She Raised $13M to Build a 80,000 Creator Network with Emily Steele, Founder of Hummingbirds
From WorkParty · 27:00
Show by Jaclyn Johnson, Marina Middleton
She started with a Google doc and a local Facebook group, and today Emily Steele has built Hummingbirds into a network of more than 80,000 creators across 78 cities, raised $13 million in venture funding, and launched a way to trace a creator’s recommendation all the way to a receipt verified purchase. As the founder of Hummingbirds, Emily is here to break down how she scaled word of mouth marketing into a measurable growth channel for brands like Graza, Recess and Goodles.In this episode, we cover:Why she raised $13M in stages and how she did it by pitching 100 investors when only 2 to 3% of VC dollars go to female foundersWhy brands are investing in everyday creators with as few as 2,000 followers to drive sales at retailHow Hummingbirds connects a creator’s post to a receipt verified purchaseWhat it takes to get hundreds of creators moving product at stores like TargetWhy the sales hire that felt too early and too expensive turned out to be her best decisionWhat to know before bringing on a co-founder, and why she gave hers half the companyTune in to hear how one founder built the infrastructure behind word of mouth marketing, on her own terms, on her own timeline, and without ever compromising on what she believed in.To learn more about Hummingbirds:https://www.instagram.com/hummingbirdshq www.hummingbirds.comJoin Us for 2027 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festivalGet 15% off your Create & Cultivate Festival Tickets with code WORKPARTY15To follow along with Create & Cultivate:https://www.instagram.com/createcultivatewww.createcultivate.comTo connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnsonTo connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton
More episodes
- You Don’t Have a Sales Problem, You Have a Follow-Up Problem with Andrea Mac, Founder of Salesy
- Andrea Faulkner Williams: Taking Tubby Todd to #1 at Target, The “Terrible Idea” That Worked
- Olandria on Letting Go of People’s Expectations, Betting on Herself & Why She’s Just Getting Started
- We Did It All This Summer: Cannes Lions, Croatia & C&C 100 with Jaclyn & Marina
- Why Making More Money Won't Make You Wealthy with Jaclyn Johnson
- WorkParty Trailer
- MINISODE 1: Alli Webb Live at Create & Cultivate Chicago
- Start by Starting: Getting your business off the ground with Bobbi Brown
- MINISODE 2: Whitney Port on Motherhood & Work
- Taking Your Creativity Seriously with Rachel Zoe
PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.