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Howl: A technology platform enabling creators and brands to collaborate in social commerce, offering creator-led growth tools for retail and content.
Howl is a technology platform based in New York, New York, USA, that democratizes access to social commerce, facilitating transparent collaborations between creators and brands within a novel marketplace. The company empowers individuals to earn income through creator-led growth tools focused on retail and content, emphasizing systems-based thinking across content, retail, and data science to support creatives in building their businesses effectively. Howl operates with an estimated 85 to 190 employees and maintains a remote-first structure. Its founder and CEO, Li Haslett Chen, previously established Narrativ, another company focused on commerce content technology. Howl has been recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and Forbes' Most Promising AI Companies. The organization was founded in 2015 by Li Haslett Chen.
Howl has raised $38.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Howl has raised $38.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Howl Technologies, Inc. (Howl) is a New York-based technology company founded in 2015 that operates an online marketplace connecting creators and brands for transparent collaborations, particularly in affiliate marketing, electronics, gaming, and retail media.[1][2][3][4] It builds commerce tools like affiliate link management, customizable storefronts, and access to premium brand deals with guaranteed payouts, higher commissions, and no hidden fees, solving the dysfunctional relationships between creators and brands by enabling scale through consistency and transparency.[2][3][4][5] Howl serves creators of all levels and major brands, with a remote-first team of around 85 employees, revenue under $5 million, and a tech stack including React, Python, PostgreSQL, and AWS.[2][3]
The platform redefines affiliate marketing by tapping into retail media budgets for lucrative deals, upfront payments, and metrics-focused earnings, fostering creator-led growth without follower thresholds or return fees.[4]
Howl was founded in 2015 in New York by Li Haslett Chen, who serves as CEO.[1][3] The idea emerged from recognizing the shared goals of creators and brands hindered by opaque, dysfunctional partnerships, leading to a platform designed for human-centric collaboration and transparent tools.[2][3][4][5] Early focus centered on an online marketplace for e-commerce brands, evolving into a specialized creator platform emphasizing affiliate links, storefronts, and retail media access, with remote-first operations providing tech stipends to support distributed teams.[1][3]
Pivotal moments include expanding to "Howl Select" for growth-focused creators and integrating advanced tech like TensorFlow and Kubernetes, building traction through thousands of users earning via exclusive deals.[3][4]
Howl rides the creator economy boom and retail media surge, where affiliate marketing intersects with e-commerce and social commerce, amplified by gaming/electronics demand.[4] Timing aligns with post-2020 remote work shifts and platform monetization needs, as brands allocate billions to retail media amid declining ad efficacy elsewhere.[2][4] Market forces like transparent payouts and data-driven partnerships favor Howl, countering opaque influencer deals and enabling smaller creators to compete.[3][4] It influences the ecosystem by democratizing access to premium budgets, boosting creator retention through motivation tools, and setting standards for human-focused scale in a fragmented market.[2][5]
Howl is poised to expand as creator platforms consolidate, leveraging retail media growth and AI-driven personalization (hinted by TensorFlow use) for smarter matching and analytics.[3][4] Trends like omnichannel retail and Web3 creator ownership will shape it, potentially through deeper brand integrations or global reach. Influence may evolve from niche marketplace to ecosystem hub, empowering more creators amid rising e-commerce fragmentation—reinforcing its role as the "home planet for creator-led growth."[3][4]
Howl has raised $38.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Howl's investors include Highland Capital Partners, Acrew Capital, Act One Ventures, Alumni Ventures, American Express Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Company Capital, Homebrew, Inspired Capital, Precursor Ventures, Sequoia Capital, TenOneTen Ventures.
Howl has raised $38.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $27.0M Series A in December 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2022 | $27.0M Series A | Highland Capital Partners | |
| Nov 1, 2019 | $8.0M Seed | Acrew Capital, Act One Ventures, Alumni Ventures, American Express Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Company Capital, Homebrew, Inspired Capital, Precursor Ventures, Sequoia Capital, TenOneTen Ventures, The General Partnership, Vamos Ventures, Emanuel Pleitez, Eytan Elbaz | |
| Oct 1, 2015 | $3.0M Seed | ACME Capital, B Capital Group, DCM, Innovation Endeavors, Insight Partners, IVP, Kindred Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Origin Ventures, Uncork Capital, Winklevoss Capital, Yext, YLEM, Andy Sheehan, Brian Distelburger, Jason Wang, Mark Goines, Omar El-Ayat, Rene Reinsberg, Richard Din, Sean Behr, Shervin Pishevar |