Komi, a digital platform used by artists and celebrities including Elton John, Usher, Idris Elba and footballer Mason Mount to engage with fans, has raised $12m (£9.3m) in a Series A funding round.
Komi has bases in London and Los Angeles and is an all-in-one creator commerce platform that empowers creators to maximise their commercial potential.
The round was led by VC investors including RTP, Third Prime, Antler, E& Capital, and Contour Ventures, alongside strategic investors including Sony Music Entertainment, Live Nation, Vicus, and Laffitte Management Group.
This brings the total amount raised to $17m £13.3m) in a little over a year, further fuelling the company’s rapid growth and scale.
Komi sits in the space between the growing creator economy and social commerce and has experienced more than 500 per cent growth of creators signing up for the waitlist since December.
The company partners with creators and brands from six continents who have a combined global audience of over 2 billion engaged fans.
Other celebrity creators using the platform include Jessica Alba, Lizzo, the San Francisco 49ers, Matthew McConaughey and F1 driver Charles Leclerc.
Komi initially provided creators and brands a social-first digital storefront to natively showcase their full collection of offerings through a white label content hub.
Beyond the content hub, Komi has been working extensively with creators and their teams to identify how to best support their efforts to commercialise their profile and fandom.
Lewis Crosbie, CEO and co-founder of Komi, said: “The creator economy is on track to grow to $480 billion by 2027, proving creators have huge commercial potential given the trust and distribution they have garnered from their fans.
“However, creators and brands currently lack the digital infrastructure needed in order to maximize this opportunity, which is why KOMI is focused on building around three core pillars we believe are the most important for creators to reach their commercial potential, namely: content, commerce and community.”
Ron Laffitte, founder of Laffitte Management Group, manager to artists including One Republic, Usher and Pharrell Williams, said: “Komi has built a platform that is empowering artists, both established and aspiring, to maximise their ability to authentically monetise their fandom.”
The funding will support the expansion of the company’s US-based team with a focus on marketing and creator partnerships.