Backed by Precursor Ventures, Capital Factory and HearstLab, the Houston-based digital marketing company is announcing the open beta launch for its product available to student creators and emerging brands nationwide

Clutch, the digital marketplace company connecting next generation creators with emerging brands, today announced the open beta launch of its platform for brands and student creators nationwide. The open beta launch follows Clutch’s highly successful closed beta phase that began in January 2022 and focused on connecting student creators with emerging brands resulting in students making over $10,000 on Clutch’s platform every month. Leading CPG brands, consumer-focused startups and Gen-Z centric brands use Clutch to hire student creators for their digital marketing needs including heywell, Agua Bonita, Campfire and Zerotio.

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Nicole Roman (Marketing Director of Clutch), Madison Long (CEO and Co-Founder of Clutch) and Simone May (CTO and Co-Founder of Clutch) (Photo: Business Wire)

Along with announcing the open beta launch of its platform, Clutch also announced today that it has raised $1.2M in pre-seed funding to fuel its open beta launch. The round was led by Precursor Ventures and included investment from Capital Factory and HearstLab. It followed one prior fundraising round which was an angel round of $350,000 with investment from DivInc along with friends and family in June 2021.

Founded in 2020, Clutch is the people-first platform giving creators the opportunity to monetize their unique talents and passions by helping emerging brands with their digital marketing and content creation needs including content creation, social media management (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and Twitter), video editing and graphic design. As a people-first platform, Clutch does the interviewing and vetting of the creators and brands, and then connects them through their modern marketplace through a mutual-interest process.

“The next generation is one that craves flexible, empowering and meaningful work that supports their balanced lifestyle,” said Madison Long, CEO and Co-Founder of Clutch. “We want to be a force for the next generation in the changing landscape of what it means to be successful in your career to something that is dynamic, ever-changing and on your own terms. We are thrilled to bring our product to creators and brands nationwide looking to enhance their lifestyle and increase their earnings, and proud to have the support of such forward-thinking, thoughtful investors.”

The investment from this round will support Clutch’s national open beta launch of its platform and its continued investment in customer and product strategy.

“Clutch has been pivotal in our TikTok expansion,” said Britt Dougherty, Co-Founder at heywell. “The company's simple, vetted process helped us connect to incredibly talented creators for our platform, helping us engage with a new cohort of consumers and drive engagement with our brand.”

With this investment, the launch of their national open beta and the incredible success from their closed beta, Clutch is thrilled to take a huge step toward its vision of creating a world where authentic, engaging work supports a sustainable, equitable lifestyle for all.

"Clutch delivers tremendous value for both of the audiences they serve with their marketplace,” said Charles Hudson, Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures. “The student creators earn money by providing valuable digital media expertise and support to businesses and the businesses are getting the opportunity to tap into a cost-effective base of talented creators who can help them deliver timely, relevant marketing campaigns for their customers. We’re thrilled to partner with Madison, Simone and their team at Clutch to fuel their vision of building a people-first digital marketplace platform to transform the future of work for all.”

Clutch believes that the future of work will be led by the next generation and is creating a platform that equips the next generation to thrive in the ever-changing workplace. Clutch’s goal with their open beta launch is to help hundreds of student creators get closer to their financial independence goals through doing work they love.

“Madison and Simone have an incredible vision for Clutch that they are bringing to life,” said Preston James, CEO and Founder of DivInc. “Making work sustainable and equitable for everyone by giving individuals and businesses the opportunity to seamlessly partner with each other through an entirely new type of future of workplace platform. Clutch is a life changer for so many. We’re thrilled to be part of their journey as an investor and partner, and very excited to see their continued growth and success.”

To join Clutch’s open beta as a brand, click here. Here is the process of what to expect when you sign up:

1. Fill out the intake form at https://www.thatsclutch.com/hire-students
2. Schedule a brief kickoff call with Clutch Customer Success Team member to clearly define your digital marketing needs
3. Clutch will connect you to creators who fit your needs, budget and vision
4. Once selected, creators will begin working with you immediately on a one-time project or ongoing basis based on your agreement

About Clutch

Founded in 2020 by Madison Long and Simone May, Clutch is the digital marketplace connecting creators with emerging brands. With our people-first platform, creators have the opportunity to monetize their unique talents and passions by helping businesses with their content creation needs. We are currently focused on connecting Gen-Z student creators with emerging brands in need of digital marketing. At Clutch, we believe the future of work will be led by the next generation. But in order for that to happen, they need a platform that equips them to thrive in the ever-changing workplace. That's Clutch. Our vision is to build a world where authentic, engaging work supports a more sustainable, equitable lifestyle. To learn more, visit https://www.thatsclutch.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220804005202/en/

"We want to be a force for the next generation in the changing landscape of what it means to be successful in your career to something that is dynamic, ever-changing and on your own terms."