Marker Video connects brands with customer-generated video reviews through a marketplace that verifies and authenticates real people’s opinions. Founded in April 2024 by Greta Dunne, the platform allows brands to purchase 30-second unscripted testimonials from verified product users while giving everyday consumers the opportunity to monetize their experiences.

The Dublin-based startup serves both enterprise corporations such as Unilever and HelloFresh as well as smaller businesses seeking authentic marketing content. Marker Video distinguishes itself by focusing exclusively on “customer-generated content” (CGC) rather than traditional user-generated content (UGC), employing strict verification technology that rejects approximately 60% of submitted videos for failing to meet its standards.

“In a world of AI slop, authenticity will reign supreme. That’s where the value is,” says Greta. “I wondered if people could just open their makeup bag or kitchen cabinet and talk about a product they genuinely love. Real people, real opinions.”

With a pre-seed investment of $250,000 already secured and a $2 million funding round currently underway, Marker Video is positioning its “guaranteed human” approach as a direct response to the proliferation of AI-generated marketing content.

A Career Built on Genuine Voices

Greta’s advocacy for authentic content began long before the current AI boom, though. In 2012, Greta founded College Times, an online magazine targeting 18-to-24-year-olds that eschewed the patronizing tone common in youth-oriented media. The publication quickly gained traction, eventually reaching 4 million monthly users. 

Greta followed this success by launching Teen Times, further expanding her media reach. Both publications were sold in 2016, but not before providing Greta with an understanding of content monetization through native advertising.

“We made a lot of money through advertisements and native articles,” Greta recalls. “Brands like Red Bull and Netflix would say, ‘We want our product in five of your best-performing articles.’ It was such a clever way to advertise without compromising tone.”

This experience led Greta to launch Marker Content in 2018, a marketplace where bloggers could monetize their back catalogs by selling authentic articles to brands. “It was a blog marketplace where you could upload your old posts and businesses could buy them off the shelf,” she says. As Greta shares, the platform attracted 100,000 users within its first year.

Greta speaking at the “Elevate Performance Marketing Summit”

The AI Disruption and Pivot

Greta reveals that the emergence of ChatGPT threatened the foundation of her business model. Investors began questioning the value of a written content marketplace in an era where AI could generate blog posts instantly.

“I was trying to raise money, and investors were like, ‘This is great, but companies will just use ChatGPT now,’” Greta says. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do? Sink or swim?’”

Rather than abandoning her commitment to human-generated content, Greta observed her own changing behavior as a consumer. She noticed her increasing engagement with unscripted product videos that felt genuine rather than manufactured.

“The data showed influencer marketing worked extremely well, but it was expensive,” says Greta. “There had to be another way to get content.”

This insight directly led to the creation of Marker Video in early 2024, a platform designed to harness real customer experiences while differentiating itself from both traditional influencer marketing and AI-generated content.

The Marker Video Ecosystem

Marker Video operates as a two-sided marketplace with a streamlined process for both content creators and brands. For everyday people in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Ireland, participation begins with a gamified registration on the platform. Users can then upload 30-second videos reviewing or showcasing products they genuinely use and own. Content can be review-style, but uploaded videos can also take the form of ‘get-ready-with-me’ videos, tutorials, ‘day in my life’ vlogs, cooking demos, etc.

“Anyone can upload a video talking about something they love, anything in their bathroom, kitchen, or a restaurant they visit,” says Greta. “Once uploaded, our tech runs it through authenticity and quality control checks to make sure they’re real people.”

The verification process is rigorous, with approximately 60% of submissions rejected for failing to meet standards. Videos that pass verification are tagged and categorized, making them instantly discoverable by relevant brands.

On the brand side, companies can either discover videos organically through the platform or implement Marker Video’s QR codes on packaging, in email marketing, or at physical locations to encourage customer participation. This approach eliminates the need for brands to negotiate with individual creators or manage complex licensing agreements.

“Our customers place QR codes in their emails, receipts, or on-site,” Greta explains. “We encourage them to tell their customers, ‘Hey, we’re working with Marker Video, share your experience.’”

When a brand purchases a video, the creator receives payment directly to their bank account – always 50% of what the brand paid, regardless of the creator’s social media following or status.

