By Riley Kaminer
Let’s say you’re an influencer with 500,000 followers. Certainly nothing to sniff at – yet you might find it hard to secure lucrative yet elusive brand partnerships.
Passes can help. The Miami-based platform enables creators to monetize their base of followers by connecting directly with fans and turning them into superfans.
Now Passes has announced its $40 million Series A fundraise led by San Francisco VC BOND alongside Abstract Ventures, Michael Ovitz’s Crossbeam Ventures, and a smattering of high-profile angels such as Emma and Jens Grede, the team behind Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS. Passes reports that this funding will go toward expanding its team. Also on Passes’ cap table are celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Jake Paul and Joe Montana.
Founder Lucy Guo told Fortune that Passes is empowering the next generation of content creators: “I believe creators are small businesses, and it’s Passes’ goal to turn them into large businesses.”
“A lot of my friends are creators — they’re musicians, they’re TikTokers — and I saw the problems with the creator economy and thought I want to help solve them,” Guo added. “I initially got my friends on board, word of mouth happened, and it’s been going since.”
Guo previously co-founded ScaleAI, which is valued at upwards of $7 billion. She is a vocal advocate for Miami’s tech scene, having moved here during the pandemic.
Last summer, Passes raised $9 million in a round led by Multicoin Capital with participation from Florida Funders, Anti Fund, Craft Ventures, Menlo Ventures, and 11:11 Media.
“We think that the space that Passes is tackling is extremely exciting,” Florida Funders Partner Saxon Baum told Refresh Miami then. “It’s a space that has been dominated by a few players over the years with a terrible user experience and terrible user interface. And we saw Lucy’s vision, we wanted to get behind it and get behind the change of an entire industry.”
Through Passes, creators can offer fans the opportunity to buy access to exclusive content and experiences. This includes tips, live streaming, 1:1 fan calls, and unlockable posts/DMs. Passes provides creators with a more regular income stream than just relying on brand deals, while also enabling them to avoid constantly-changing algorithms.
This message has already resonated with a wide variety of top influencers including Anna DeGuzman, a former runner-up on America’s Got Talent; TherapyJeff, who offers relationship advice; and TikTok astrologer Maren Altman.
One key differentiator is Passes’ machine learning algorithm that runs through every image uploaded to the platform. That makes it safer than competitors and further enables creators to successfully attract brand partners. It also has unique features such as screenshot blocking technology and automated sales messages.
According to Guo, the platform will further integrate AI into the platform in the near future, with a focus on facilitating creators’ sales efforts.
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