[Funding alert] Influencer marketing startup ClanConnect.ai raises 5 Cr in seed round

ClanConnect.ai, a Delhi-based self-serve influencer marketing startup for brands, has closed its seed round of Rs 5 crore.

The funding round was led by Venture Catalysts along with several marquee entrepreneurs, including Samrath Bedi, Managing Director of Forest Essentials; Sandeep Aggarwal of Droom.in; Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder of Haptik; and Haresh Hingorani, Chief Creative Officer of Redchillies VFX.

Sagar Pushp, Co-founder and CEO, ClanConnect.ai, said,

“India has a thriving community of influencers, with digital natives joining from all parts of the country. This community has enormous potential and will do well if provided the right push and proper industry support. A dedicated AI-driven influencer marketing and collaboration platform is our take to offer the same.”

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The AI-driven influencer marketing platform is founded by Kunal Kishore Sinha (Co-founder of Value 360 Communications, an integrated PR and communications firm in South Asia), Sagar Pushp (Former Head of Digital Media at Cheil India), and a filmmaker Anshai Lal.

The startup helps brands in making their influencer marketing campaigns more data and result-oriented by bringing discovery, management, and performance analytics all in one system. Through targeted searches and customisable analytics, marketers are able to identify and partner with more relevant influencers.

ClanConnect.ai offers 30 different parameters to quantify the suitability and reach of each influencer. The company has introduced a structured process of selecting influencers for brands.

It simplifies interaction between all stakeholders through instant analytics, progress reports, campaign ROIs, and more to help everyone derive the necessary learnings.

The platform further empowers smaller influencers to engage with larger brands, democratising the process for everyone. ClanConnect.ai seeks to collaborate with all stakeholders, including individual influencers, talent hubs, agencies, and brands by bringing them on to a single platform.

Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Venture Catalysts, added,

“The global influencer market is valued at $9 billion and expected to touch $24 billion by 2025. With the pandemic giving a boost to digital adoption, we are confident that people-to-people marketing will become a mainstream marketing tool. We are excited to become a part of the ClanConnect.ai’s journey into a fiscally disciplined SaaS business that will solve fundamental problems of this growing industry.”

ClanConnect.ai extends tailor-made solutions for different sectors including automobile, fashion, travel, fitness, food, technology, lifestyle, and entertainment, alongside others. The startup said it added tangible value with an automated system that eliminates manual follow-ups and creates detailed reports, measurable goals, and automated matches.