“Everyone’s paid the same,” Greta emphasizes. “A guy reviewing a lawnmower without Instagram should earn the same as someone reviewing L’Oréal. It’s worth the same to the brand.”

Results for Global Brands

Though relatively new, Marker Video has already attracted significant clients. Greta reveals that HelloFresh implemented Marker Video QR codes in their delivery boxes, generating numerous customer videos within just a week and a half.

“They could download videos and get volume fast,” says Greta. “They stitched 20 different videos into one campaign. Such a diversity of users.”

This diversity, she adds, represents a key advantage over traditional influencer marketing. Through Marker Video, brands can access authentic testimonials from various customer segments – families, single professionals, student households, creating more inclusive and relatable marketing materials.

Unilever, another early client, leveraged Marker Video to collect testimonials for Dove and Vaseline products. “We went into colleges and asked students if they owned Dove or Vaseline,” Greta recalls. “They’d go back to their dorms, make a 30-second video, and earn some money. It worked extremely well.”

The platform is expanding into new categories, including QR codes on alcoholic beverage cans (“a new drink called Kombeara”) and pet food packaging. “People love filming their pets,” Greta notes, highlighting the platform’s versatility.

‘Guaranteed Human’ in an AI World

A significant portion of Marker Video’s current fundraising effort is dedicated to developing what Greta calls “guaranteed human technology.”

“Brands know every video is verified and proven not to be AI,” Greta explains. “It’s getting harder to tell, and it’s improving every second, so brands need proof of authenticity.”

This authentication technology addresses growing consumer skepticism toward digital content. Greta references a psychological distrust of entities that appear human, but aren’t quite right, as a fundamental challenge for AI-based marketing.

“Humans have an evolutionary fear called ‘uncanny valley’. We’re uneasy about things that look human but aren’t,” she says. “It’s strange that brands use AI influencers when advertising is about trust, connection, and authenticity.”

While Marker Video utilizes AI in its operational technology, Greta is adamant that it will never be used to create the video content itself. “AI can help connect creators and brands,” she says. “But guaranteed human content will be the most valuable.”

Inclusivity and Equal Value

Beyond customer-generated content, Marker Video is committed to facilitating participation in the creator economy. Greta believes that the platform’s equal payment structure creates opportunities for people who might never consider themselves “influencers” to monetize their opinions and experiences. It also ensures an assortment of voices are represented in the marketing ecosystem.

“Diversity is super important to me,” she says, recalling a conversation with a wheelchair user who struggled to find accessible hotels. “If someone in a wheelchair shared their experience in a video, he’d have booked immediately.”

This experience reinforced Greta’s conviction that all perspectives deserve equal representation and compensation. Marker Video’s app, developed based on user feedback, enables creators to provide information about themselves, such as “relationship status, skin tone, acne, hair texture,” helping match them with brands seeking specific perspectives or better understand their customers.

“It helps people feel like, ‘I’m an individual. My opinion is valuable because my experiences are unique, and that makes my feedback valuable to companies,’” Greta says.

Greta Dunne & Alison Keogh

Growth and Vision

With the pre-seed funding of $250,000 already secured, Marker Video is now raising a further $2 million to scale globally. The funding will support both technology development and customer acquisition strategies, including campus outreach programs across multiple countries.

Early investors include tech industry insiders who recognize the need for verified human content. “One investor is a Meta software engineer in San Francisco; another works for TikTok in New York,” Greta says, noting that both approached her after seeing the risks of inauthentic content.

Working alongside Greta is Alison Keogh, the Head of Marketing, whom she describes as “the backbone of the business.” Together, they are building toward a vision where Marker Video becomes a universally recognized symbol of human-generated content.

“I’d love for the Marker logo to be as recognizable as TripAdvisor or Trustpilot,” Greta says. “When people see it, they think, ‘Let’s take a video. We’re having a great time.’”

This ecosystem, she adds, would create a virtuous cycle: consumers earn income from authentic opinions, brands gain trustworthy content, and diverse voices have a platform to share experiences.

“I want brands to be proud to use Marker Video,” Greta concludes. “To say, ‘We reward customers. We use human reviewers. No scripts. We’re confident enough in our brand to use Marker.’”

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