Adtech startup Linkby banks $4 million Series A

An ad tech platform that helps publishers monetise product mentions has raised $4 million in a Series A as it looks to ramp up its global ambitions.

The round for Linkby was led by investors Perennial Private Investments, with existing backer OIF Ventures, which led Linkby’s $5 million Seed raised in early 2022 also going again, with an investment two times their pro-rata rights.

Having had a successful exit to Nine with his media brand Pedestrian TV, CEO Chris Wirasinha teamed up with Andrew Chak and Adrian Fagerlund in 2020 to launch Linkby, which connects direct-to-consumer brands with the world’s largest publishers, including The Daily Mail, News Corp and The Daily Beast. It’s now used by more than 1,500  brands to create advertising campaigns globally with more than 250 premium publishers, newsletters and creators. 

Linkby now operates out of Sydney, London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Malaysia and the Series A capital be used to put more boots on the ground in those jurisdictions, with the global headcount recently hitting 60.

 Wirasinha said the platform has generated more than 15 million clicks for publishers and advertisers alike, creating new customers and sales as well as revenue for publishers.

“Our Series A raise is testament to the hard work our talented team has put in over the last 4 years. We’ve seen our markets in the US and UK grow to account for more than 80% of our total revenue, while using Australia as a testing ground for new launches,” he said.

“That includes our ‘Pubfeed’ product, which is now powering the infinite scroll experience across 50 global websites on both a CPM and CPC basis. We’re pumped to work with a huge range of brands from Aesop and Fenty to ALDI and Disney+ and are excited to ship product faster, scale our teams and expand further into international markets.”

Perennial Private Investments cofounder Ryan Sohn said they’re hoping to see Linkby become a verb in marketing.

“Linkby’s global footprint, rapid revenue growth and clear market leadership position are evidence of the massive positive impact that Linkby is already delivering for brands, publishers and anyone looking to monetise a large audience across the web,” he said.

“Their platform takes a process that previously could take months and allows brands to do it in minutes, driving trust, awareness and performance. It’s rare for an Australian start-up to have achieved product market fit across the US and UK so rapidly.”