setting the scene
you reached 1m followers on TikTok, and the advertising requests roll in
while sponsorships bring in the dough, they come with several pain points, including:
sending manual invoices to each brand 😥
paying high international exchange rates 😫
waiting weeks for the money to arrive 🙄
managing payments costs creators time and stress, which impacts the quality of new content
this week's company helps creators focus on what they do best by providing a solution to manage payments and receive money instantly
in a sentence
Dealflow is a platform that enables creators to receive instant payments and brands to manage creator expenses
creators: send invoices and collect payments for free
instant: for a small fee, creators can get same-day payments and withdraw money from anywhere
expenses: brands receive a virtual credit card, earn cash back, and pay one monthly bill for all creator partnerships
bulleted version: Dealflow combines the easy invoices and instant withdrawals of Venmo with the upfront lending of a bank loan to help money flow between creators and brands 💸
the basics
industry: fintech, creator economy
headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark 🇩🇰
year founded: 2021
company size: <10 employees
investors: Tobias Bengtsdahl, Simon Ousager, Piotr Smolen
amount raised: €400k; closing pre-seed round
business model: transaction fee on instant payments
sponsored by
founders need banking that grows with them, from the day an idea is born to the day it makes millions in revenue - and beyond
no matter your stage, Mercury understands and delivers on startup needs - helping you build your business with focus and confidence every step of the way
they reimagine the business banking experience to be as modern as the startups they serve, offering everything from banking basics to alternative financing options like Venture Debt
today, more than 100k companies across industries, stages, and business types choose Mercury for its ease-of-use, speed, and moments of unexpected delight
apply online in 10 minutes and experience business banking as it should be
Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC.
due diligence
what we like
💥 age of the influencer: the market for influencer marketing is valued at $16.4b, up 19% from 2021
plus, 2/3 of marketers plan to increase their influencer budgets
🌏 expansion potential: the company plans to grow beyond Denmark to the sizable UK and US influencer markets
Dealflow's ambitious roadmap (think creator debit cards and influencer databases) will help the company add, upsell, and retain customers everywhere
potential risks
⚠️ risk management: Dealflow's model is dependent on brands making their monthly payments
✅ approval process: do Dealflow's creator and brand screening processes limit the size and demographic of the company's user base?
founder profiles
Seb Haugeto (ceo; prev. @ Tjommi)
Sid Mudgal (cto; prev. @ Fico)
comps
why Dealflow: with a user base and transaction volume growing ~100% each month and strong testimonials from brands and creators, this startup is the real deal 🤝