H.I.G. Forms New Creator Economy Company Waveborn, Acquires JRE

• November 13, 2026
• North America
• Technology, Media, and Telecom

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New creator economy investment platform combines talent management, brand relationships, content production, and creator monetization. Platform to expand through strategic acquisitions, leveraging H.I.G.'s strong M&A and operational experience.

BOSTON - November 13, 2026 - H.I.G. Small-Cap & Growth ("SCG"), the dedicated growth capital investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global private capital firm with $76 billion of capital under management, today announced the formation of Waveborn, a newly formed creator economy investment platform that will scale through acquiring complimentary businesses. As its foundational asset, Waveborn has acquired Jake Rosen's creator management firm Jake Rosen Entertainment ("JRE").

To deliver on that commitment, Waveborn will bring the core layers of the creator economy together under one roof: talent management, brand relationships, content production, and creator monetization. The model is designed to deliver brands a more integrated solution, improve creator matching and campaign execution, and meet the increasing industry-wide investment in creator partnerships, while simultaneously expanding monetization avenues for creators.

Creators are increasingly central to how audiences discover entertainment, personalities, products, and brands. Marketers have shifted from one-off campaigns toward sustained creator partnerships backed by dedicated teams, technology, and budgets, and overall spending on creator advertising is one of the fastest-growing segments in the media industry.

That rapid growth has created a large and highly fragmented ecosystem of businesses serving creators, spanning talent representation, production, brand partnerships, payments, and other specialized services. At the same time, creators are building increasingly sophisticated businesses that extend across content, commerce, consumer products, live experiences, and intellectual property, creating demand for a broader set of capabilities and support. Together, these shifts are creating an opportunity to bring complementary businesses together into scaled platforms built to serve the increasingly complex business of creators.

Eric Tencer, Managing Director at H.I.G. Growth, said: "The creator economy is a rapidly growing ecosystem where brand dollars are finally catching up to attention and consumption. Creators are displacing traditional media, and we're designing Waveborn to provide more sophisticated offerings to creators and brands that support how the industry has evolved. Our partnership with Jake and the entire JRE team will support their growing roster of creators across content, partnerships, and diversified business opportunities to create long-lasting personal brand value."

Waveborn is building an integrated platform that gives creators specialized capabilities, exposure to blue-chip brand partners, and support for monetization and business development, and will serve brands with results-driven creator partnerships, campaigns, and end-to-end production.

With the acquisition of New York-based JRE, talent is Waveborn's starting point. JRE has a roster of 400+ exclusive creators with more than one billion combined followers across family, food, education, beauty, and fashion. The agency has completed more than 24,000 brand deals with defining brands such as Disney, Chipotle, and McDonald's, and averages nearly 100 new deals per week. JRE specializes in mid-tier to macro creators - the segment fueling the next phase of the creator economy.

Jake Rosen, CEO of JRE, said: "Becoming a part of Waveborn will enable us to scale the business for both creators and brands, tap H.I.G.'s expertise in the media and marketing sector, and leverage the firm's operational rigor and M&A experience. With the momentum in the industry and shifting advertising budgets, joining the creator-focused Waveborn platform allows us both the scale to offer more capabilities than traditional talent management and the flexibility to continue operating with the nimbleness and creativity that the creator world is known for."

Press Release

About Waveborn

Waveborn is a creator economy platform that unites the four layers of the creator business under one roof: talent management, brand relationships, content production, and creator monetization. By integrating these capabilities, Waveborn gives brands a single, results-driven partner for creator campaigns and end-to-end production, while giving creators access to blue-chip brand partners and expanded avenues for monetization and business development. Waveborn believes that brand integration should add value for every stakeholder in the ecosystem: audiences, creators, brands, and distribution partners. When brands add to what audiences already love rather than interrupting it, everyone rides the same wave. For more information, visit waveborn.com.

About JRE

Jake Rosen Entertainment (JRE) is a premier digital influencer talent agency, known for its expertise in talent management, social media consulting, and brand campaign orchestration. JRE specializes in scaling digital talent and maximizing brand partnerships and is dedicated to cultivating relationships with top-tier influencers across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. JRE's roster spans a diverse array of talent, with audiences ranging from 100,000 to more than 20 million followers and a combined following of over 800 million. The agency has delivered thousands of successful brand collaborations with companies including Disney, McDonald's, Netflix, and many others. For more information, visit jretalent.com.

About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private capital firm with $76 billion of capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Stamford in the United States, as well as international affiliate offices in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro, Dubai, and Hong Kong, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to middle market companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/value-added approach:

• H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
• H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche, and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets.
• H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.
• H.I.G. Infrastructure focuses on making value-add and core plus investments in the infrastructure sector.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 400 companies worldwide. The Firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $53 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at hig.com.

*Based on total capital raised by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates.