Parade’s Cami Tellez announces new creator economy marketing platform, $4M in funding

Source: TechCrunch

Background

Cami Tellez is the founder of the viral undergarments brand Parade, once touted as the Gen Z rival to Victoria’s Secret source. Launched in 2019 when Tellez was 21, Parade raised millions in funding and attracted thousands of customers before being sold in 2023 to lingerie manufacturer Ariela & Associates. The brand officially closed its doors late last year.

Launch of Devotion

On Monday, Tellez and former TikTok executive Jon Kroopf announced the launch of Devotion, an influencer‑marketing platform designed to help large brands run and manage their creator programs at scale.

“The first version of the creator economy was built around macro creators, brands working with 15 or 20 highly visible faces each month. That model hasn’t worked.” – Cami Tellez

A 2025 IAB report shows creators still account for about 2 % of ad spend source. Tellez adds, “The issue isn’t belief in creators, it’s unlocking the high‑scale model that works in a content‑based algorithm.”

How Devotion Works

Devotion automates parts of the influencer workflow using AI, while keeping humans in the loop for review.

• Creator discovery & fit scoring – AI analyzes influencers’ posts, captions, and audience data to generate a brand‑fit score.
• Content workflow – The platform helps brands decide which posts to share or boost and ensures compliance with company guidelines.
• Payments – Automated tools streamline paying creators, a task that is cumbersome when handled solely by humans.

“There are no rogue‑like agents that operate independently of a human review,” Kroopf told TechCrunch. “But they make everything we do much faster.”

Tellez, serving as Devotion’s Creative Director, emphasizes the shift toward “high‑scale creator ecosystems” that drive lower CPMs and greater algorithmic impact.

Funding & Traction

• Beta & clients – Devotion spent most of last year in beta, already securing more than 10 clients and generating seven‑figure revenue.
• Funding round – The company raised $4 million in a round led by Basecase and Will Ventures.

“We’re leveraging technology to open up a new opportunity that hasn’t received much attention because it wasn’t feasible before,” Kroopf explained.

The Need for a New Model

In 2019, Parade lacked software to engage ambassadors at scale. Tellez’s team built internal tools for gifting, engagement, and payments, which fueled Parade’s growth. However, the algorithmic landscape has changed dramatically, largely driven by TikTok:

• Reach decline – Five years ago a creator’s post might reach ~20 % of their audience; today it’s closer to 2 %.
• Algorithm focus – Feed placement now depends more on content performance and user interests than on follower count or social graph.

“A nurse in Ohio now has the same algorithmic potential as a macro‑creator,” Tellex said. “We’re entering a new paradigm where influence is democratized.”

Brands must therefore operate like content networks, collaborating with hundreds to thousands of influencers each month to achieve scale.

Future Plans

Devotion will use its fresh capital to:

• Hire additional engineers and brand operators to expand the tech stack.
• Build more AI agents (details pending).

Tellez believes brands are still seeking authentic ways to connect with real people across the influencer spectrum, not just the most famous names.

“We are already seeing the consensus shift toward our vision for scaled creator ecosystems for even the world’s largest and traditionally most risk‑averse brands. They don’t want to get caught behind the algorithm. At the same time, we’re deepening our AI systems so we can manage thousands of creators with precision — without sacrificing taste or intimacy.”