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- The Flywheelies - Second Annual - #63
The Flywheelies - Second Annual - #63
The Official Unofficial Award Show for Partner Marketing and Tech
Last year, we took a leap of faith, and it was one of the most well-received issues of the newsletter all year. This year, we keep the fun in tech and performance marketing going.
Our goal with the yearly online award show inspired by The Office’s “Dundies” is to recognize innovation and excellence in technology and affiliate & influencer marketing.
After much discussion and debate with our teammates and peers, here are this year's coveted Flywheelie award winners.
Nikki Glaser 2024 Golden Globes
The envelope, please…
2025 Flywheelie Winners
CEO of the Year: Jensen Huang
Start-Up of the year: Gold: Perplexity, Silver: Deel, Bronze: Ramp
SaaS tool of the year: Gold: Notion, Silver: Loom, Bronze: Gorgias
Affiliate SaaS platform: Impact
Affiliate SaaS platform (B2B): PartnerStack
Influencer Platform: CreatorCo
Affiliate Partner of the Year: Gold: Capital One Shopping, Silver: AddShoppers, Bronze: BrandXAds
Influencer of the Year (B2B): Alvin the PM
SaaS Operator of the Year: Chase Mohseni
Agency Operator of the Year: Mike McElhaney
SaaS Marketer of the Year: Aaron Orendorff
2025 Flywheelies
CEO of the Year:
Gold: Jensen Huang
NVIDIA's market cap surged from $1.2 trillion at the end of 2023 to $3.28 trillion by the end of 2024, making it the second-most valuable company globally, behind only Apple
NVIDIA commanded approximately 90% of the global AI chip market in 2024, solidifying its role as the backbone of AI infrastructure worldwide
Huang unveiled NVIDIA's Blackwell GPUs, the fastest chips ever created.
Huang introduced the concept of "AI factories," specialized data centers designed to power AI applications at scale.
Love for Jensen from one CEO to another…
Rarely am I so captivated and inspired by a CEO’s keynote that it holds my attention for two hours, but Jensen Huang’s indefatigable energy (at 61 years old!) makes him one of the most inspiring and visionary leaders among tenured and authentic CEOs. His ability to innovate while… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff)
6:34 PM • Jan 7, 2025
🔥 NVIDIA just shook the AI world at #CES2025!
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang JUST announced jaw-dropping breakthroughs.
Here are the top 15 key highlights you can’t afford to miss: (wait till you see #15): 👇
— Shruti Mishra (@heyshrutimishra)
5:29 AM • Jan 7, 2025
The Flywheelies pre-show tension was thick.
Start-Up of the year:
Gold: Perplexity, Silver: Deel, Bronze: Ramp
Gold: Perplexity
Perplexity.com makes it easy to select the latest AI Large Language Model (LLM) you want to use.
Perplexity positions itself as an alternative to traditional search engines like Google. Its unique approach integrates real-time information retrieval and generative AI capabilities. We have raved about its visual results in this newsletter previously.
Founded in 2022
Raised $165 million by mid-2024, reaching a valuation of over $1 billion.
Closed a $500 million funding round in late 2024, elevating its valuation to $9 billion.
Backed by high-profile investors like Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, Databricks, and Yann LeCun.
Annual Revenue: Projected to reach $50 million in 2024, up from $24 million in 2023, reflecting a 67% year-over-year growth rate.
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR): Increased from $7 million at the end of 2023 to $51 million by October 2024, representing an extraordinary 1,600% year-over-year growth.
The Flywheelies go hard. So buckle up.
Active Monthly Users: Grew from 10 million in early 2024 to 15 million by the end of the year.
Search Queries: Served over 500 million queries in 2023, with weekly queries exceeding 100 million by late 2024.
Monthly Website Traffic Increased significantly, reaching over 75 million visits per month by mid-2024, growing approximately 20% monthly.
Perplexity’s market share in the generative AI chatbot space rose from 2.7% in January 2024 to 5.8% by November, showing steady growth against competitors like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
It is projected to capture a 20% market share in AI-powered search engines by the end of 2024
Silver: Deel
Deel.com CEO, Alex Bouaziz
Deel simplifies complex HR tasks like compliance, tax management, and payroll for distributed teams. It has onboarded over 500,000 workers globally, enabling businesses to scale their operations seamlessly across borders.
Its platform reduces friction in managing distributed teams by unifying domestic and international payroll into a single interface.
Deel reached $500 million ARR in 2024, making it one of the fastest-growing startups in history.
They tout clients like Shopify, Nike, and Dropbox.
Deel launched AI-powered tools like Deel Engage (for talent management) and an AI assistant to streamline HR processes, improving efficiency for global teams.
Deel shipped over 1,152 product updates, reflecting its relentless focus on innovation and customer satisfaction.
Bronze: Ramp
Ramp achieved an estimated $400 million in annualized revenue in 2024, up from $295 million in 2023, reflecting a 36% year-over-year growth rate.
Customer Base: Ramp serves over 15,000 businesses, including high-profile clients like Shopify and Webflow, spanning industries from startups to large enterprises.
