Tagger Raises $15 Million to Tap Into the Creator Economy

Many brands rely on influencers to stay relevant in online discourse, but finding the right public figure can be tricky.

That’s where Tagger comes in.

Though it started in 2015 by Peter Kennedy as a music discovery service, the Santa Monica-based startup has evolved into an influencer marketing platform that helps companies search for influencers to promote their services or products. Dave Dickman jumped on board as CEO in 2017.

That shift has apparently paid off: The 65-person company just raised $15 million in Series B funding from Five Elms Capital, a global investor in software businesses, they announced Wednesday. It counts companies like Bose, Tinder, and HBOMax as its clients.

“The number one trend was influencer marketing for 2022,” said Dickman. “So in terms of the broad ecosystem, we're very bullish on investments continuing to climb and grow there. So there's big opportunities at the enterprise level for brands to really require a platform to get the biggest bang for their buck.”

Tagger offers a suite of other features including an ambassador program, a digital wallet and an influencer verification process.

Tagger’s pitch is simple: It provides companies with the tools to plan campaigns and measure popularity.

Among the company’s most promising features is Sync, which allows brands to attract, vet and hire creators. Tagger Pay streamlines payments for influencers.

“If you find influencers that have audiences that have a propensity or market for your product or service, you’re going to get a great return on that investment,” Dickson said.

The money raised will be used to expedite Tagger’s global expansion and build up a big European presence as well as to propel its innovative product development forward, and increase its market share in the creator economy. That will be crucial as Tagger vies with competitors like GRIN and CreatorIQ.

Tagger has offices around the globe and recently expanded to Japan, S. Korea, Africa, Germany, Mexico, Latin America, and India.

“Our mission is to be that ubiquitous currency everybody’s using to transact in the space,” said Dickman. “We want to be thought leaders, we want to show everybody the way.”

Correction: An earlier version stated that the company evolved into an influencer marketing platform when Dave Dickman joined in 2017. Tagger has been in the influencer marketing space before he joined.