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Technology
This Lowa Startup Making Small-Town Social Media Users More Valuable Than Macro-Influencers Just Raised $10M+
Des Moines-based Hummingbirds has raised over $10 million in seed funding to expand its platform, connecting local content creators with national and regional brands.
The oversubscribed round includes existing investors, and new strategic backers focused on hyperlocal marketing. The platform aims to address shifts in local advertising effectiveness, as per Statista, where U.S. businesses spend $175 billion annually on traditional channels.
Hummingbirds cites Harvard Business Review, which indicates that nano-influencers with under 10,000 followers generate returns exceeding $1,000 from $50 product investments. This contrasts with macro-influencers (100,000+ followers) who deliver $6,000 in returns while charging fees over $1,000.
“Despite significant investments in local advertising, brands — especially national consumer packaged goods companies — are finding it harder to achieve the same effectiveness these channels once delivered,” said David Kerr, Managing Director at investor Allos Ventures, in a news release.
Hummingbirds has doubled its creator network across 20 cities in the last quarter and projects a quadrupling revenue by year-end. Current clients include the CPG brands Olipop and Goodles and regional companies like Fareway and ChopLocal. Some customers report up to 14x increases in local sales through the platform.
Nielsen data shows that 88% of consumers trust recommendations from friends over traditional media, supporting Hummingbirds’ focus on community-level influencers.
“Hummingbirds takes a different approach by linking brands with local voices — PTA moms, weekend warriors, and those friends who always seem to know what’s happening — who are trusted within their communities,” stated Emily Steele, CEO and co-founder of Hummingbirds.
The funding will support scaling the company’s SaaS platform, which enables brands to generate city-specific social media content through local creators. COO Charise Flynn noted the investment validates their approach of using “nano-influencers” to build engagement in specific communities.
