I am thrilled to share with the Chicago tech community that our company has secured funding from Lightbank. This funding is going to help us expand into other markets and grow our client base, but I will always be proud to call this city our home base. The Chicago technology community has been so supportive of SocialKaty over the past two years, and I want to thank everyone who helped us along the way.
Here’s the official announcement:
Growing Social Media Marketing Firm, SocialKaty, Inc. Secures Series A Funding From Chicago-based Lightbank
CHICAGO – SocialKaty, Inc., a Chicago-based social media marketing company that leverages technology to manage online communities for businesses, announced today it has secured Series A funding from technology investment firm Lightbank.
Founded in 2010, SocialKaty is on pace to double in size by the end of 2012, as more businesses seek assistance implementing cross-platform social media strategies. The investment from Lightbank will allow the company to continue to meet growing demand from corporate and non-profit clients that include nationwide consumer packaged goods companies, restaurant chains and retailers.
"SocialKaty provides unique social media marketing services which are undeniably becoming an integral part of every business,” said Lightbank partner Paul Lee. “The SocialKaty team is made up of the kind of people we want to get behind, and we are looking forward to partnering with them to continue their success.”
SocialKaty co-founders Craig Ulliott and Katy Lynch created the concept after working together at Where I’ve Been – a company Ulliott started in 2007, funded by Lightbank, and acquired by TripAdvisor (NASDAQ: TRIP). Lessons learned from managing Where I’ve Been’s 10 million users provided a foundation to launch their own agency focused on growing companies through social media channels. SocialKaty relies on custom management tools to monitor brands, interact with online communities and deliver strategic insight to improve click-through and conversion rates.
"This investment from Lightbank allows our team to accelerate growth into new markets in need of scalable online marketing solutions," said Ulliot. “Our typical package is about half the cost of hiring a full-time community manager, and with actual measurable results it’s a no-brainer for our clients.”
Since launching, SocialKaty has built a team of experienced community managers who have designed and implemented hundreds of creative campaigns to increase fans and followers, raise brand awareness and drive the bottom line for their national and international clients.
"As the need for social media has grown over the last two years, SocialKaty has helped a variety of Chicago-based companies. Now we’re expanding outside Chicago with clients on both coasts and even internationally,” said Lynch. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to work with Lightbank to grow our service offering, especially as we continue to sign up new clients every few weeks and hire staff to keep up.”
About SocialKaty
Founded in August 2010, SocialKaty is a Chicago-based social media marketing company that leverages technology to manage online communities for small to mid-size businesses. We are a team of highly skilled Community Managers that execute and maintain campaigns that spread awareness through conversation to targeted audiences and ultimately accelerate business growth. SocialKaty’s services include day-to-day management of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and blogs for brands as well as social advertising, social contests, design and development. For more information, visit SocialKaty at www.socialkaty.com | Twitter: @socialkaty | Facebook: www.facebook.com/socialkaty
