Hummingbirds, an online platform that connects businesses with hyper-local content creators, announced this week it has raised over $1 million in funding.
The round was led by Chicago-based venture capital firm M25 with participation by Next Level Ventures, InnoVentures Iowa, ISA Ventures, Mango Seed Investments and a handful of angel investors.
Hummingbirds is a platform that matches a community of hyper-local content creators — known as “hummingbirds” — with small businesses to drive brand awareness and sales. The platform is currently active in Des Moines and Omaha, with plans to expand to at least eight more cities in 2023.
“It is a testament to the momentum of Hummingbirds that we were able to close this round at a record pace, in a tough capital raising environment, with world-class investors,” said Charise Flynn, Hummingbirds co-founder and COO in a news release. “This new funding will be used to bring on critical sales hires, increase the platform’s functionality, and build out marketing agency partnerships,” added Flynn.
“Our mission is to help local communities thrive by connecting businesses and organizations with a people-powered marketing solution that drives relevancy and revenue, keeps dollars inside communities, builds long-term business success and creates meaning and purpose for content creators and social media enthusiasts,” said Emily Steele, co-founder and CEO of Hummingbirds.