Performance PR Reimagined: Linkby Raises US $15 M Series B to Accelerate U.S. Expansion & AI Platform

(Picture from AFR)

Here’s a cool LinkedIn post - to comment

Sydney‑based adtech startup Linkby, co‑founded in 2020 by Chris Wirasinha (ex‑Pedestrian), Andrew Chak, and Adrian Fagerlund, has secured a US $15 million (≈AUD 23 million) Series B round led by Boston’s Volition Capital—marking their first investment in Australia. The round also included Perennial Private Investments and OIF Ventures  .

Volition Capital stepping  in as a lead investor in their first Australian deal is something to be noted!!

What They Do

Linkby is a performance‑driven editorial platform that enables brands to pitch content directly to a network of over 600 premium publishers, paying only on cost‑per‑click or CPM engagement. This approach merges PR credibility with marketing accountability  .

To date, the platform serves more than 3,800 brands (e.g., Charlotte Tilbury, Beyond Meat, Lululemon, Disney+) and works with major publishers like Daily Mail, Condé Nast, Morning Brew, Substack creators, and News Corp  

Why It Matters

• Measurable PR: By paying for engagement rather than impressions, Linkby brings outcome-based tracking to editorial campaigns—helping brands measure visits, conversions, and awareness .
• Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): In stepping into the emerging space of LLM‑driven search (e.g., ChatGPT), Linkby ensures brand content surfaces in AI summaries—positioned as “SEO 2.0”  .
• Publisher support: With click-based compensation, publishers can monetize independent editorial with confidence—especially amid declining Google search traffic  

• Linkby employs teams in Sydney, UK, and U.S.; a new New York office serves as US HQ, with US headcount set to double to 40+  .
• The platform handles tens of thousands of features and collects millions of data points—fueling its GEO and recommendation engine roadmap  .

What’s Next?

1. Expand U.S. GTM & engineering: Double North American team and scale product development  .
2. GEO & AI‑powered recommendations: Build intelligent tools to assist in campaign setup, publisher selection, and budget allocation—leveraging machine learning models on rich engagement data  .
3. Enhance measurement attribution: Incorporate fraud detection and deeper conversion tracking, including Shopify integration beta  .

Takeaway

Linkby is at the vanguard of a new marketing paradigm—bridging high-trust editorial with performance marketing that measures real engagement. Their cost-per-click model aligns incentives across brands and publishers while positioning them as a leader in AI-era content discoverability.

With robust traction, global expansion plans, and technology investment in GEO, Linkby is not just evolving PR—it’s reinventing it as a scalable, measurable channel for growth in the age of AI.

Your Thoughts

• Are you rethinking PR strategies to include measurable engagement outcomes?
• How is AI‑mediated content discovery changing your marketing tactics?
• Could engagement-first models replace traditional affiliate or sponsorship deals?

Let’s connect and discuss.