Noise Raises $5.5 Million to Turn Everyday Users Into Paid Creators
Noise raises $5.5 million to turn everyday smartphone users into paid creators, while brands scale campaigns across major social platforms with per view pay.
Summary
Noise, launched in 2025 by Diego Kafie, Stu Feldt and Nic Weber, announced a $5.5 million seed round on September 16, 2026, led by Capital Midwest, M25 and Grishin Robotics, with Capitalize VC and DoorDash operators participating. The round brings total funding to $7.2 million and will finance hiring and product expansion. Noise says its platform has 1.5 million creators and top earners make more than six figures annually.
Anyone can complete Noise training, accept brand campaigns and publish on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, regardless of follower count. Brands set budgets and rates, creators choose whether to participate, and Noise collects a fee after paying creators per delivered view. Top brands simultaneously manage several thousand creators, with mobile apps and startups currently the main customers. The model emerged from the founders’ two years building Playbite, where they expanded promotional teams from five creators to 10, 25 and 100, accelerating installs below traditional marketing costs. Noise’s new Organic to Ads program lets brands convert creator videos into paid Meta and TikTok ads. With 57% of young people and just over 40% of US adults interested in influencing, Noise competes with Billo and JoinBrands while pursuing companies of every size.
Positives
- The $5.5 million seed round brings Noise’s total funding to $7.2 million for hiring and product expansion.
- Noise has enrolled 1.5 million creators, with its top performers earning more than six figures annually.
- Brands can coordinate several thousand creators simultaneously across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
- Organic to Ads lets brands amplify creator videos through paid campaigns on Meta and TikTok.
- Training modules give smartphone users without established audiences access to progressively higher paid campaigns.
Risks & concerns
- Per view compensation makes creator earnings dependent on content performance rather than guaranteeing a flat payment.
- Brands determine campaign rates, leaving creators to accept or reject the terms offered.
- New creators initially qualify for only selected campaigns until they complete training and secure more work.
- Noise currently relies mainly on mobile apps and startups, while its ambition to serve companies of every size remains unfulfilled.
- Becoming an influencer still demands substantial time, money and effort despite Noise’s training and campaign access.