One Impression, an Indian influencer marketing platform that trades in markets including Indonesia, Dubai, Europe and the US, has raised $10 million in funding led by South Korean gaming company Crafton.
A Gurugram-based startup is building an Amazon-like platform to help brands quickly find relevant influencers for their marketing campaigns. Brands ranging from FMCG to e-commerce benefit from having over 7 million content creators on the platform within their reach. These creators include micro-movers from villages and tier-2 and tier-3 cities, as well as big celebrities and Bollywood actors, who generate over 100,000 pieces of content for over 500 brands in over 10 languages. The platform is not limited to influencers from specific genres and also has comics, beauty, fashion and DIY creators in other fields.
Co-founder and CEO Apaksh Gupta says, “We ensure the right value for every influencer, and as a platform, as a brand, we ensure that you get the best match and the best value for every influencer you work with. One implication, in an interview with TechCrunch.
Founded in 2018 by Gupta and his brother Jeevesh Gupta, One Impression works directly with content creators, agencies and agents to provide brands with a variety of influencers that meet their requirements. This is unlike a traditional influencer marketing agency or creative discovery tool where you only have one source to choose from. Also, the startup offers full-stack solutions ranging from discovery, pricing and payments to compliance, government contracting, supply and performance monitoring.
“We’re bridging the gap between brands and creators. “We’re trying to make the partnership between brands and creators the most seamless, fastest, repeatable and scalable,” the executive said.
One Impression co-founders Jeevesh Gupta (left) and Apaksh Gupta (right) Image Credits: A view
In addition to helping brands reach the right influencer, One Impression is building tools that allow creators to monetize their content and collaborate with other creators and make financing easier through automation. The startup is working on a tool that will allow creators to easily access studios in India and find PR opportunities, Gupta said.
Currently, One Impression has enabled the platform for Instagram and YouTube. It also plans to launch for LinkedIn in India and Moj and TikTok for global markets over time.
“As different platforms continue to be important to any market, we will continue to integrate those new platforms into the platform,” Gupta said.
One Impression charges brands to connect with influencers and charges commissions to content creators who grow as those creators become more relevant to larger campaigns. This makes it a two-sided marketplace for both brands and creators. It is also working on launching premium tools to offer a subscription-based model for regular revenues.
The All Equity Series A funding round, led by Crafton, also saw participation from Peer Capital. The post-funding startup valued it at $70 million.
The investment from Crafton is strategic, Gupta told TechCrunch, with the gaming giant coming in as a financial investor.
“The creative ecosystem is on the cusp of a revolution. Untapped has great potential, and we believe One Impression is perfectly positioned to become a leader in the global influencer industry. One Impression has a big vision for the space, and we are excited to support them on their journey,” said Sin Hyunl Son, CEO, Crafton India, in a prepared statement.
As of 2021, Crafton has invested over $100 million in various Indian startups to become more than just a gaming company. However, the company has faced a ban on its popular Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) game title in the country – a few months after struggling to bring back the original PUBG Mobile title, which was banned by the Indian government in 2020 on national security grounds. Concerns.
“At Crafton, we are committed to the Indian market and we see huge potential here. We have invested around $100 million in various Indian startups since 2021. And our investment in One Impression is a step towards increasing this ecosystem and creating growth opportunities,” Son said.
One Impression, which claims to have created a profitable business without marketing, plans to use the fresh funding to build a marketing team and upgrade its sales team to expand its presence in global markets, starting with Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates. It is also looking to make acquisitions in Dubai to increase its market presence. The planned expansion will help the startup grow its average revenue to $40 million.
In the year In 2022, One Impression raised $1 million from angels including Peeyush Bansal of Lenskart, Anupam Mittal of People Group and celebrities like Olympian Neeraj Chopra and comedian Zakir Khan, among others.
