When to Rebrand? Start With $2.9 Million Investment

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Speakr, the social influencer marketing company formerly known as twtMob, has raised $2.9 million in seed funding to expand its marketing platform and tech team.

No longer connecting brands with just Twitter influencers, the West Hollywood company said it now offers a one-stop “platform agnostic” solution for social media marketing. It has taken on 60 brands in the last two years, including campaigns for Universal Pictures, Microsoft and Samsung. Speakr Chief Executive Marco Hansell declined to share revenue numbers, but said 2013 figures were twice the previous year’s.

Hansell ran digital marketing campaigns for music artists such as John Legend and Ludacris before launching what was, at the time, twtMob. But because Hollywood stars are no longer the only household names in the media marketplace, brands are expanding their marketing rosters to include online talent with huge social followings. Speakr is one of several marketing companies angling to meet that demand.

“Social influence is becoming the next hot button,” Hansell said. “We’re uniquely positioned having been here for four years now and seeing the transition of celebrity influence to influencers on Twitter to Instagram and Snapchat. We have a lot of data and leadership that helps our brand and helps the industry navigate the right way to deal with influencers.”

The funding round was led by Toba Capital and included participation from Allegro Venture Partners; Brett Hurt, co-founder and former chief executive of Bazaarvoice; Ed Snider, chairman of Comcast Spectacor; and Nick Gross, chief executive of STRZ Enterprises. Speakr has raised a total of $3.8 million to date.

Staff reporter Melissah Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MelissahYang for the latest in L.A. tech news.

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