Bona Fide
Bona Fide is a UK-based creator and influencer marketing platform, founded in 2015 as a subsidiary of Campus Industries, that matches brands with a curated network of 500 to 500,000-follower creators across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for managed or self-serve campaign execution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bona Fide does
Bona Fide is a UK-based, Leeds-headquartered creator and influencer marketing platform founded in 2015 as a subsidiary of Campus Industries. The company operates a two-sided marketplace that connects brands with a curated network of creators ranging from nano influencers (500 followers) to micro influencers (up to 500,000 followers) across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Its core technology is a matching platform that pairs brands with creators based on interests, location, and age rather than follower counts alone, supported by a mobile creator dashboard app on iOS and Android.
The company's product portfolio spans five core service categories: Content Creation, Influencer Matching, Share Only campaigns, Product Sampling, and Market Research. These are organized into 11+ niche verticals (Beauty, Fitness & Wellness, Gaming, Food & Drink, Travel, Pet, Senior, Sustainable Living, Health & Wellness Tech, Personal Finance, Lifestyle) plus a Student Creator Network sub-brand comprising 1,000+ UK students with 2.8 million combined reach. Brands can choose between fully managed campaigns or self-serve (DIY) campaign management, with creator payouts handled via Wise for cross-border settlement.
Bona Fide generates revenue through brand campaign fees on a transaction basis, with pricing varying by campaign scope, creator audience size, and platform. The company serves enterprise and mid-market brand clients including Virgin Media, Smirnoff, LG, Lucozade, Superdrug, EY, MONDAY Haircare, and others, primarily in the UK. The business is privately held, has not disclosed external funding, and operates with a team of approximately 11-50 (seven named members including co-founder Richard Booth), inheriting operational leverage and 30+ years of combined brand ambassador experience from parent Campus Industries.
Bona Fide firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bona Fide
- Legal name
- Bona Fide
- Website
- https://wearebonafide.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bona Fide is a UK-based creator and influencer marketing platform, founded in 2015 as a subsidiary of Campus Industries, that matches brands with a curated network of 500 to 500,000-follower creators across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for managed or self-serve campaign execution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bona Fide industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Influencer Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Representatives (54184)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Influencer Marketing & Creator Marketplaces (BPAMALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Influencer & Creator Marketing (BPAFAAAG), Influencer Media Buying & Paid Amplification (BPAFABAK)
Keywords
Where Bona Fide is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bona Fide business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Brand Campaign Fees: Brands pay for creator campaigns. Payment varies by campaign type (share only vs content creation), creator audience size, and platform. Creators are paid for participation, typically within a week of campaign end.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Creator accounts are free to join |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Brand campaign pricing varies by scope |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Bona Fide product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bona Fide is a full-service creator and influencer marketing platform that connects brands with a curated network of nano (500–10K followers) and micro (up to 500K followers) creators on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Brands purchase campaign services — including content creation, influencer matching, share-only amplification, product sampling, and market research — either as managed full-service programmes or as self-service/DIY campaigns, while creators discover and accept opportunities through a dedicated iOS/Android mobile app.
Product overview
Bona Fide is an innovative full-service creator and influencer marketing platform that operates across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The platform is backed by Campus Industries and manages a curated network of creators ranging from nano influencers (500-10,000 followers) to macro influencers (up to 500,000 followers). The core product ecosystem includes an intelligent matching platform that connects brands with creators based on age, location, and interests; a Creator Dashboard mobile app (iOS/Android); and the Student Creator Network sub-brand with 1,000+ UK student nano creators and 2.8 million combined reach. Service offerings include Content Creation, Influencer Matching, Share Only services, Product Sampling, and Market Research. The platform organizes creators into niche categories including Beauty, Fitness & Wellness, Gaming, Food & Drink, Travel, Pet, Senior, Sustainable Living, Health & Wellness Tech, Personal Finance, and Lifestyle. Brands can choose between curated managed campaigns or DIY campaign management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Content Creation Managed service where Bona Fide briefs and pays creators to produce original branded content (videos, posts, imagery) for brand campaigns across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Targeted at marketing teams that need authentic user-generated content without managing creators in-house.
- Influencer Matching Intelligent matching service that pairs brands with vetted nano and micro creators from Bona Fide's network based on interests, location, and age. Used by brand marketers to source relevant creators for awareness and engagement campaigns.
- Share Only Influencer Service Lower-cost amplification service in which creators share or repost existing brand-supplied content with their audiences, providing social proof and reach without producing new creative. Suitable for brands seeking efficient distribution of approved messaging.
