Sideqik, an Atlanta-based influencer marketing and social engagement platform, has raised $5 million in a Series A round from Jackson Square Ventures and Fuqua Capital.
Co-founder and CEO Jeremy Haile said the investment will go towards accelerating innovation within Sideqik's AI-driven intelligence platform to help customers better understand their market, competition and consumers.
"We understand marketers are overwhelmed with the amount of data available to them and are building technology to help them easily see the customer insights they need to make better decisions and to build relationships with people who will make a meaningful difference to the growth of their businesses," he said. "We’ll also be expanding our sales and marketing teams, growing our presence and thought leadership amongst the world’s best brands."
Sideqik partnered with Jackson Square Ventures due to the firm's track record investing in companies such as Demandbase, DocuSign, OfferUp, Responsys, Strava and Upwork, Haile said.
"They understand how to build top-tier technology companies, as well as have a firm understanding of the challenges that consumer businesses face in adapting to this connected social world we all live in," he said. "We also added new investors Fuqua Capital and Tom Noonan, who serves on the board of the NYSE, Manhattan Associates and ICE, and who has helped build many technology companies including Internet Security Systems."
Sideqik provides intelligence and streamlines work around all things social engagement, Haile said. They provide insights into social and digital trends, help businesses understand who is influencing their customers, build relationships with those people and measure the impact on their business.
The company currently has 18 team members in Atlanta and plans to add more than 60 employees across Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Europe. In the past two years, the startup has grown its sales by nearly 900 percent, Haile said.
"We have been fortunate to partner with some of the top brands in the world, including Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Under Armour, Universal Music and Procter & Gamble," he said.
And Sideqik has an ambitious year ahead.
"We’ll continue innovating on our market-leading platform by providing AI-driven insights around our customers’ market and competition, streamlining every step of their social engagement workflow, and providing predictive analytics to help them make smarter decisions," Haile said. "We will be adding to our incredible team, providing a great culture and space for our growing team to thrive, and continue building partnerships with the world’s leading consumer brands so they can better connect with the new generation of consumers."
