#Paid
#paid is a Toronto-based creator marketing marketplace connecting brands and agencies with vetted social media influencers for sponsored campaigns. It operates an AI-powered matching and campaign management platform with enterprise managed-service and self-serve tiers across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What #Paid does
#paid (legal entity Hashtag Paid Inc.) operates a two-sided creator marketing marketplace headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with additional offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami. The company connects brands and agencies with vetted social media creators for sponsored marketing campaigns and serves both sides of the market: brand-side marketers seeking authentic creator content at scale, and creator-side influencers seeking legitimate, well-paying brand partnerships. Its customer base spans 17+ named enterprise brands including Coca-Cola, Walmart, Unilever, Sephora, Toyota, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, and Paramount+, alongside mid-market and SMB self-serve users.
The core platform delivers an integrated workflow across five product modules: Match (AI-powered creator-brand matching using audience demographics, content style, and campaign objectives), Manage (end-to-end campaign orchestration and content approval), Measure (live reporting and post-campaign analytics), Automate (workflow automation including the proprietary Handraise workflow enabling creator-led discovery), and Amplify (content licensing for repurposing across owned, paid social, digital, and offline channels). The platform integrates natively with YouTube (via YouTube API Services), Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest, with official partner badges from TikTok (Marketing and Shop), Meta (Business), and Snapchat (Ads Production and Marketing Platform). A research and content layer — comprising the Banknotes blog, the Creator Culture podcast, the Creator Signals Report, the Creator Ad Report, and the Brand Lift Study — supports category thought leadership and demand generation.
The business model spans five revenue streams: self-serve subscription fees (monthly and annual tiers for campaign creation), enterprise managed-service subscriptions (annual Program Agreements with dedicated Success Managers), transaction/marketplace fees on creator payments, content licensing royalties (tiered usage rights across channels), and professional services for strategy and curation. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (self-serve), enterprise field sales, agency channel partnerships, and event-driven demand generation through the annual Creator Marketing Summit and city-based Meet The Creators events. Total disclosed funding is approximately $21.4M, with the most recent round being a 2021 $14.9M growth round led by Sands Capital Ventures; the investor base is a mix of venture capital (ScaleUP, Vanedge, Sands Capital, Tribe Capital), strategic backers (Ascential), government-related investors (BDC), and individual industry angels rather than a single concentrated institutional position.
#Paid firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- #Paid
- Legal name
- Hashtag Paid Inc.
- Website
- https://hashtagpaid.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- #paid is a Toronto-based creator marketing marketplace connecting brands and agencies with vetted social media influencers for sponsored campaigns. It operates an AI-powered matching and campaign management platform with enterprise managed-service and self-serve tiers across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
#Paid industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Influencer Marketing Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Buying Agencies (541830)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Sponsorship & Brand Deal Monetization Tools (MPACAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Paid Social Advertising (BPAFACAB)
Keywords
Where #Paid is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
#Paid business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees (Self-Serve): Recurring subscription fees for platform access enabling campaign creation and management. Multiple subscription tiers available with different feature levels. Monthly and annual billing options.
- Subscription Fees (Managed): Enterprise subscription fees for bespoke campaign management services including end-to-end curation and dedicated Success Manager support
- Creator Fees / Marketplace Commission: Fees paid by brands for creator content creation and posting. Platform facilitates payment collection and processing between brands and creators
- Usage Rights: Additional fees for extended content licensing including Owned and Operated Rights, Paid Social Rights, Digital Rights, and Offline Rights purchased from creators
- Professional Services: Campaign strategy services, dedicated account management, and end-to-end campaign curation for managed/enterprise clients
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Self-Serve Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Managed Campaigns |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Creator Fees |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels16 records
#Paid product offering
Product offeringCore offering
#paid operates a two-sided creator marketing marketplace that connects brands with vetted social media creators and influencers to run sponsored content campaigns. The platform combines AI-powered creator-brand matching, end-to-end campaign management, performance analytics, workflow automation (including the proprietary Handraise workflow), and creator content licensing for cross-channel reuse. Brands and agencies access the marketplace either through self-serve subscription tiers or via managed enterprise services with dedicated Success Managers and Program Agreements.
Product overview
#paid is a creator marketing platform operating as a unified marketplace and campaign management system. The core #paid Creator Marketplace connects vetted creators with brands for sponsored content campaigns, supported by integrated modules for creator-brand matching (Match), campaign management (Manage), performance analytics (Measure), workflow automation (Automate including the Handraise workflow), and content amplification/licensing. The platform also includes educational content hub Banknotes and the Creator Culture Podcast, and hosts the annual Creator Marketing Summit plus city-based Meet The Creators events. The platform serves marketers (brands and agencies) and creators through dedicated interfaces, with tiered service models including Self-Serve Campaigns (subscription-based) and Managed Campaigns (enterprise bespoke services).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- #paid Creator Marketplace The #paid Creator Marketplace is a two-sided software platform that connects brands, agencies, and talent agencies with vetted social media creators and influencers for sponsored content campaigns. It bundles AI-powered creator-brand matching, end-to-end campaign management, performance analytics and reporting, workflow automation (including the proprietary Handraise workflow for creator-led opportunity discovery), and creator content licensing for cross-channel reuse. The marketplace is delivered as a self-serve tiered subscription product for SMB and mid-market marketers and as bespoke managed campaign services for enterprise brands, supported by dedicated Success Managers and Program Agreements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Brand growth of more than 55% attributed to #paid partnerships
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use #Paid
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
#Paid technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature5 records
#Paid partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- TikTokcoreTikTok and #paid piloted the Responsible Influence Certification Program, the first U.S. certification aimed at promoting transparency in the $37 billion creator economy. The program trains creators on FTC Endorsement Guides, advertising standards, and responsible brand partnerships, with certified creators receiving a credential seal and access to a forthcoming searchable database for brand partnerships.
