KLIQ raises $2.25 million for AI influencer platform
AI engine matches campaigns with verified creator audiences
#SaudiArabia #funding - Riyadh-based influencer marketing platform KLIQ has closed a $2.25 million Seed round led by Public Investment Fund subsidiary Sanabil Investments’ venture studio arm Sanabil Venture Studio in partnership with German venture builder Stryber. The platform, which describes itself as Saudi Arabia’s first end-to-end influencer marketing solution powered by proprietary AI, delivers a full-lifecycle experience from intelligent creator discovery and brief matching to automated contracting, streamlined execution and real-time performance tracking. Founded by Asma’a AlMaraghi, KLIQ uses an AI engine that dynamically analyses context, campaign goals and audience data.
SO WHAT? - The venture capital investment in KLIQ reflects a continuing change in investor sentiment towards investing in AI-powered ventures. The startup leverages AI to automate and add value to a wide range of processes in the workflow of influencer marketing operations. According to KLIQ, this addresses operational friction that has thus far prevented influencer marketing from scaling in Saudi Arabia.
Here are some key details about the new funding:
Influencer marketing platform KLIQ has closed a $2.25 million Seed round led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary Sanabil Investments’ venture studio arm Sanabil Venture Studio in partnership with German venture builder Stryber.
KLIQ addresses persistent operational challenges in influencer marketing, providing brands with a single intelligent dashboard to launch campaigns with data-informed decisions. The platform identifies creators with verified reach and relevance, manages contracts and payments seamlessly, and tracks performance continuously rather than retroactively.
The seed funding will be deployed to enhance KLIQ’s AI capabilities, expand creator and brand onboarding, and develop tools including further personalisation of brand-creator matching, deeper reporting capabilities and features giving creators greater autonomy over campaign management.
The platform’s AI engine dynamically analyses context, campaign goals and audience data to recommend creator pairings that align with brand objectives, moving from manual selection processes based on follower counts to sophisticated matching based on audience composition and engagement patterns.
Content creators gain guaranteed payments, clear timelines and full visibility into campaign expectations through the platform, enabling them to browse and accept opportunities matching their niche and audience whilst building recurring income streams through structured collaboration.
Sanabil Venture Studio was launched in 2023 through a partnership between Public Investment Fund-owned Sanabil Investments and German venture builder Stryber, focusing on creating scalable technology ventures in fintech and consumer goods sectors within PIF’s Strategic Pillar programme.
ZOOM OUT - KLIQ’s Seed funding round follows on the heels of a number of other AI marketing and ecommerce fund raises in the Middle East and North Africa this year. Other raises by marketing ventures include: UAE-based marketing technology company Journify’s $4 million funding, Saudi Arabia-based Halo AI’s $6 million funding round to transform brand-creator collaborations; Oman-based ecommerce pricing platform Sampo AI raising $750,000 in its pre-seed funding round; and — in one of the largest early-stage investments in the MENA region — Dubai-based autonomous e-commerce solutions specialist Qeen.ai raising $10 million.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]