YouTuber-Turned-Tech Billionaire Wins Bidding War for Chic Silver Lake House

As CEO and cofounder of Patreon, the $4 billion juggernaut that currently reigns as one of Silicon Valley’s hottest tech startups, Jack Conte and his longtime wife Nataly Dawn can afford just about any house they’d like. Indeed, Conte’s longtime business partner and former roommate Sam Yam — Patreon’s longtime president — recently plunked down $14 million on an unfinished mansion in Pacific Palisades, complete with incredible ocean views, an infinity pool and a gym.

Conte and Yam founded paid membership platform Patreon in 2013, as a way for self-employed content creators — YouTubers and the like — to earn a steady income. In theory, those artists start Patreon accounts to gift their fans with bonus content, in exchange for the fans financially supporting them via paid monthly subscriptions. And with the exception of a few well-documented PR nightmares, Patreon and its business model have done exceptionally well, attracting more than $400 million in funding.

Yet despite his wealth, Conte is first and foremost an indie musician. And so the Bay Area native and Stanford grad has eschewed L.A.’s glitzily posh Westside for the hipster-approved Eastside, traditionally a haven for artists of all stripes. Specifically, Conte and Dawn have settled into a particularly prime pocket of Silver Lake, where they’ll be living just a quick jog from numerous trendy boutiques, cafés and record stores.

But just because the Eastside is cheaper and far less flashy than the Westside doesn’t mean it’s exactly cheap, of course. Conte won his new house in a hard-fought bidding war, paying about $3.2 million — or nearly $400,000 over the asking price! That’s a lot of money, even for coveted Silver Lake, and particularly for a house that weighs in with less than 3,000 square feet of living space.

Still, it’s not difficult to see the attraction. Originally built in the early 1930s as a humble bungalow, the house recently underwent a top-to-bottom transformation “inspired by modern Scandinavian design,” per the listing. Indeed, the interior spaces are assuredly luxe but also minimalist and function-forward, with soaring walls of glass, 15-foot ceilings and an unusual floorplan — the home’s three bedrooms are on the ground floor, while the public areas and main living spaces are configured up top, on the second floor.

Now in his late 30s, Conte first came to public notice back in the 2000s, when he began uploading original and cover songs on YouTube. He and Dawn, a fellow Stanford grad, soon formed the band Pomplamoose, which has racked up more than 1.4 million YouTube subscribers and nearly 400 million lifetime views. Over the years, Pomplamoose has released a dozen studio and compilation albums, dozens of music videos and have licensed their original music to big-name brands like Toyota and Hyundai. With the duo’s lovely new home, expect the creative musical juices to keep flowing.