Agentio secures $40M from Forerunner as it scales its creator marketplace beyond YouTube

Agentio, a startup dedicated to bridging the gap between brands and YouTube creators for sponsored content, has successfully secured $40 million in its latest funding round. This Series B round, led by Forerunner, follows previous investments from notable backers like Benchmark and Craft Ventures, bringing the company's total funding to $56 million and establishing its valuation at $340 million. The surge in sponsored video content on YouTube, which saw a 28% increase in views and a 54% rise in the number of sponsored videos in the first half of 2025, has positioned Agentio favorably within the creator economy. The startup, founded in 2023 by former Cameo president Arthur Leopold and ex-Spotify engineer Jonathan Meyers, has experienced significant growth, expanding its operations fivefold since its last funding round in November 2024. Agentio has reported impressive results for brands utilizing its platform. For instance, the apparel brand Bombas achieved a 5.3x return on ad spend and a remarkable 90% net new customer rate through campaigns run via Agentio, outperforming traditional video advertising methods. Brands that typically take over six months to utilize their advertising budgets on platforms like Meta and Google can now do so within a few months, thanks to Agentio’s efficient ad buying processes. Leopold highlighted the challenges brands faced in partnering with creators at scale before Agentio's inception. He emphasized the role of AI in automating the ad buying process, noting that as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, brands are recognizing the unmatched trust creators have with their audiences. While specific figures were not disclosed, Agentio has reportedly paid tens of millions of dollars to creators, allowing them to double their brand partnership earnings within just six months. In terms of product development, Agentio has focused on integrating AI-driven reasoning models and multimodal understanding. The introduction of an AI-powered campaign manager assists marketers in crafting effective campaigns, while a new content review feature ensures that creator submissions align with brand safety standards. Meyers explained that this technology saves brands time by automating the review process, enabling faster campaign rollouts. Agentio also stands out for its ability to connect brands with a diverse range of creators, including those outside traditional categories. This innovative approach allows brands to reach audiences they might otherwise overlook. Although Agentio primarily serves consumer brands, there is growing interest from B2B organizations as well. After two years of focusing mainly on YouTube, Agentio is now beta testing on Meta platforms, particularly for video formats like Reels. The startup plans to extend its services to additional platforms such as TikTok and Snap in 2026, facilitating connections between creators and brands through Meta partnership ads. Eurie Kim, managing partner at Forerunner, spoke highly of Agentio's potential, stating that the VC firm had been monitoring the startup for over a year. Kim believes that Agentio is poised to become a leading AI-powered media planning platform, particularly as the value of creators continues to rise. With its team growing from 12 to 35 employees, Agentio aims to expand its workforce to over 100 in the coming year.