NEI
NEI is an independent, women-founded influencer marketing agency based in Portugal that runs creator-led campaigns, ambassador programs, and brand activations for enterprise clients such as IKEA, Xiaomi, and Danone across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersNot specified, Portugal
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NEI does
NEI (legal name NEI Agency) is an independent, women-founded influencer marketing agency headquartered in Lisboa, Portugal. Founded in 2020 by Nuna Martins, Erika Barra, and Inês Cunha, the firm positions itself outside holding-company networks and competes on curated creator selection, co-creation methodology, and measured campaign outcomes. Its service catalog spans five modular scopes — Global, Integrated, Standalone, Always-On, and Experience — covering campaign strategy, creator scouting, project management of content production, ambassador program management, brand activations, and post-campaign reporting.
The company's underlying technology stack is not publicly disclosed and no proprietary platform, API, or AI tooling has been announced; delivery is built on standard influencer-marketing workflows, manual creator curation, and human-led creative direction. NEI does hold a registered trademark on the NEI® Agency brand identity and has accumulated a notable award record across Portuguese industry bodies (M&P 2022, Eficácia 2023/2024, APPM 2023/2024). Documented case studies cover IKEA, Xiaomi, Danone/Yopro, Makro, Fidelidade, Rituals, and H3 across at least six verticals and 20 countries.
NEI operates a B2B professional-services model, generating revenue through project fees and retainer arrangements with brand clients (enterprise and mid-market). GTM is sales-led via direct outreach, website inquiries, and case-study portfolio, supported by organic presence on Instagram (@nei.agency) and LinkedIn (@nei-agency). The firm employs approximately 12 people, has received public grant funding from Portugal's IEFP employment institute, and remains founder-owned with no disclosed institutional equity investors.
NEI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NEI
- Legal name
- NEI Agency
- Website
- https://nei.agency
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NEI is an independent, women-founded influencer marketing agency based in Portugal that runs creator-led campaigns, ambassador programs, and brand activations for enterprise clients such as IKEA, Xiaomi, and Danone across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NEI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Influencer Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Management & Talent Representation (BPAFAHAB)
Keywords
Where NEI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Not specified
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
NEI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Influencer & Creator Campaign Management: Full-service influencer marketing including campaign strategy, creator scouting, content production management, and performance reporting. Revenue generated through project fees and retainer arrangements with brand clients.
- Ambassador Strategy & Management: Long-term ambassador and creator partnership programs for brands, including ongoing content strategy and relationship management.
- Content & Partnerships Audit: Consultancy services reviewing brand content strategy, industry landscape, competitors, and conversion optimization with actionable recommendations.
- Creative Strategy & Concept Development: Strategy development for co-creation campaigns, defining creative frameworks and identifying appropriate collaborators.
- Events & Activations: Brand activation experiences involving creators and communities, generating both offline engagement and online social content.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
NEI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NEI is an independent influencer marketing agency that partners with carefully selected creators, influencers, and ambassadors across Europe to deliver co-created branded content and experiences for enterprise and mid-market brands. The agency offers a modular suite of services including full-service campaign management, ambassador strategy, content and partnerships audits, creative strategy, project management, and performance reporting, delivered through project fees and retainer arrangements.
Product overview
NEI is an independent influencer marketing agency offering a modular suite of services that can be mixed and matched. Their core offerings include Content & Partnerships Audit (consultancy reviewing brand activities and industry landscape), Creative Strategy & Concept (co-creation strategy defining what-who-where-how-why), Project Management (handling rollout and creator relationships), and Reporting (delivering concise summaries or in-depth analysis). They also offer service scopes spanning Global (full-spectrum creator campaigns), Integrated (concept translation into creator-led communication), Standalone (ground-up campaign design), Always-On (ongoing branded content frameworks), and Experience (in-person creator activations). The agency specializes in connecting brands with carefully selected creators and influencers across Europe through creative storytelling and branded content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Content & Partnerships Audit Consultancy service reviewing a brand's activities, industry landscape, competitors, and conversion performance across current or intended communication territories, producing a clear overview with critical analysis, insights, and recommendations. Designed for brands seeking strategic guidance on their content and partnership strategy.
- Creative Strategy & Concept Strategic guidance through co-creation, defining the what-who-where-how-why from which a creative, native idea can flourish, shaped by the right collaborators and the right narrative. Built for brands preparing influencer or creator-led campaigns.
- Project Management End-to-end project management including rollout, day-to-day creative direction on content production, and management of all conversations with creators, talent agencies, production teams, and other partners. Designed for brands outsourcing campaign execution.
- Reporting Post-collaboration reporting service delivering either a concise summary or detailed analysis, including key data comparisons with initial projections, qualitative insights, behind-the-scenes context, content analysis, and recommendations for future campaigns. Designed for brands seeking measurable ROI on influencer campaigns.