Valuation and Funding: Ramp raised $300 million in August 2024 at a valuation of $5.8 billion, followed by another $150 million in December at $7.65 billion, showcasing investor confidence despite broader fintech market challenges.
Ricky G taking it all in.
AI-Powered Automation: Ramp introduced advanced AI tools to automate expense management, provide real-time insights into spending, and streamline accounting processes. These innovations have significantly reduced businesses' manual work.
Product Expansion: Originally focused on corporate cards, Ramp now offers a comprehensive suite of financial tools, including bill pay, vendor management, travel expense management, and negotiation-as-a-service through strategic acquisitions like Buyer and Cohere.io.
Ramp saved its customers over $2.5 billion in out-of-policy spending in 2024 while surfacing nearly 200,000 actionable savings insights.
Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Finance for 2024.
SaaS tool of the year: Notion, Loom, Gorgias
Gold: Notion
2024 Olympics Podium for Cycling
It is a personal favorite of the RBL team. It improved our productivity and integrated AI into their workspace management. It is easier for us to store company knowledge and client project info, assign tasks, take notes, and organize projects.
User Base: Notion surpassed 100 million users worldwide in 2024, with 4 million premium subscribers, reflecting its broad appeal across demographics, from students to enterprises.
Revenue Growth: Generated $300 million in revenue in 2024, a significant increase from $119.4 million in 2023, showcasing a 174% year-over-year growth rate.
Valuation: Reached a valuation of $10 billion, cementing its position as one of the most successful SaaS companies globally.
AI Integration: Introduced advanced AI features like content summarization, task automation, and intelligent recommendations, making workflows more efficient.
All-in-One Platform: Notion combines note-taking, task management, databases, calendars, and collaboration tools into a single platform. Its versatility eliminates the need for multiple tools and centralizes workflows.
Customization: Offers unparalleled flexibility with drag-and-drop interfaces and templates tailored to personal and professional needs. Users can create unique dashboards, project trackers, and knowledge hubs without coding skills.
Skiff Acquisition: Skiff was acquired in 2024 to enhance privacy-first collaboration features and address security concerns for enterprise clients.
Silver: Loom
Loom is another favorite at RBL as a remote distributed team to improve asynchronous communication. Full disclosure: they are also a client.
In 2024, Loom users created 88 million videos, up from 77 million in 2023, representing a significant year-over-year increase in adoption.
These videos helped eliminate the need for 202 million meetings, highlighting Loom's role in improving workplace efficiency and focus.
Loom AI Adoption: Since its launch, Loom AI has been used to create 49 million videos, with 38 million in 2024 alone, showcasing its rapid integration into workflows.
Revenue Growth: Loom scaled to an estimated $55 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 2024, reflecting sustained growth in the competitive SaaS market.
Valuation: Following its acquisition in 2024, Loom achieved a $1 billion valuation, cementing its status as a unicorn startup.
Thank you to the illustrious RBL team for their stellar contributions and yearly love for the Flywheelies!
Bronze: Gorgias
Gorgias's revenue was $72.6 million in 2024, up from $60.6 million in 2023, representing a 20% year-over-year growth.
Since 2020, Gorgias has grown its revenue by over 540%, showcasing its rapid scalability and market demand.
Gorgias holds a 17.38% market share in the helpdesk tools category, competing with 114 other tools and outperforming many established players.
It is the #1 CX platform for Shopify, trusted by over 15,000 e-commerce brands, including names like Steve Madden, Glamnetic, and Marine Layer
Gorgias automates up to 60% of customer support tasks, allowing brands to reduce resolution times by 52%, lower ticket-to-order ratios by 26%, and boost repeat purchases by 36%
Affiliate SaaS platform: Impact
Affiliate Tracking Software is a competitive space.
Diverse Partnership Types: Impact.com goes beyond traditional affiliate marketing to manage partnerships with content publishers, influencers, B2B collaborations, and customer referrals.
Advanced Tracking: Offers precise cross-channel tracking. This ensures accurate attribution and eliminates duplicate payouts, a key differentiator from competitors. We can see multiple touchpoints across various partner types, and using their Optimize product, you can see the entire touchpoints across multiple marketing channels including affiliate.
Impact received four 2024 US Partnership Awards, including the industry-voted Best Platform for Partnership Success, and Best Tech for Brands.
Adoption Rates:
57.4% of brands and 85.1% of agencies currently use Impact.com, surpassing CJ (21.3% brands, 54.4% agencies) and Rakuten (19.1% brands, 50.9% agencies). Source: MarTech Record
Among publishers, 97% have used Impact.com, with 95.5% currently using it—higher than CJ (89.4%) and Rakuten (87.9%)
Client Growth: Welcomed over 1,100 new brands and partners in 2024 alone, including major names like Walmart, Gatorade, Forever 21, and Under Armour.
Launched Impact.com/Advocate, a customizable referral solution to engage customers through tailored offers.
Enhanced integrations with Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Stripe for better tracking and payout flexibility.
Provide the leading affiliate education platform Partnership Experience Academy (PXA) —> https://impact.com/partnerships-experience-academy/
AI-Powered Tools: Introduced predictive analytics and automation for partner recruitment, onboarding, payments, and campaign optimization
We 💌 Robin.
