Reelio, the world's leading influencer marketing platform that connects global brands with today's hottest digital stars, announced that it has raised $5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by a global syndicate of investors in strategically important markets, adding global breadth to the industry depth represented by Reelio's existing investors (which include e.ventures; the venture capital firms of Philipp Schindler, Lorne Michaels, Tremor Video founders Jason Glickman and Andrew Reis, former Sony Music President and Bertelsmann executive board member Thomas Hesse; and senior executives from Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, BBDO and others).

'Brands are investing heavily in branded entertainment, and while the influencer marketing space is very exciting for marketers, it can also be new and scary'

The influencer marketing industry has gained considerable steam in the past year, and Reelio has gained a reputation for its superior technology and exceptional customer service. Through the combination of a data-driven, self-service platform and dedicated influencer marketing specialists, Reelio provides brands, agencies, and publishers with the tools and support to build and manage successful branded content partnerships with the world's most popular influencers.

Founded in 2012 by cofounders Pete Borum, Ben Williams, Mark Borum, and Daniel McKenzie, the company introduced a patent-pending matching algorithm that connects brands with the right influencer partners, along with a CRM system to streamline partnerships from start to finish. When combined with their customer service, the impact of Reelio's technology on brands' ROI has enabled the company to build an impressive roster of hundreds of premium brands tapping Reelio's user base of more than 10,000 influencers (represented by dozens of networks and agencies). This unique approach has garnered them accolades and awards at SXSW and Cannes Lions, and accounts with dozens of global blue-chip advertisers, including Clinique, Unilever, and Visa.

'Brands are investing heavily in branded entertainment, and while the influencer marketing space is very exciting for marketers, it can also be new and scary,' said Pete Borum, co-founder and CEO of Reelio. 'The simplicity of our product, along with the attentive and expert support of our account specialists, makes it easy for brands to execute incredibly successful content partnerships in a scalable, predictable, repeatable, and brand-safe way. And our data-driven technology proves the results. This allows brands to achieve a high and measurable ROI at any budget, which in turn creates a high concentration of brand dollars on our platform for content creators.'

Ben Williams, co-founder and COO of Reelio, added 'This raise allows us to continue to invest in our technology platform, executive team and expansion into key markets. All these facets will help us continue providing more convenience, transparency and opportunities for both our brand and influencer partners, and the agencies and MCNs that represent them.'

ABOUT REELIO

Reelio is the world's leading influencer marketing platform, with a data-driven platform that helps brands, agencies, and publishers build and maintain rosters of social media talent with highly engaged millennial audiences. Founded in 2012, the company introduced a patent-pending matching algorithm that connects brands with the right content partners, reaching the right audience at the right price. The impact of this intelligent technology on brands' ROI has enabled the company to build an impressive roster of hundreds of premium brands tapping Reelio's user base of more than 10,000 influencers. This includes global brands such as Clinique, Unilever, and Visa, working with Reelio to reach targeted audiences with custom branded content.