12 Million From Benchmark For Its YouTube Ad Marketplace

Source: Found here

Creator marketplace startup Agentio , which has built an automated platform for YouTubers to sell their ad slots to brands, has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Benchmark with participation from returning investors Craft Ventures and AlleyCorp.

With the new funding, the startup aims to scale its marketplace for YouTubers and bolster its AI tech to determine if creators are brand-safe for a company.

Agentio was founded by ex-Cameo president Arthur Leopold and former Spotify Automated Content Marketing team lead Jonathan Meyers in 2023. To date, it has raised over $16 million in total funding . Last year, the company launched its platform and started inviting brands and creators to work with them.

Since then, the startup has worked with brands like DoorDash, Mint Mobile, MasterClass, Notion, and HelloFresh, as well as creators like Nick DiGiovanni, Matty Matheson, Rhett ⁘ Link, and Chad Chad. The platform now has around 50 brands and over 1,000 creators. The startup said it is still working on an invite-only basis on both ends to maintain quality.

According to Agentio, brands have gradually increased their spending on the platform, with a 2.35x jump on average from Q3 to Q4 2024. It has also achieved profitability but raised the money to achieve a larger scale.

⁘It's incredibly important for creators to be able to partner with a number of brands and the right brand to monetize that content. Because of our platform, there is competition for ad slots on the creator side, and they are receiving multiple offers for the first time,⁘ Meyers told TechCrunch over a call.