€3 million investment for AI-driven marketing startup Billy Grace
€3 million investment for AI-driven marketing startup Billy Grace
Dutch startup expands rapidly across the US, Germany, UK and Sweden
Billy Grace, the Netherlands-based startup behind an AI-driven marketing solution, announces that it has secured €3 million in investment capital from Fortino Capital and a number of angel investors. This investment comes as the company reports 700% growth in 2024. Billy Grace now plans to continue scaling up its operations within the Netherlands and abroad. The company’s marketing platform has already gained a customer base throughout the US, Germany, the UK and Sweden, and is currently used by companies including Otrium, Matt Sleeps, Stanley, Intratuin and DPG Media Group.
AI frees up time for marketers to devote to creativity and strategy
Mitch Voskuilen, CEO and founder of Billy Grace, says, “A lot of marketers and marketing agencies are dealing with the same challenge: they use more and more marketing channels, which means more and more data to manage. Each channel has its own reporting tools, which makes it hard to maintain a complete overview. Companies also have a hard time calculating the RoI on their marketing spend, so a lot of times, they lack a clear view of which channels are actually driving growth. AI solves these problems by showing exactly which marketing spend delivers results.”
A recent study finds that 87% of marketers fear that AI will take over their jobs. Billy Grace envisions a different future for marketers in the AI era. “Marketing teams that use AI to automate digital advertising free up more time to spend on tasks that humans do best. Our users say they now have more time to develop creative campaigns and enhance their strategies. AI doesn’t replace people. It makes their lives easier.” — Mitch Voskuilen, CEO and founder of Billy Grace
700% growth in 2024
Since launching in the summer of 2022, Billy Grace has grown rapidly. In 2023, it reported 800% growth, followed by 700% growth in 2024. The startup is now the market leader in the Netherlands and active in the US, Germany, the UK and Sweden. Companies such as Intratuin, Holland Casino, Dekbed-Discounter, Otrium, DPG Media Group, Stanley, Matt Sleeps, Bouwmaat, Marie Stella Maris, The Sting, Cotton Club, Costes and Soldaat van Oranje use Billy Grace.
Voskuilen: “We want to keep this momentum going. Our goal is to capture a larger share of the UK, US and German markets. The big advantage is that, as a SaaS company, we can scale more easily. Plus, marketers all over the world face the same kinds of challenges, which we address. We’re currently growing so fast that we’re constantly looking for new team members to help us keep up with demand.”
AI pioneer benefits from AI hype
Another major benefit for Billy Grace is the growing interest in AI around the world. Voskuilen says, “We spent years building Billy Grace. We tested our platform with a limited number of partners and officially launched in 2022. Back then, not many people were talking about what AI could offer. But then came ChatGPT, and lots of companies have become aware of AI’s potential. That awareness is driving interest in our solution too.”
According to Wouter Goossens, Investment Director at Fortino Capital, “Billy Grace has a clear vision: AI helps marketers free up time for the tasks where human creativity makes the difference. That vision resonates with traditional companies, marketing agencies and young startups alike. We’re only just beginning to explore AI’s potential. In a few years, every marketing team will be using AI to make their marketing smarter. We look forward to working with Billy Grace to help shape that future.”
About Billy Grace
Billy Grace was founded in 2021 by Robin Friend, Mitch Voskuilen and Tjadi Peeters. The platform enables companies to work with machine-learning algorithms (AI). Marketers can use Billy Grace to track, attribute, analyze, automate and optimize the effectiveness of their online marketing within and across channels, freeing up more time for tasks where human expertise makes the difference.
