Zyper, the Platform That Finds Super Fans, Secures $6.5 Million in Funding

The downfall of influencers might come in the most unexpected of places: an interest in ordinary people. In the oversaturated land of influencers, companies are starting to realize the most lucrative form of advertising is still word-of-mouth referrals. That could be why Zyper, the platform that uses software analytics to find unknown yet steadfast fans — people who know everything and will buy anything relating to a brand out of loyalty — just secured an additional $6.5 million in Series A funding. The latest round, led by Talis Capital, along with additional investments from Forerunner Ventures and Y Combinator, brings Zyper’s total backing to $8.5 million. “People are, one, bored of [influencers] and, two, savvy to know that they don’t genuinely love the products. They’ve just been paid to promote them,” said Amber Atherton, founder and chief executive officer of Zyper. Instead, her company focuses on the online version of peer-to-peer referrals — everyday consumers who are seemingly obsessed with a brand — and engage with it sans payment. “Everybody knows in their friendship group this one girl who always wears Dior makeup. She loves Dior,” Atherton said as an example. “It’s more that we know that this person genuinely likes

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