- Product Sampling Logistics and creator-matching service that ships client products directly to selected creators for trial and review. Used by consumer brands to drive product trial, generate reviews, and seed new launches through authentic creator voices.
- Market Research Research service that leverages the Bona Fide creator network to collect consumer insights, sentiment, and feedback for brands. Targeted at marketers needing fast, qualitative input from engaged audiences.
- Student Creator Network Sub-brand network of 1,000+ vetted student creators providing grassroots reach into student and Gen Z audiences. Sold to brands running student marketing, product seeding, or ambassador campaigns.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.8 million combined reach across student creator network
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bona Fide
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bona Fide technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability1 record
Feature1 record
Bona Fide partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Campus IndustriescoreCampus Industries is the parent company of Bona Fide, which Bona Fide describes as its 'baby'. Campus Industries has over 15 years of experience and 30+ years combined team experience in brand ambassador programmes. They work with most of the biggest student-focused brands. Bona Fide is positioned as the 'nano creator service' from Campus Industries, inheriting expertise in connecting brands with the student market.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bona Fide competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IZEA: IZEA is a long-standing influencer marketing platform that connects brands with creators for sponsored content and campaigns. It is a direct peer with similar marketplace and managed services offerings.
- CreatorIQ: CreatorIQ is an enterprise creator marketing platform offering workflow, measurement, and creator matching tools. It targets the same brand customer base as Bona Fide and competes in the same creator economy category, though at a larger enterprise tier.
- Upfluence: Upfluence provides influencer search, outreach, and campaign management software for brands and agencies. It is a direct peer with comparable two-sided platform model and creator marketplace functionality.
- Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Aspire is an end-to-end creator marketing platform connecting brands with influencers for content, ambassadorships, and affiliate programs. It is a direct competitor to Bona Fide, operating a similar two-sided marketplace model with nano-to-macro creator coverage.
- Klear (Meltwater): Klear, now part of Meltwater, is an influencer marketing platform with creator discovery, relationship management, and analytics tools. It is a direct peer to Bona Fide in the creator marketing platform category.
- Traackr: Traackr is an influencer marketing platform focused on creator discovery, performance measurement, and brand-to-creator relationship management. It competes head-to-head with Bona Fide in the brand-facing creator marketing platform category.
- Later (formerly Mavrck): Later acquired Mavrck to add influencer marketing capabilities to its social media scheduling platform. It is a direct competitor in the creator marketing platform category, with overlapping influencer discovery and campaign management tools.
- Grin: Grin is a creator marketing platform with a strong focus on influencer relationship management, gifting, and content workflows. Comparable to Bona Fide in its creator-led marketing focus, though typically serving larger DTC and enterprise brands.
- Collectively: Collectively is a creator marketing agency and platform focused on influencer strategy and execution for major brands. It shares Bona Fide's influencer-led service model and brand customer base.
Regional players
- Whalar: Whalar is a London-based creator marketing agency and platform with a strong UK and US presence. It is closely comparable to Bona Fide in geography and creator-led marketing focus, though typically serving larger brand budgets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bona Fide social profiles
Digital presenceBona Fide financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bona Fide leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bona Fide funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bona Fide 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 Bona Fide
What does Bona Fide do?
Bona Fide is a full-service creator and influencer marketing platform that connects brands with a curated network of nano (500–10K followers) and micro (up to 500K followers) creators on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Brands purchase campaign services — including content creation, influencer matching, share-only amplification, product sampling, and market research — either as managed full-service programmes or as self-service/DIY campaigns, while creators discover and accept opportunities through a dedicated iOS/Android mobile app.
Is Bona Fide a public or private company?
Bona Fide is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Bona Fide founded?
Bona Fide was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bona Fide based?
Bona Fide is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bona Fide make money?
One revenue line is on record: brand Campaign Fees.
Who are Bona Fide's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IZEA, CreatorIQ, Upfluence, Aspire (formerly AspireIQ), Klear (Meltwater), Traackr, Later (formerly Mavrck), Grin and Collectively. Whalar is listed as a regional player.
Does Bona Fide have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bona Fide.
What industry is Bona Fide in?
Bona Fide's product category is Influencer Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMALAG, Influencer Marketing & Creator Marketplaces, with a secondary code of BPAFAAAG, Influencer & Creator Marketing. Its NAICS code is 541830 and its SIC code is 7311.