What happens when your flagship product fails spectacularly and leaves you $120 away from bankruptcy? For Sam Foroozesh, it became the catalyst for building an award-winning Northern European influencer marketing agency.

Founded in 2014, Cure Media emerged from the ashes of a failed vitamin water venture when Sam and his co-founders discovered their true value wasn’t in their product, but in their network of content creators. The company now connects global brands such as L’Oréal, Colgate-Palmolive, and Sephora with their audiences through creator partnerships.

“We saw the impact of creator marketing firsthand,” explains Sam. “We realized this was the future, because people trust their friends more than brands.”

Cure Media’s story begins in 2013 when Sam, then 23, and two friends established a company initially called Cure Group. “Our first idea was to launch functional food products that could cure your body,” Sam says. “That’s where the name ‘Cure’ came from. We had a totally different plan at the start.”

Their first product was a vitamin water featuring a special cap designed to preserve vitamins separately until consumption. “We were agents for a product from Cape Town,” says Sam. “A doctor there developed a cap that stored vitamins to keep their effect until you drank it.”

The team secured distribution in nearly 200 stores before launch by leveraging their blogger connections to generate buzz. “We had our blogger friends try the product. We got it on Swedish Idol and other shows that mattered then,” Sam recalls.

Then reality struck. “The product was sh*t,” Sam states candidly. “We had invested all our money and taken a bank loan of about 800,000 Swedish crowns (around $85,000 at today’s exchange rate – then around $115,000), which we were personally responsible for. We were about $120 from bankruptcy.”

The Pivotal Moment

Facing financial disaster, the team reassessed its assets. Says Sam: “We thought, ‘We need money fast. Should we help brands with good products using our creator network?'”

This realization – recognizing their true value lay in creator relationships – became the foundation for today’s Cure Media. “We changed the name from Cure Group to Cure Media to connect to marketing and media,” says Sam.

The transformation was immediate. “A few days later, we had our first deal, small but real. That was spring 2014. We earned enough to pay back the bank and stand on our own feet again.”

Perfect Market Timing

Cure Media’s quick growth wasn’t just due to its pivot, but also to its timing, according to Sam. “It went fast from nothing to something,” he explains. “We had something new in the market and great timing.”

This was when Instagram was gaining momentum, but hadn’t yet developed advertising solutions. “It was independent, with no ad options,” Sam recalls. “Brands were desperate to figure out marketing on Instagram.”

Cure Media offered the solution. “Our first pitch was helping brands market on Instagram. They asked if we had an ad solution. We said yes – through creators. Back then, we called it ‘Instagram Stars.’”

The Hybrid Advantage

Today, Cure Media employs about 80 people across Northern European markets, including Nordic countries, the DACH region [Germany, Austria, and Switzerland], the UK, and the Baltics. The company has grown beyond its initial offering to combine technology with human expertise.

“We built our own platform eight years ago,” Sam explains. “We started using AI in 2018. There’s an article from then where our CTO Carl-Fredrik Linné talks about how we applied it.”

Sam believes that this early adoption has given Cure Media a competitive edge. “Our tech is top-ranked globally, and we pair it with the most experienced local teams.”

The agency also champions a brand-focused approach. “Creators are single entities, but it’s about helping brands execute,” Sam explains. “We’ve always been closer to brands, working as their extended arm. We start with the brand, then find the right creators.”

Mitigating Risk Through Technology

To address the concerns of brand safety, Cure Media has developed risk assessment tools. “People are unpredictable and you can’t control them,” says Sam. “With traditional ads, you control the content. With influencers, you approve the content, but can’t control what they do before or after.”

As a solution, Cure Media uses AI-powered predictive analytics. “We built tech to predict risks,” Sam explains. “We set brand safety and risk scores for each activity, using AI to analyze profiles and social activity around them.”

The Human Element

Despite their technical strengths, Sam insists that Cure Media’s greatest asset is its people. “The number one thing is the team. In the end, it’s people who execute,” he says. “Even AI has people behind it.”

Drawing from his sports background, Sam applies team lessons to business. “I played ice hockey and learned we could beat stronger teams by being tighter as a group,” he shares. “It’s the same in business. It’s not a one-man show; you need the team to come together.”

This approach has fostered loyalty. “All three founders are still fully active in the company,” Sam notes. “Our first employees are still here, too.”

Changes in The Creator Economy

Having seen the creator economy evolve since 2014, Sam notes major shifts. “When we started, hardly anyone could live off being a creator. Today it’s a career,” he reflects.

Brands have changed, too, he adds. “Ten years ago, we couldn’t say we did influencer marketing. No one understood it,” Sam says. “Today, it’s about unlocking its full potential for brands.”

Throughout it all, Cure Media has maintained its focus on fostering genuine creator partnerships. “From day one, authentic and relatable content has been most important, and it’s even more so today,” Sam says.

Building For The Future

Cure Media continues to mature within the creator economy. Recent work includes an award-winning campaign for Intersport, which won gold for the best sports campaign globally, as well as multiple award-winning campaigns for Swedish pharmacies.

The company is also expanding its insights while staying local. “We’re increasing our work in trends and insights,” Sam explains. “We’re getting even closer to each market, working super locally to be authentic in every vertical.”

Reflecting on what makes him most proud, Sam highlights resilience and impact. “We’ve run this company for over 10 years, growing despite tough conditions,” he says. “We create jobs for many young talents, especially women; 70 to 80% of our workforce is female, which I’m very proud of.”

From a vitamin water failure to becoming a prominent influencer marketing agency, Cure Media’s story demonstrates that in the creator economy, the biggest opportunities can emerge from the most significant setbacks.

For those facing their own business challenges, Sam offers this advice: “Go back to why you started and what drives you. Lean on that and push forward. You’ll find a way.”

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