Retrograde
AI designed for creators focused on securing brand deals.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Angel | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Retrograde is an AI-powered talent agency designed to serve the rapidly expanding creator economy. Launched in July 2024, the company was co-founded by entrepreneur and influencer Grace Beverley, alongside tech entrepreneurs Jake Browne and Gary Meehan. The idea for Retrograde originated from Browne's previous venture, Peblo, which financed invoices for creators and revealed inefficiencies in the traditional talent management model. Beverley, a content creator with a substantial following, initially provided feedback on the concept but joined as a co-founder after seeing the potential of the AI prototype.
The Dublin-based company operates in the creator economy, which is projected to reach $480 billion by 2027. It targets content creators of all sizes who are often underserved by traditional agencies or who wish to self-manage their brand partnerships more efficiently. Retrograde's business model is commission-based, taking a 10% fee on brand deals it facilitates, which is notably lower than the typical 20% charged by traditional agents.
Retrograde's core service is the "AutoPilot," a personalized AI-driven talent manager. This digital agent, with its own name and avatar (e.g., "Emma"), operates 24/7 to manage a creator's brand sponsorships from end to end. Its functions include managing inboxes, analyzing content to match creators with aligned brands, negotiating deals to ensure market-rate compensation, handling administrative tasks like invoicing, and providing updates via SMS, WhatsApp, and a dedicated in-app platform. While the AI handles the logistics and negotiations, the creator retains final approval over all partnerships. The platform is designed to be highly accessible, not requiring creators to adopt complex new workflows. Following a successful pre-seed funding round of approximately $2 million (€1.8 million) led by Elkstone, Retrograde is focused on product development and expansion into the U.S. market.
Keywords: AI talent agent, creator economy, influencer marketing, brand sponsorship, content creator monetization, automated negotiation, digital talent management, Grace Beverley, Jake Browne, AI for creators, brand deal management, influencer brand partnerships, automated invoicing, sponsorship management, creator tools, social media monetization, digital marketing, AI business management, creator commission, sponsorship negotiation