Video-powered commerce and influencer marketing gen.video has acquired Lionize, an AI-driven influencer recruitment platform. The acquisition combines gen.video’s commerce analytics capabilities with Lionize’s AI-powered creator discovery system, creating an end-to-end solution for brands seeking measurable influencer marketing results.

The acquisition follows gen.video’s recent momentum in the creator economy space. In 2024, the company launched partnrUP, a mobile-friendly content collaboration platform, and acquired Bounty, a user-generated content marketplace for Shopify brands. With the addition of Lionize, gen.video strengthens its suite of creator marketing solutions.

“We’re building a next-gen system for creator collaboration and content performance. It’s more than automation—we’re helping brands work with trusted creators faster and drive more accountable results,” said Jessica Thorpe, CEO of gen.video, in a press release.

The expanded platform now offers AI-powered creator discovery, commerce intelligence analytics, and white-labeled collaboration workspaces for content approvals and reporting.

AI-Driven Influencer Recruitment

Lionize brings to the table its proprietary AI agent “Lilly,” which has analyzed over 30 million creator profiles across Instagram and TikTok. The system examines more than 20 different attributes related to creator details, audience demographics, and content style before recommending matches to brands.

“We built technology that provides brands and agencies with a virtual influencer manager to ease the workload for brands to source and manage creator partnerships,” stated Chris Buetti, CEO and co-founder of Lionize.

In March 2024, Lionize secured $2 million in funding led by Cultivation Capital to develop its platform capabilities. The company has facilitated nearly 100,000 creator partnerships to date.

Benefits for Creators

The acquisition also includes Creator Opportunity, a platform with over 120,000 active users designed to help creators boost visibility and income. The platform offers paid placements that promote creators directly to brands, similar to paid search ads.

“It’s not just another creator portal. Creator Opportunity is giving us real access to brands that value long-term relationships,” said Connor “Pugs” Flannery.

Measurement-Focused Approach

gen.video’s strategy aligns with Thorpe’s vision of providing performance measurement for commerce outcomes. “Being able to bring advanced measurement tools to brands around shopping behaviors is critical if they’re trying to understand which creative is working better for their brand,” Thorpe previously stated in an interview with Net Influencer.

The combined technologies aim to deliver a platform where outcomes matter, creators thrive, and content earns trust throughout the buying journey. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.