Hummingbirds is a female-founded platform that matches hyperlocal creators with locally based brands to run targeted social campaigns and drive in-store and local purchase behavior. Brands launch city-specific campaigns on the platform and pay a fee to participate; creators receive rewards (gift cards, experiences, merchandise) and Hummingbirds takes 0% commission from creators. Creators are mostly everyday "nano" creators (up to 10,000 followers) with high engagement; the company says its approach can boost sales up to 14x and social engagement by 80%. The startup reports rapid growth over the past year: it has quadrupled revenue, doubled its community size to 11,000 creators, and now works with over 300 brand partners. Hummingbirds currently operates in more than 20 cities (examples include Des Moines, Madison, Nashville, and Omaha) and focuses on Middle America. The new capital will be used to expand into 20 more cities by 2025, including Atlanta, Charlotte, and Denver. Hummingbirds operates an online platform that connects businesses with hyperlocal content creators, called “hummingbirds,” who receive perks for trying brands and sharing their experiences on social media. The company expanded from three to 14 Midwest cities in 2023 and plans broader national growth in 2024. Hummingbirds intends to scale its platform to more than 30 U.S. cities in 2024 and target select mid-sized cities with between 300,000 to 1 million employable people. In 2024 the company will also offer paid opportunities for some content creators as part of a “community-led growth” strategy. CEO and co-founder Emily Steele said the company has a tech roadmap to give more locals the opportunity to drive awareness for brands and get rewarded. The article does not disclose revenue, valuation, or other financial metrics.

Total raised

$9M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Oct 2024