Western Hemisphere

New York-Based Astute Raises US$1.2M to Automate B2B Creator Partnerships

Astute, a New York-based B2B marketing startup founded in 2025 by Vida Stanić and Abhishek Manikandan, raised an oversubscribed US$1.2 million pre-seed round and launched its creator-partnership platform. The financing included Flyer One Ventures, Silicon Gardens, Marathon Fund, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator and strategic angels.

The platform matches B2B companies with newsletter writers, podcast hosts and social-media creators, then helps manage outreach, partnerships and performance. Astute says it uses two AI agents: one functions as a talent manager for creators and another as a “new media manager” for brands; the company says the latter monitors more than 1 million creator posts per minute to surface relevant conversations and commercial opportunities.

the old B2B marketing playbook is broken.

i ran growth at Fluidstack from $2M to $2B in valuation. so believe me when I say - traditional SEO, PR, and ads are becoming irrelevant.

at FS, our audiences were reading Substacks like SemiAnalysis, listening to podcasts like Acquired… pic.twitter.com/thWGpRZ08a
— Vida Stanic (@vida_stanic) August 17, 2026

Market Context

Astute is entering a crowded but expanding market for business-focused creator discovery. LinkedIn, a key distribution channel for B2B marketing, launched a creator marketplace in June for selected North American brands and creators, allowing marketers to filter creators by topic and examine audience and engagement information. That move validates the demand for more structured creator-buying tools, while also creating a powerful platform-native competitor.

The startup’s thesis is that B2B buyers increasingly form opinions through independent newsletters, podcasts, industry experts and professional social networks—not solely through paid search, PR and display advertising. AI search is adding another measurement layer: a June survey cited by Demand Gen Report found that 52% of B2B technology marketers ranked AI-generated search and answer engines as their top content-distribution channel, ahead of conventional SEO.

Key Signal

“For years, B2B marketing relied on ads, PR and SEO. But audiences have moved to new media channels — newsletters, podcasts, LinkedIn, X. In direct-to-consumer space, that shift turned influencer marketing into one of the biggest line items in the budget. B2B is next.”
— Vida Stanić, founder and CEO, Astutetech

Regional Relevance

For the United States, Astute’s launch reflects a broader shift in B2B go-to-market economics. As software development becomes cheaper and product categories become more crowded, distribution, trusted third-party validation and category credibility can increasingly determine who reaches buyers. Astute is positioned in New York’s marketing-technology and startup ecosystem, supported by ERA, an accelerator rooted in the city’s venture network.

For Serbia and Central and Eastern Europe, the company underscores the continuing export potential of regionally founded technical teams building global B2B software. Stanić is Serbian-born, while the company is building for international creator and enterprise markets; Flyer One Ventures’ involvement also links the company to a CEE-focused investment firm that backs founders building global technology companies.

The Other Side

Will large platforms capture the category?
LinkedIn’s creator marketplace shows that platform operators can integrate creator discovery directly into their advertising and campaign products. Astute’s opportunity rests on operating across fragmented channels—including newsletters, podcasts and multiple social networks—rather than being dependent on a single platform.

Are impressions and AI-search visibility enough to prove return on investment?
They are useful indicators, but B2B purchasing cycles are long and often involve several stakeholders. Astute will need to show that its attribution tools connect creator-led attention to qualified pipeline, customer acquisition and revenue—not only awareness metrics.