Having worked in the influencer space for over a decade, Priyanka Mahulkar recognised the challenges brands and nano-influencers faced, particularly local businesses with limited budgets. From planning to execution, brands struggled with selecting the right influencers, creating content, and managing timelines — all while staying within budget.
While there existed agencies facilitating these collaborations, they charged hefty fees, leaving many smaller brands sidelined.
Mahulkar wanted to streamline the process through new-age technologies and make it affordable for small brands.
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This led to the birth of Gram Circle.
Based in Singapore, the startup aims to revolutionise influencer marketing by creating new economic opportunities for local brands and influencers through its AI-powered platform.
The product was born out of the need for local brands to establish an online presence during the pandemic, and then it pivoted to a fully automated AI platform.
“At its core, Gram Circle enables brands to scale their businesses through influencer collaborations while allowing influencers to discover partnerships more easily. This process benefits both parties: brands can quickly launch campaigns, and influencers can create relevant content without the hassle of searching for suitable partners,” Mahulkar told e27.
Enhancing campaign management
According to Mahulkar, Gram Circle’s AI technology is the key differentiator that enhances campaign management and performance tracking. The AI matches brands with the most suitable influencers based on shared values and target audiences. It also simplifies brands’ workflow, from crafting campaign briefs to identifying influencers, reducing the time it takes to set up marketing efforts.
“It is a DIY platform that empowers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take control of their marketing campaigns without relying on costly agencies. It can set up influencer campaigns in minutes, offering brands a cost-effective way to launch large-scale, high-impact campaigns,” Mahulkar shared.
Similarly, influencers are guided on content creation, with suggestions tailored to each campaign. This mutual benefit fosters efficiency and removes the manual processes that often bog down influencer marketing efforts.
For example, a local café used Gram Circle to host an exclusive preview event for influencers, generating buzz on social media that increased brand awareness and strengthened community engagement.
The solution also offers predictive analytics to estimate campaign reach and engagement, automated reporting, and performance benchmarking.
The startup charges a monthly fee of S$188 (US$146), allowing brands to partner with influencers across various food, fashion, and beauty industries. A beauty brand in Singapore used Gram Circle to generate over 80 TikTok videos in just one month, demonstrating the platform’s efficiency and cost-effectiveness
“For just S$188 per month, brands can run campaigns that generate significant results, while influencers are rewarded based on transparent performance metrics,” she stated. “We are also developing an affiliate system that ties influencer compensation directly to campaign outcomes, ensuring that both sides benefit from successful collaborations.”
Targetting 60M nano-influencers
As Gram Circle expands, it targets 20 million businesses and 60 million nano-influencers across platforms like Meta and TikTok. Its city-by-city growth strategy builds authentic relationships through community events and connects influencers with local brand owners to foster meaningful collaborations.
The company is also eyeing the vast direct-to-consumer (D2C) markets in Southeast Asia and India, aiming to expand into these regions when the time is right.
Influencers benefit from content analysis tools, dynamic pricing models, and optimisation suggestions to improve their content performance.
Also Read: AI in influencer marketing: Transforming trends and shaping the future
With the influencer marketing industry projected to grow by 28.6 per cent CAGR by 2032, Gram Circle aims to capitalise on this trend. The platform’s core value lies in its focus on local communities, where local brands and influencers come together to drive economic impact.
Looking ahead, Gram Circle sees AI as a driving force in the future of influencer marketing, especially in the micro and nano-influencer segments.
“As the landscape becomes more competitive, authenticity and deeper audience engagement will be essential for success. We are committed to guiding this transformation, using technology to deliver data-driven solutions that benefit both brands and influencers,” Mahulkar stated.
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Image Credit: Gram Circle.
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