Braid raises $6.8 million to help creators cultivate direct-to-fan relationships

Braid is the latest platform providing fan engagement tools for the creator economy. The young company is looking to build AI-driven products after raising a $6.8 million seed round that included participation from Andreessen Horowitz and Initialized Capital.

On its website, Braid breaks its features into four categories. At its foundation, the platform is a landing page builder reminiscent of link-in-bio services like Linktree. Creators can pull together their posts, podcasts, merch, and more, consolidating them in one location.

Though Braid connects to its users’ social channels, several of its products utilize a phone-based form of communication: Text messages. Creators can employ Braid to collect their fans’ phone numbers, which allows them to build outreach lists. Once those lists have been compiled, creators can deliver links and messages via SMS.

For creators who prefer internet-based communication, Braid’s group chat tool facilitates Q&A sessions with fans. The platform also offers direct messaging for purposes like polling and submission gathering.

Once creators assemble expansive landing pages and mailing lists through Braid, they can analyze the ensuing traffic. The company’s analytics dashboard lets users track page views, clickthrough rates, and referrals across their social posts.

Braid’s co-founders are former Facebook product designer Matthew Cahill and software engineer Chris Piro. “Creators work incredibly hard to build their audiences, there should be a better way to maintain those relationships that doesn’t require worrying about algorithms, policy changes, or key platforms losing momentum,” Cahill said in a statement. “Our goal with Braid is to give creators tools to design the perfect home base for their audience and make their lives easier.”

Shortly after its launch, Braid has already attracted several notable creators, including Lauren Lane, Ben Kielesinski, and Nikki Hall. With its seed funding, the company plans to develop new features, including AI-powered optimization tools.

The two companies leading Braid’s seed round have both become regular investors in creator economy firms. Initialized backed creator website builder Fourthwall in 2021, Andreessen Horowitz boosted Bored Apes Yacht Club parent company Yuga Labs in 2022, and both firms have backed the blockchain-based network CreatorDAO.