- Pinterestcore#paid became an official execution partner for the Pinterest Creator Partnership Program. The collaboration combines #paid's creator-brand matching technology and Handraise workflow with Pinterest's creator ecosystem to produce platform-native Idea Ads content designed to bridge consumer inspiration and commerce. The partnership targets key verticals including beauty, fashion, food, home, and lifestyle, positioning creator content as trusted guidance rather than interruption.
- 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies)supportingIndustry association supporting the Responsible Influence Certification Program launch
- ANA (Association of National Advertisers)supportingIndustry association supporting the Responsible Influence Certification Program launch
- AAF (American Advertising Federation)supportingIndustry association supporting the Responsible Influence Certification Program launch
- IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau)supportingIndustry association supporting the Responsible Influence Certification Program launch
- Institute for Responsible InfluencecorePart of the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, launched the Responsible Influence Certification Program with support from TikTok, #paid, and major advertising associations
- YouTubecorePlatform partnership enabling YouTube API integration for content access, channel analytics, and creator data within the #paid platform. Recognized in AdWeek Tech Stack Awards for platform partnerships.
- SnapchatcorePlatform partnership for creator marketing and ads production. Recognized as Snapchat Ads Production Partner and Marketing Platform Partner with official badges.
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram)coreOfficial Meta Business Partner providing platform integration for creator marketing across Facebook and Instagram
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
#Paid competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Traackr: Influencer marketing platform with discovery, relationship management, and campaign analytics — a comparable enterprise-grade solution often benchmarked against #paid in enterprise RFPs.
- Grin: Influencer marketing platform focused on DTC and e-commerce brands with creator sourcing, campaign management, and content licensing workflows highly comparable to #paid's Amplify module.
- Captiv8: Influencer marketing platform with creator discovery, workflow automation, and analytics — comparable mid-market/enterprise offering competing for the same brand marketing budgets.
- CreatorIQ: Enterprise creator marketing platform offering similar creator-brand matching, campaign management, and analytics workflows. Closest direct competitor in the enterprise tier, often named alongside #paid in enterprise procurement shortlists.
- Klear (Meltwater): Influencer discovery and analytics platform now part of Meltwater; competes with #paid on creator discovery, audience analytics, and campaign measurement for enterprise brands.
- Influencer.com: Creator marketing platform offering end-to-end campaign management and analytics for brands and agencies, serving the same combination of SMB self-serve and enterprise clients as #paid.
- Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Creator marketing platform with self-serve and managed services plus a creator marketplace, overlapping directly with #paid's marketplace-driven model and SMB-to-enterprise coverage.
Emerging players
- Creator.co: Influencer marketing marketplace and self-serve platform with a creator marketplace model similar to #paid's, typically serving mid-market and emerging-DTC brands.
Broad incumbents
- IZEA: Public influencer marketing technology provider (IZEA Worldwide) offering marketplace-style sponsored content workflows and managed services, comparable in scope to #paid but with broader historical positioning.
- LTK (formerly rewardStyle): Large creator commerce platform connecting thousands of influencers with brands for performance-driven campaigns, increasingly overlapping with #paid's creator commerce and Idea Ads monetization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
#Paid social profiles
Digital presence#Paid financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
#Paid leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
#Paid funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
#Paid M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about #Paid
What does #Paid do?
#paid operates a two-sided creator marketing marketplace that connects brands with vetted social media creators and influencers to run sponsored content campaigns. The platform combines AI-powered creator-brand matching, end-to-end campaign management, performance analytics, workflow automation (including the proprietary Handraise workflow), and creator content licensing for cross-channel reuse. Brands and agencies access the marketplace either through self-serve subscription tiers or via managed enterprise services with dedicated Success Managers and Program Agreements.
Is #Paid a public or private company?
#Paid is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was #Paid founded?
#Paid was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is #Paid based?
#Paid is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does #Paid make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees (Self-Serve) is the primary driver. The others are subscription Fees (Managed), creator Fees / Marketplace Commission, usage Rights and professional Services.
Who are #Paid's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Traackr, Grin, Captiv8, CreatorIQ, Klear (Meltwater), Influencer.com and Aspire (formerly AspireIQ). Creator.co is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are IZEA and LTK (formerly rewardStyle).
Does #Paid have an API?
No public API is recorded for #Paid.
What industry is #Paid in?
#Paid's product category is Influencer Marketing Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAFAG, Creator Sponsorship & Brand Deal Monetization Tools, with a secondary code of BPAFACAB, Paid Social Advertising. Its NAICS code is 516210 and its SIC code is 7310.