Social media influencers can make or break a brand’s reputation overnight. In this volatile industry segment, one company is betting on turning the creator economy into a data-driven powerhouse.

Enter Humanz, a startup aiming to disrupt the status quo and rewrite the rules of engagement between brands and creators.

The company envisions a future where influencer impact is traded like stocks, micro-creators wield as much clout as celebrities, and transparency reigns supreme. 

With a successful track record in markets like Israel and Brazil, this David is now taking on the Goliaths of the U.S. market.

Humanz U.S. CEO Roee Zelcer breaks down the company’s multi-segment platform and approach to connecting brands and influencers.

Building from the Ground Up

With a background in tech giants like Google and TikTok, Roee brings a wealth of experience to the creator economy platform.

“I joined Humanz earlier this year as the CEO for the U.S. entity, overseeing all operations and business development here in the U.S.,” he says. 

His previous role as a founding executive at TikTok Israel saw him build the operation from a handful of employees to over 200.

A desire for new challenges drove Roee’s transition to Humanz. 

“After three years at TikTok, I figured out that I loved building things from the ground up,” he reveals. “This is a new startup in a new space that I love, and I know that the creator economy is booming.”

Humanz, a seven-year-old company, has already established itself as a market leader in Israel, Turkey, South Africa, and Brazil. The platform connects brands with influencers, leveraging AI to optimize partnerships.

Since its soft launch in the U.S. six months ago, Humanz has onboarded 25 clients and connected over 3,000 influencers to its API. 

“We’ve done this through word of mouth and connections we’ve made door to door, nothing massive yet in terms of marketing and acquisition,” Roee notes.

Humanz’s Tech-Driven Solution for Market Inefficiencies

Humanz offers what Roee describes as “the world’s only multi-segment platform for influencer marketing.” 

“Humanz is not just an influencer marketing platform,” Roee explains. “We’re focused on giving a lot of power to the creators.” 

The company’s ecosystem comprises multiple products, including a brand campaign manager and a dedicated app for influencers. Humanz’s commitment to transparency and data sharing between brands and creators distinguishes it.

Roee highlights a key differentiator: “We’re giving the same insights that I’m giving the brand on the conversion tracking, the reporting on the funnels, to the influencer.” 

According to him, this shift in balance addresses a long-standing issue in the industry where brands have typically held most of the data and negotiating power.

Humanz has partnered with influencer Valeria Lipovetsky, a top–five global influencer in beauty and fashion and founder of the “Not Alone” podcast and Creator Method academy, which aims to empower creators further.

Humanz is collaborating with Creator Method to provide the best growth solutions for aspiring creators and to guide product development.

One innovative feature born from this partnership is accelerated payments for creators. 

“We’re going to implement the option for influencers to get paid up to three days after they posted,” Roee reveals, addressing the common challenge of payment uncertainty in the industry.

Humanz is also democratizing access to brand deals for smaller creators. 

The company enables content amplification regardless of follower count by leveraging API access to major platforms like Meta and Google. 

The platform’s proprietary pixel technology allows for detailed funnel tracking, providing brands and influencers with comprehensive performance data. 

Roee argues that increased transparency and data accessibility create a more efficient market by building trust and enabling more accurate performance predictions.

However, Roee acknowledges the challenges ahead, particularly in educating brands about the benefits of transparency. 

“The biggest challenge is getting brands to be on board with this transparency,” he notes. 

Despite potential pushback, Humanz believes that by providing equal access to data, the platform will ultimately benefit both brands and creators, leading to more accurate pricing and recognition of true influencer value in the market.

Strategic Entry into the U.S. Market

Roee highlights the key factors driving their U.S. entry and the adaptations required for success.

“The U.S. is the main market we are focusing on penetrating now because causing disruption here is necessary to be considered a serious global player,” Roee explains, highlighting the strategic importance of the U.S. for Humanz’s growth and potential exit strategy.

However, the American market presents distinct challenges compared to Humanz’s existing markets.

“The U.S. market is saturated like no other,” Roee notes. “This is the target market for most platforms, so it will be harder for us to get that message across and differentiate ourselves.”

One significant difference the tech veteran observes is in influencer compensation models. 

“[In the U.S.], a lot of the influencers first want to talk about flat fee, and commission is a nice add-on to have,” he says, contrasting with markets like Israel, where commission-based compensation is more common. 

This has led Humanz to adapt its approach, supporting various payment models while aiming to educate the market on the benefits of performance-based compensation.

Roee also emphasizes the challenge of quickly growing in such a vast market. 

“If we want to grow massively in the next year, we must get our message across quickly,” he notes. “And that only happens with good marketing execution.”

Despite these hurdles, Humanz sees significant potential in the U.S. market. 

The company’s strategy focuses on building a strong influencer network with first-party data, which Roee believes will be vital in attracting major brands and agencies. 

“Having real data to show brands how different influencers’ campaigns are performing in real-time? For me, I think that’s game over,” he states.

Transparency, Scale, and Efficiency

Roee sees a bright future for influencer marketing, driven by increased brand investments and growing social media platforms. 

He points to Publicis Groupe’s recent acquisition of Influential for $500 million as evidence of the industry’s promising trajectory. “That just shows the amount of promise the industry has around this,” Roee notes.

The shift towards creator-led marketing is reshaping the advertising world. 

Roee observes, “Brands understand that and know that they need to tap into the market and make sure that they’re ahead of the game when it comes to working with influencers and creating and measuring the true impact.”

He anticipates a move towards a grander scale and efficiency in influencer campaigns. 

“Right now, [many] work with 5-10 big influencers. What if you want to work with a thousand influencers on one campaign, but they’re micro-influencers or nano-influencers? Who will give you that technology to do that at scale, with efficiency?” he asks.

Ultimately, Roee envisions a more transparent and efficient market for influencer marketing. 

“If I had a magic wand and everyone had the same transparent data, this industry would be so efficient,” he says. 

His ideal scenario is a stock market-like system with real-time pricing for influencers based on their impact, which he believes would lead to exponential growth in the industry.

Humanz Roadmap: Balancing Creator and Brand Needs

As Humanz expands its U.S. presence, Roee outlines a strategy focused on equal emphasis on creators and brands. 

“The main goal is to get influencers and brands onboarded with both of them in mind at the same level of importance,” he tells us.

For new creators entering the competitive American market, Roee advises casting a wide net: “I would go out to every platform possible… start getting deals, and also start working on affiliate deals, because that’s the easiest way to work with top brands, even if you’re not getting a flat fee.”

Roee stresses the importance of accurate measurement and forward-thinking strategies for brands exploring influencer marketing. 

“Wrap your head around the strategy for 2025,” he explains. “When you want to work with 100 influencers for one campaign and then you want to scale it, because to me, that’s the future.” 

Roee predicts a shift towards working with numerous nano-influencers who drive higher engagement rates than mega-influencers with larger but potentially less engaged followings.