Hummingbirds, a Des Moines-based creator marketing platform, has launched in New York City, completing its expansion into a national footprint across 78 cities in the Midwest, West Coast, and East Coast.

The female-founded company connects consumer packaged goods brands with nano and micro creators to drive product discovery at the retail level. Its network now includes more than 50,000 creators, primarily women and parents, and over 280 brand partners, including Graza, Recess, Ritual, and Goodles.

Northeast Demand Drives Expansion

The New York City launch follows inbound pressure from brands and creators in the region. According to the company’s announcement, 44.6% of inbound brand requests cited a need for Northeast support, driven by the region’s retail density and higher CPG spend per capita in specialty and premium food categories. 

New York City also generated more creator waitlist interest than any single market in the platform’s history, surpassing Los Angeles by more than 50%.

Hummingbirds’ model centers on activating creators within the specific markets where a brand’s products are on shelves. “Creator marketing only works if it’s happening where products are actually on shelves,” said Emily Steele, CEO and co-founder. “Brands don’t need more reach – they need creator activity in the markets where they’re trying to win.”

Platform Growth

Hummingbirds previously raised over $10 million in seed funding to scale its SaaS platform, which enables brands to generate city-specific social media content through local creators. Research cited by Hummingbirds from Harvard Business Review indicates that nano-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers can generate an average return of more than $1,000 from a $50 product investment.

Sasha McKenzie, deal lead at investor Wellington Access Ventures and a Hummingbirds investor said the expansion signals “a new distribution layer” forming around localized, trust-driven product discovery.

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