Growf Raises €1M to Transform Marketing Agencies

AI platform Growf makes marketing agencies scalable: “Not more people, but smarter processes”

Marketing agencies are under pressure. Margins are shrinking, customer expectations are rising, and AI is developing rapidly. “AI should have made marketing easier,” says Benjamin van der Meeren, CEO of Growf. “But in practice, we mainly see more silos emerging.”

According to Benjamin van der Meeren, many agencies are stuck with separate tools and experiments. “That's inefficient and difficult to manage. Teams spend a lot of time switching between different systems. Managers often have no idea which tools are being used, let alone how they are being used.”

This situation means that the true potential of AI remains untapped. “Agencies lack overview, structure, and scalability. With Growf, we want to do things fundamentally differently,” says Benjamin.

Instead of yet another separate tool, Growf offers a single central platform. This is where strategy, planning, content, and reporting come together. This allows agencies to onboard clients faster, work more efficiently, and maintain control over quality.

Growf launches new agency release on June 19

In addition to the investment, Growf is also announcing a new step. On June 19, the latest version of the platform will be launched during a LinkedIn Live session.

“This agency release is a big step forward,” says Bart van der Meeren, CTO of Growf. “We have listened carefully to what agencies really need to fully integrate AI into their daily work.”

The new version introduces a series of improvements specifically aimed at the daily challenges of marketing agencies. “We have made customer management, campaign management, and reporting fundamentally simpler,” explains Bart van der Meeren.

“We are not building a tool, but a new way of working,” he adds. "A way in which agencies can serve their customers faster and better. Without overburdening their teams. Without compromising on quality."

UBO Agency as launching customer

With UBO Agency, Growf already has a leading marketing agency on board. UBO is proving the benefits of the platform in practice. Where previous AI experiments mainly caused chaos and fragmentation, UBO was looking for structure and scalability.

“We had ChatGPT, Midjourney, and a handful of other tools, but they didn't really make us more productive,” says Frank Hartog, co-owner of UBO.

With Growf, UBO now works from the same processes and customer knowledge. “With Growf, we as an agency work efficiently, creatively, and at the same time scalably,” says Frank.

Benjamin van der Meeren adds: “UBO proves that AI only adds value when you use it centrally and collaboratively, not as a separate experiment.” For UBO, Growf is therefore not an extra tool, but a strategic step towards the agency of tomorrow.

One million euro investment to accelerate

To bring the platform to the market on a large scale, Growf recently raised an investment of one million euros. The lead investor is Quantum Leap Capital, the fund of Mike de Boer (co-founder of Knab) and André Grimbergen (co-founder of Albelli).

Other experienced entrepreneurs are also participating. Peter de Wijze (Liqcreate) is participating as an investor, while André van der Meer (Campagne) and the founders of Maxlead, Ronald van Klooster and Rob Steenbrink, are joining the Advisory Board.

“It's not just about money,” Benjamin emphasizes. “These investors bring experience in marketing, technology, and scaling up. Their network and knowledge are a huge help to us.”

Ready for the next phase

With the new investment, Growf is allocating a large part of the capital to further product development. “We will continue to invest heavily in technology and innovation,” Benjamin emphasizes. “Agencies need to be able to rely on a platform that not only works but also stays ahead of the curve.”

“In terms of commerce, the focus is initially on the Benelux, but our ambitions extend much further,” Benjamin explains. “We want to prepare marketing agencies worldwide for a future in which AI is no longer a choice but a necessity.”