influence.co is the definitive online professional network for influencers, creators and the businesses that work with them. The platform is used by everyone from Instagram travel influencers to mommy bloggers and YouTube beauty stars. Bonfire Ventures led the round with participation from ACT Capital Partners, Alumni Ventures Group, Next 10 Ventures and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Ventures. influence.co will use this round of funding to scale its community and launch a media division focused on the influencer and creator lifestyle.

Launched in 2016, influence.co's three co-founders (Ryan Angilly, Niel Robertson and Jeff Smith) are serial entrepreneurs who have built and sold six companies between them. 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. To date, over 175,000 members (of which 35,000 are businesses) have signed up to create their own professional profiles. Members use influence.co to share their work, learn from each other and find collaborations.

"When we met influence.co we were attracted to the fact that they have a different model than other companies in the space," says Mark Mullen, managing director at Bonfire Ventures. "They have always focused on building a lasting relationship with the influencers and creators. We think that's a valuable asset to have as the number of influencers is growing exponentially on a global basis."

With many Gen Z's exploring how being an influencer or creator can be a viable occupation, they need many traditional professional tools, but translated into this new domain.

"The influencer economy is disrupting everything from how we make purchasing decisions as consumers to how and where we consume media," says Niel Robertson, co-founder and CEO at influence.co. "The problem is that no one is catering to this rapidly expanding generation of influencers who are driving this disruption. Like all professionals, they need resources, support and opportunities to help them learn and grow. That's where influence.co comes in. We're excited to put this capital to work by building out our team and investing in new ways to expand our platform."

influence.co is a free resource for everyone including influencers, creators and businesses. Individuals who want advanced features can upgrade to a subscription service. Businesses who need to hire and manage influencers at scale can upgrade to a complete software suite. Major brands who want to reach a large audience of influencers can do so through specialized content offerings to the community.

influence.co has raised $1.4 million dollars from a number of angels including internet marketing expert Neil Patel and digital agency scion Alex Bogusky, bringing influence.co's total funding raised to date to $4.4 million. influence.co is a remote company with staff in Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, New York, San Francisco and Austin.

About influence.co
influence.co empowers the influencer generation. By providing a platform that enables influencers, creators and the businesses who work with them to have a professional presence online, we help everyone in the influencer economy pursue their passion and grow their business through inspiring content, supportive community, and collaborative commerce. For more information, please visit https://influence.co/.