Main Street One
Main Street One (dba People First) is a New York-based, privately held influencer marketing agency founded in 2017 that runs managed creator campaigns for brands, advocacy nonprofits, and government clients through a vetted U.S. network of 20,000+ creators, measured in 150M+ cumulative campaign views and 30K+ posts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Main Street One does
Main Street One, operating under the consumer-facing brand "People First," is a New York-based, privately held influencer marketing agency founded in 2017. Its core offering is a managed-service platform connecting brands and causes with a vetted network of 20,000+ creators across the United States, used to run social-impact and brand-creator campaigns. The company describes its approach as "technology-enabled grassroots organizing," combining a creator marketplace and onboarding portal with an enterprise managed-services layer; client-reported cumulative outcomes include 150M+ views, 13M+ engagements, and 30K+ posts across campaigns. Notable customers span nonprofit and advocacy organizations (Planned Parenthood Action Fund, ACLU, Earthjustice, AFSCME), government entities (New York Department of Health, Senate Majority PAC), and mainstream enterprise brands (Walmart, TikTok, Warner Bros., White Castle, Floor & Decor, Mayo Clinic, Peanuts Worldwide, National Park Foundation). The company monetizes through professional-service campaign fees rather than a self-serve SaaS model, with pricing not publicly disclosed.
The operating model is dual-sided: brands and causes are acquired via direct enterprise sales and "Schedule a Call" CTAs, while creators self-onboard through join.peoplefirst.cc and browse paid opportunities via creators.peoplefirst.cc. Distribution is amplified through category-thought-leadership channels — two Substack newsletters (strategy and creator), an "Influencer Impact" podcast, and active accounts on Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, and BlueSky — rather than paid acquisition. The company has earned 2025 Reed Award (Best Influencer Agency) and 2025 Pollie Award (Best Use of Social Media) recognition, and lists Higher Ground Labs as a 2019 seed backer. Leadership comprises CEO Curtis Hougland and CXO/CDO Ryan Davis, with a stated headcount of 1–10. No patents, APIs, SDKs, disclosed proprietary models, or AI/ML capabilities are referenced in current materials; the original firmographic descriptor ("misinformation fighting technology that tracks narratives") is not corroborated by current website product detail.
Main Street One firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Main Street One
- Legal name
- People First
- Website
- https://mainstreet.one
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Main Street One (dba People First) is a New York-based, privately held influencer marketing agency founded in 2017 that runs managed creator campaigns for brands, advocacy nonprofits, and government clients through a vetted U.S. network of 20,000+ creators, measured in 150M+ cumulative campaign views and 30K+ posts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Main Street One industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Influencer Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Influencer Campaign Operations & Managed Services (BPAFAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Influencer & Creator Marketing (BPAFAAAG), Campaign Management & Workflow Software (Briefing/Approvals) (MPACAGAE)
Keywords
Where Main Street One is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Main Street One business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Influencer Campaign Services: Managed influencer campaign services connecting brands and causes with a network of 20K+ authentic creators. Revenue derived from campaign management fees and creator network facilitation.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Main Street One product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Main Street One, doing business as People First, operates an influencer marketing platform that connects brands, causes, and advocacy organizations with a curated network of 20,000+ trusted creators. The company delivers managed influencer campaign services — combining technology-driven creator matching with grassroots organizing — to run social impact campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, X, and other social channels. Revenue is generated through campaign management fees paid by client brands and causes.
Product overview
People First is an influencer marketing platform that operates as a unified offering connecting brands and causes with authentic creators. The platform combines campaign management tools with a creator marketplace network of 20,000+ trusted creators. The core People First Platform enables modern influencer campaigns that blend authenticity and scale to drive measurable impact, with services including case studies and campaign strategy support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- People First Platform An influencer marketing platform that connects brands and causes with a network of over 20,000 trusted creators. Combines technology with grassroots organizing to facilitate campaign management, creator matching, and content distribution across social media channels.
- Managed Influencer Campaign Services End-to-end managed campaign services for brands, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and government agencies. The company runs influencer campaigns on behalf of clients, handling creator selection, content coordination, and performance measurement across social media.
- Creator Studio A creator-side offering providing network members with tools and resources to participate in paid influencer campaigns. Includes access to campaign browsing, briefing, and content delivery workflows.
Quantifiable outcome
- 150M+ views generated across campaigns
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Main Street One
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Main Street One technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Main Street One partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Main Street One competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IZEA Worldwide: IZEA operates a creator marketplace plus managed influencer campaign services for brands and agencies. It is a direct competitor with the same buyer personas, marketplace model, and managed-campaign offering as Main Street One.
- Obviously: Obviously is an influencer marketing agency and technology platform running managed creator campaigns for global brands. It directly competes for the same brand-budget dollars with a similar managed-services-plus-tech proposition.
- CreatorIQ: CreatorIQ is an enterprise influencer marketing platform with workflow, analytics, and creator discovery. It targets the same brand-side buyer as Main Street One but sells a SaaS platform rather than managed services.
- Captiv8: Captiv8 is an influencer marketing platform and marketplace connecting brands with creators for paid campaigns. It is a direct competitor to Main Street One, offering similar managed-services and self-serve campaign workflow across a global creator network.
- Upfluence: Upfluence provides an influencer search, outreach, and campaign analytics platform used by brands and agencies. It competes for the same brand-side procurement budgets as Main Street One.
- Klear: Klear is an influencer marketing platform offering creator discovery, campaign management, and analytics. It targets the same brand marketers with similar creator-search and workflow tooling.
- Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Aspire is an influencer marketing platform for creator discovery, relationship management, and campaign execution. It directly overlaps with Main Street One's brand-side workflow and creator-marketplace functionality.
- HireInfluence: HireInfluence is an influencer marketing agency offering strategy, casting, and campaign management to brands. It is a directly comparable agency competitor with similar managed-services positioning.
Regional players
- Influencer Marketing Hub: Influencer Marketing Hub operates an agency directory and educational platform serving North American influencer marketers. It is adjacent to Main Street One's category but functions more as an industry resource and lead-gen channel than a direct competitor.
Others
- Higher Ground Labs: Higher Ground Labs is a venture fund and accelerator focused on progressive civic and political technology, including tools and agencies supporting advocacy campaigns. They are listed as a 2019 investor in Main Street One and are a relevant ecosystem peer given overlapping cause-marketing focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Main Street One social profiles
Digital presenceMain Street One financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Main Street One leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Main Street One funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Main Street One 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 Main Street One
What does Main Street One do?
Main Street One, doing business as People First, operates an influencer marketing platform that connects brands, causes, and advocacy organizations with a curated network of 20,000+ trusted creators. The company delivers managed influencer campaign services — combining technology-driven creator matching with grassroots organizing — to run social impact campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, X, and other social channels. Revenue is generated through campaign management fees paid by client brands and causes.
Is Main Street One a public or private company?
Main Street One is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Main Street One founded?
Main Street One was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Main Street One based?
Main Street One is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Main Street One make money?
One revenue line is on record: influencer Campaign Services.
Who are Main Street One's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IZEA Worldwide, Obviously, CreatorIQ, Captiv8, Upfluence, Klear, Aspire (formerly AspireIQ) and HireInfluence. Influencer Marketing Hub is listed as a regional player. Higher Ground Labs is listed as an others.
Does Main Street One have an API?
No public API is recorded for Main Street One.
What industry is Main Street One in?
Main Street One's product category is Influencer Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAHAF, Influencer Campaign Operations & Managed Services, with a secondary code of BPAFAAAG, Influencer & Creator Marketing. Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.