Google Acquires FameBit from Science Inc.
I was fortunate enough to meet David Kierzkowski and Agnes Kozera, the founders of FameBit, three years ago. They immediately struck me as two incredibly genuine founders with a vision to create the world’s largest marketplace allowing brands to connect with YouTube influencers. As Famebit’s primary investors — we worked with them over time as they expanded their business from YouTube to other platforms, and saw both their brand clients and influencer base grow. Today we can share they are now part of Google.
Science had built an investment theme around the concept of “People as Publishers,” looking for disruptive startups that enabled large and small audience influencers on social platforms to turn their media reach into a business. Famebit was the first platform I had ever seen that had created a true self-service platform, reminding me of the early days of AdSense.
We backed FameBit because we knew there needed to be a new way to for brands to build direct relationships with creators and their dedicated followers. Today FameBit’s influencers reach billions of people across social media.
Like many great disruptive companies, Famebit grew out of a very personal need the founders identified. Agnes was inspired to create FameBit when she was working with YouTube influencers at a previous startup and found it was difficult to find the right people to work with and scale influencer marketing programs. It’s been incredible to watch Agnes and David grow a simple idea into a potent influencer network that spans several social platforms and attracted the attention of the largest multinational tech company on the planet. After helping influencers make money — and sometimes even a full-time living — through YouTube and other platforms, it only makes sense that we would bring those capabilities to Google itself.
This announcement also marks an important milestone for Science — we’ve achieved our third exit this year. HelloSociety, the influencer network that creates platform-optimized content for brands, was purchased by The New York Times in March and Dollar Shave Club, the innovative men’s grooming brand where Science made a seed investment, was acquired by Unilever in July.
I enjoy working with entrepreneurs in a number of different ways, whether it’s backing their existing concepts, conceptualizing ideas in-house, or working with mature companies to revamp them for the mobile millennial generation. The underlying commonality is how we approach every project and the criteria we use to evaluate tomorrow’s best leaders. The approach is driven by a clear thesis and success is won by direct content-to-customer relationships.
It’s safe to say that influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere — online influencers on social platforms impact millennials and Generation Z even more than traditional celebrities do. As the most sought after and biggest consumer spending demographic, millennials are key to a brand’s future. At Science, we pride ourselves on understanding them and their media consumption habits wholeheartedly, whether it’s how they purchase razors, the influencers they follow for style recommendations, or what they think about the latest topic on Wishbone.
This is media in its most empowered state, and we’ll continue our path to building the next big thing.
