influence.co raises US$3m in seed funding led by Bonfire Ventures

INFLUENCE.CO, a platform for influencers, creators and businesses, has closed a US$3 million seed funding round led by Bonfire Ventures, the company announced on Friday.

Also participating in this funding round are ACT Capital Partners, Alumni Ventures Group, Next 10 Ventures and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Ventures. SPH Ventures is the venture arm of media and property group SPH, which publishes The Business Times.

influence.co will use the investment to "scale its community and launch a media division focused on the influencer and creator lifestyle", it said.

The firm previously secured US$1.4 million from angel investors, bringing the total funds it has raised to date to US$4.4 million.

According to the company, users of its platform include Instagram travel influencers, mummy bloggers and YouTube beauty stars.

Launched in 2016, the firm's three co-founders - Ryan Angilly, Niel Robertson and Jeff Smith - are serial entrepreneurs who have built and sold six companies between them.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Monday, 3.30 pm

Garage

The hottest news on all things startup and tech to kickstart your week.

Sign Up

"Their vision is to connect everyone in the influencer economy through inspiring content, supportive community and collaborative commerce, enabling them to pursue their passion and grow their businesses," influence.co said.

To date, over 175,000 members have signed up to create professional profiles on the platform, of which 35,000 are businesses.

influence.co is a free resource and individuals who want advanced features may upgrade to a subscription service.

In addition, businesses that need to hire and manage influencers at scale may upgrade to a complete software suite, while major brands looking to reach a large pool of influencers can do so through specialised content offerings, influence.co said.

influence.co is a remote company, with staff in Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, New York, San Francisco and Austin.