Astute raises $1.2M and launches B2B new media platform

Astute, a platform that helps B2B companies manage
partnerships with newsletter, podcast and social media creators, has raised an
oversubscribed $1.2 million pre-seed round as it launches its new platform. The
round was backed by Flyer One Ventures, Silicon Gardens, Marathon Fund and
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, alongside strategic angel investors.

Founded by Vida Stanić and Abhishek Manikandan, Astute is
developing infrastructure for B2B marketing as audiences increasingly shift
from traditional channels such as advertising, PR and search towards
newsletters, podcasts and social platforms. The company aims to make it easier
for businesses to identify relevant creators and manage partnerships across a
fragmented media landscape comprising millions of independent channels.

Astute’s platform uses two AI agents to automate both sides
of the partnership process. One acts as a talent manager for creators, handling
administrative tasks associated with brand partnerships. The second serves as a
new media manager for B2B companies, helping them identify creators, develop
partnership strategies and manage campaigns.

The company says its technology monitors more than one
million creator posts per minute to identify where businesses and their
competitors are being discussed. It uses this data to recommend potential
creator partnerships and manage opportunities including editorial placements,
interviews, podcast appearances, advertising and event collaborations.

The platform also measures campaign performance across
metrics including impressions, conversions, brand visibility and visibility in
AI-powered search engines, giving companies a way to track the impact of their
creator partnerships.

For years, B2B marketing relied on ads, PR and SEO. But
audiences have moved to new media channels — newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn,
X. In direct-to-consumer space, that shift turned influencer marketing into one
of the biggest line items in the budget. B2B is next,

said Vida Stanić,
founder and CEO of Astute.

Stanić said one of the main challenges for B2B companies is
identifying and reaching relevant creators, a process she experienced
first-hand while working in growth roles. Astute is designed to automate much
of this work, from discovering creators and establishing contact to managing
partnerships and measuring their results.

The company is positioning its platform around the growing
importance of distribution as AI lowers barriers to developing new products and
increases competition across technology markets. Astute also expects
creator-generated content to become increasingly relevant to AI-powered
discovery and recommendation systems, as AI agents play a greater role in how
products and companies are found.

In the longer term, Astute plans to expand beyond
facilitating individual creator partnerships to help B2B companies build their
brands, establish credibility and develop their own audiences.