Hummingbirds is a female-founded startup that connects hyperlocal content creators with locally-based brands such as coffee shops and grocery store chains that reward them for sharing products with their small and highly engaged communities via social media to juice their marketing.
The company announced Wednesday a $5.4 million seed round, bringing the total amount raised to $10 million. The new capital will support the platform’s expansion into 20 more cities by 2025, including Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Denver, Colorado.
Launched last year, the platform bets on localized and word-of-mouth marketing, where brands aim to build trust with local customers. Small business owners often struggle with local marketing, typically due to limited budgets or competition from established brands. Hummingbirds believes the solution lies in their own backyard—leveraging the “PTA moms” (aka parents who are actively involved school activities like fundraising) and other nearby creators to help promote products.
“When [brands] think about driving in-store behavior to these retailers, they need a new marketing tool, and that’s where Hummingbirds has really found that we can help those brands move quickly and build that brand awareness, build a loyal following, actually bring them customers who go back to the store and buy their product over and over,” co-founder Charise Flynn told TechCrunch.
Hummingbirds enables brands to launch targeted marketing campaigns aimed at local residents, encouraging them to share products on social media with their followers. There are currently over 300 brand partners, from well-known brands like Chop Local, Cutwater, Goodles, and Olipop to smaller businesses and local chains, such as AE Dairy, Century Farm Distillery, and Fareway Grocery.
To incentivize participation, businesses offer rewards such as gift cards that range from $50 to $250, as well as complimentary experiences (such as a massage at a spa), free merchandise, and other perks.
Although Hummingbirds takes 0% commission from creators, brands are required to pay a fee to launch campaigns on the platform.
The platform focuses on everyday creators who see social sharing as a hobby, with most of their followers being friends and local connections. It argues that “nano creators”—those with up to 10,000 followers—often achieve higher engagement rates due to their loyal followings. The company claims that its strategy of producing “city-specific content” can increase sales by up to 14 times and enhance social engagement by 80%.
“Their engagement rate is way higher than the traditional industry standard. We see, on average, 3-4% engagement…most influencers are at 0.7% engagement,” Flynn said.
Several startups that are fairly similar to Hummingbirds have emerged over the years, such as Franki, Mavely, Mavn, and Soci, but Hummingbirds sets itself apart by targeting content creators primarily located in Middle America. The platform operates in over 20 cities, including Des Moines, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Omaha, Nebraska.
This focus is strategic, as the company believes that this region is often overlooked and challenging for many brands aiming to expand their reach.
“They don’t know how to market to Middle America. [Customers are] spending a significant amount on groceries, and so they’re able to activate our Hummingbird communities in order to build brand awareness and move product velocity. It’s been really beneficial that we focus on a part of their marketing that is a little bit more challenging for them,” Flynn explained.
Co-founder Emily Steele is the visionary behind Hummingbirds. As a small content creator in Iowa, she recognized the opportunity to assist local brands in her community.
“Hummingbirds spun out of trying an oat milk latte in Des Moines, Iowa, and sharing it on social and getting other people excited to share the small businesses in our own city,” Steele told us. She also mentioned that the company name comes from a nickname her father-in-law calls her, as hummingbirds are the “local pollinators” and are always “buzzing around town.”
Recently, the company has experienced rapid growth. In the past year, it claims to have quadrupled its revenue and doubled its community size, now boasting 11,000 creators.
Participants in the seed round include Allos Ventures, Ground Game, Homegrown Capital, InnoVenture Iowa Fund, ISA Ventures, M25 Fund and Next Level Ventures.
