Modash, an Estonia-based creator partnerships startup, announced a $12 million Series A funding round led by henQ VC.

According to EU Startups, the startup’s platform differs from traditional influencer marketing tools by maintaining a comprehensive database of 250 million content creators without requiring them to create or update individual profiles. This approach allows brands to discover niche creators who might otherwise be overlooked by conventional influencer marketing platforms.

“Modash has spent the last five years figuring out how to empower brands to scale their partnerships with creators,” Avery Schrader, founder and CEO of Modash, said in a statement. 

The 26-year-old Canadian entrepreneur relocated to Estonia after reading about its emerging technology sector, where he eventually met his co-founder and CTO, Estonian software engineer Hendry Sadrak.

The platform’s current client roster includes major brands such as Birkenstock, Dbrand, Victoria’s Secret, and Farfetch. According to the company, nearly 2,000 consumer companies worldwide use its services to grow their partnerships function.

The funding comes as the creator economy reaches $250 billion worldwide, with projections suggesting it will grow to $480 billion by 2027. Goldman Sachs predicts U.S. influencer-marketing spending will reach $5.89 billion this year.

Modash’s Discovery search engine provides marketing teams with access to creator metrics, including audience and content performance data. The platform also offers features for managing outreach, communication, content collection, and performance measurement. A built-in payment solution addresses cross-border compliance while expediting creator payments.

The company plans to direct the new funding toward engineering and product improvements, focusing on its global influencer payment solution and AI-enabled creator search. Additionally, Modash will establish a customer-facing team in North America, with a new office near Shopify’s headquarters in Ottawa.

Jan Andriessen, Partner at henQ, noted that Modash’s product is already “market-leading globally,” citing its data-backed search engine and end-to-end platform capabilities.

Modash has experienced significant growth, expanding from 25 to 60 employees since the beginning of the year, with plans to cap growth at 99 employees next year. Approximately 40-50% of the current team is based in Estonia, many coming from established Estonian technology companies like Bolt, Pipedrive, and Transferwise.

With more than 500 customers already in the United States, Modash identifies North America as an essential market for expansion. The company plans to focus on serving B2C brands looking to integrate creator partnerships into their brand strategy while maintaining its commitment to supporting creator income generation.