- Global Scope Full-spectrum approach with creators, influencers, and ambassadors across all platforms, aligned with business ambitions, creating value in everyday communication and major attention-grabbing moments. Targeted at enterprise brands seeking end-to-end multi-market influencer programs.
- Integrated Scope Creative translation of broad concepts and campaigns into native, original, creator-led communication, or talent scouting for next initiatives. Designed for brands that need influencer execution integrated into a wider campaign.
- Standalone Scope Ground-up design of influencer and creator campaigns or activations, from strategy and big ideas to finding cultural relevance and assembling the ideal creation team. Built for brands launching a dedicated influencer-led campaign.
- Always-On Scope Development of a branded content plan, library, or framework with creators to keep brand conversations flowing, maintaining consistency and spark without the need for an in-house team. Designed for brands seeking ongoing creator content output.
- Experience Scope Cultivation of genuine, in-person connections by creating beautiful experiences with or exclusively for creators and communities. Designed for brands seeking brand activations and experiential creator events that generate both offline and online content.
- Ambassador Strategy & Management Long-term ambassador and creator partnership programs for brands, including ongoing content strategy, talent relationship management, and multi-campaign program execution. Built for brands seeking sustained creator partnerships rather than one-off campaigns.
Quantifiable outcome
- IKEA sleeping experience generated 1000%+ more interactions than predicted with 300%+ more organic content created than planned
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NEI
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NEI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
NEI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ELLEONOR (Artist)coreCollaborated on IKEA x Electrão recycling awareness campaign. ELLEONOR created an exclusive temporary flash tattoo collection featuring eight IKEA products most often recycled incorrectly, which were worn by influencers to spark conversations about recycling.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NEI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HireInfluence: US-based influencer marketing agency providing end-to-end campaign management, content creation, and ambassador programs for enterprise brands. Comparable to NEI in service scope and project-based revenue model.
- Billion Dollar Boy: UK-based independent influencer marketing agency offering campaign strategy, creator partnerships, and content production for global brands. Directly comparable to NEI in service model, target market (enterprise brands), and boutique positioning.
- The Goat Agency: Independent global influencer marketing agency serving enterprise brands across multiple verticals. Closely comparable to NEI on full-service creator campaign delivery, brand-client focus, and independent (non-network) positioning.
- Influencer Marketing Factory: Influencer marketing agency offering campaign strategy, talent selection, and content production for brands globally. Comparable to NEI as a direct competitor in the creator-campaign services category.
Emerging players
- Kolsquare: European influencer marketing SaaS platform offering creator analytics, campaign management, and market intelligence. Comparable to NEI as a European-headquartered player in the same creator-marketing ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- CreatorIQ: Enterprise SaaS platform for influencer marketing management, including creator discovery, campaign management, and analytics. Comparable to NEI as a broader category incumbent whose tooling increasingly overlaps with NEI's service offerings.
- Ogilvy (WPP): Global advertising network with dedicated influencer marketing and social creator capabilities across enterprise brands. Comparable to NEI as a broader incumbent whose influencer offering competes for the same enterprise marketing budgets.
- Traackr: Influencer marketing platform providing creator discovery, relationship management, and performance analytics for global brands. Comparable to NEI on the brand-services side of the influencer marketing ecosystem.
- Vamp (by LVMH): Influencer marketing platform originally independent and now part of LVMH, connecting brands with creators. Comparable to NEI as a category participant in influencer marketing services, with bigger parent backing.
Regional players
- JBH (The Mescladore): Full-service influencer marketing agency in Denmark serving Nordic and European brands with campaigns and ambassador programs. Comparable to NEI as a similarly-sized European independent agency competing in overlapping brand verticals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NEI social profiles
Digital presenceNEI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NEI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
NEI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NEI 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 NEI
What does NEI do?
NEI is an independent influencer marketing agency that partners with carefully selected creators, influencers, and ambassadors across Europe to deliver co-created branded content and experiences for enterprise and mid-market brands. The agency offers a modular suite of services including full-service campaign management, ambassador strategy, content and partnerships audits, creative strategy, project management, and performance reporting, delivered through project fees and retainer arrangements.
Is NEI a public or private company?
NEI is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NEI founded?
NEI was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NEI based?
NEI is headquartered in Not specified, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does NEI make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Influencer & Creator Campaign Management is the primary driver. The others are ambassador Strategy & Management, content & Partnerships Audit, creative Strategy & Concept Development and events & Activations.
Who are NEI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HireInfluence, Billion Dollar Boy, The Goat Agency and Influencer Marketing Factory. Kolsquare is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are CreatorIQ, Ogilvy (WPP), Traackr and Vamp (by LVMH). JBH (The Mescladore) is listed as a regional player.
Does NEI have an API?
No public API is recorded for NEI.
What industry is NEI in?
NEI's product category is Influencer Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAHAB, Creator Management & Talent Representation. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.