses than bad execution.
Action steps anyone can take:
- Spend 100 hours consuming competitor content
- Interview 50 potential customers before building anything
- Join communities where your target audience gathers
- Test assumptions with small experiments before big bets
3. Don’t Overthink Your Ideas
“We’ve killed more good ideas by overplanning than bad ideas by moving too fast.” – Kyle Forgeard
Kyle’s bias toward action built his empire. While others create business plans and pitch decks, he tests concepts in real markets. The first Full Send merchandise drop wasn’t professionally designed. They printed shirts and sold them at a live event to see if anyone cared.
People cared.
This approach isn’t reckless—it’s strategic. Small tests reveal truth that focus groups and market research miss. When Happy Dad launched, they didn’t try conquering the entire country. They focused on specific markets, learned fast, and expanded based on real data.
Balance matters though. Kyle admits rushing into the NFT space without fully understanding token economics cost him. Fast action works when you can afford the tuition from failures.
Framework for deciding when to move fast:
- Can you test small? If yes, move quickly
- Are losses catastrophic? If yes, plan more
- Does timing matter? If yes, speed trumps perfection
- Can you iterate? If yes, launch and improve
The Nelk Boys built their entire brand on this principle. Most of their early prank videos were shot in single takes with minimal planning. That rawness created authenticity polished content never achieves.
Conclusion
Kyle Forgeard’s journey from zero to a $25 million net worth wasn’t about lucky viral videos. It was about recognizing when you’ve built something bigger than content.
The Canadian YouTuber turned the Nelk Boys into a business empire by understanding what most influencers miss: platforms are distribution channels, not business models. YouTube gave him access to audiences. Full Send and Happy Dad hard seltzer converted that attention into lasting wealth.
His investment approach—startups, real estate, and (admittedly) some failed NFT experiments—shows diversification matters. Not every bet pays off. The portfolio approach protects against single points of failure.
What’s next for Kyle’s fortune? Happy Dad continues expanding into new markets. The Full Send brand launches new product lines. Premium membership subscriptions grow steadily. Real estate appreciates while generating content backdrops.
Current trajectory suggests Kyle could hit $50M net worth within three years. The compound effect of multiple revenue streams working together creates momentum that’s hard to stop.
The bigger lesson transcends YouTube and prank videos: Own your audience. Build businesses, not just content. And remember that wealth comes from equity, not income.
Most creators will stay trapped trading hours for dollars. Kyle escaped by building assets that work while he sleeps.
FAQs
1. What Is Kyle Forgeard’s Net Worth In 2023?
Kyle Forgeard’s net worth reached approximately $20-22 million in 2023.
2. How Did Kyle Forgeard Make His Money?
Kyle made millions through Happy Dad, Full Send merchandise sales.
3. What Is Full Send?
Full Send is Kyle’s lifestyle brand selling apparel and merchandise.
4. How Much Does Kyle Forgeard Earn From Happy Dad?
Kyle earns millions annually from Happy Dad hard seltzer sales.
5. What Investments Does Kyle Forgeard Have?
Kyle invests in startups, real estate properties, and NFT projects.
6. How Did Nelk Become Famous?
Nelk became famous creating bold, controversial prank videos on YouTube.
7. What Is The Full Send Metacard Nft?
Full Send Metacard NFT was Kyle’s digital collectible project launched.