Affiliate SaaS platform (B2B): PartnerStack
Client Base: PartnerStack supports over 500 mid-market and enterprise SaaS companies, including major brands like Notion, Monday.com, Webflow, Gorgias, and Omnisend.
High Commission Rates: Offers recurring commissions, often for a customer's lifetime—far surpassing the one-time payouts typical of B2C-focused.
PartnerStack averages a 4.7–4.8-star rating on G2 and Capterra, with users praising its robust capabilities in managing partnerships at scale.
It integrates with leading tools like Salesforce, Slack, Stripe, Shopify, Google Sheets, Pipedrive, Hubspot, and Chargebee. Custom integrations via API allow businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs.
They are benefiting and helping fuel the fastest growth vertical in affiliate and creator marketing - B2B SaaS!
Influencer Platform: CreatorCo
Creator.co achieved $4.2 million in revenue in 2024, up from $3.3 million in 2023—a 27% year-over-year increase. This growth reflects its increasing adoption among brands seeking scalable influencer marketing solutions.
User Base: The platform boasts a database of 175,000 influencers, enabling brands to connect with creators across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more
Customer Growth: Creator.co’s client base includes small businesses and large enterprises like Walmart and Milkadamia, showcasing its versatility and scalability.
G2 Rating: Creator.co holds an impressive 4.7/5 rating on G2 from 80 reviews, highlighting its strong user satisfaction.
Trustpilot Rating: Rated 4.1/5 on Trustpilot, with users praising its ease of use and campaign management features.
Customer Feedback:
Customers appreciate the platform's ability to streamline influencer discovery and campaign management.
Many users report significant ROI improvements through Creator.co ’s detailed analytics and reporting tools.
The creator economy is growing rapidly at a CAGR of 22.5% and is projected to reach $528 billion by 2030.
So, if you are not taking advantage of it or managing it effectively, you may be missing the boat.
If you want an audit, check the RBL site and click the “Let’s Chat” button here: 😉
Affiliate Partner of the Year:
Quite an honor.
Gold: Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping provides a seamless and highly effective way for consumers to save money online.
Publisher of the Year at CJU24 and at Rakuten’s Golden Link Awards.
Recognized for its innovative Dynamic Rewards Passback system at ShareASale ThinkTank.
Its browser extension and app automatically apply coupon codes and compare prices across over 30,000 retailers.
Selective SKU Promotion: Retailers can limit the usage of Capital One Shopping's toolbar to specific products or categories. This allows brands to strategically promote items where they want to drive sales or clear inventory without broadly discounting their entire catalog.
Tailored Commission Structures: The platform provides flexible payout models for affiliate partnerships, enabling advertisers to adjust commissions based on campaign goals or product margins.
Targeted Campaigns: Retailers can leverage Capital One Shopping’s tools to create targeted promotions targeting specific customer segments, ensuring their marketing efforts are directed at the most relevant audiences.
Dynamic Offers: The platform supports dynamic pricing and discounting strategies, allowing advertisers to adjust offers in real time based on demand, inventory levels, or seasonal trends.
First-Party Data Activation: The platform leverages its extensive first-party data assets to deliver personalized shopping experiences. For example, it uses predictive modeling and segmentation techniques to target users with relevant offers, increasing conversion rates.
A/B Testing: Capital One Shopping employs A/B testing for its campaigns, helping advertisers determine which approaches resonate best with users. This iterative process ensures continuous improvement in marketing effectiveness.
Having worked with the team for years, they have been very willing and able to collaborate and run testing to help where helpful.
Silver: AddShoppers
SafeOpt®: Retargets anonymous site visitors through verified offers, increasing conversions from previously unreachable audiences.
Minty™: A discovery tool that connects shoppers with deals personalized to their preferences, improving user experience and loyalty.
Behavioral Targeting: Tracks user behavior to deliver personalized product recommendations and offers.
Gamification and Social Proof: Features like referral programs, purchase sharing, and on-site notifications drive engagement and conversions.
Shortlisted for awards at the 2024 US Partnership Awards, highlighting its excellence in delivering results for clients.
This highlights how diverse affiliate marketing is and how many viable partner types are available.
Bronze: BrandXAds
Revenue-driven collaborative, responsive, and communicative team.
They power dozens of quality review sites like: Consumerrating.org, Consumervoice.org, Top5.com, Consumersadvocate.org, Top10.com, HonestBrandReviews.com, BestReviews.com.
All the other affiliates not mentioned.
Influencer of the Year (B2B): Alvin the PM
Alvin is a fantastic example of the richness offered by B2B creators and educators. He is one to watch in the fastest growing vertical for affiliate marketing - B2B SaaS.
SaaS Operator of the Year: Chase Mohseni, CMO Heatmap
Time to cook like Walter White.
— Chase Mohseni 🔥 (@ImChaseMohseni)
3:31 AM • Jan 2, 2025
Chase has big ideas and a bigger motor. He is at the center of cutting-edge SaaS marketing and growth discussions. He finds ways to keep complex simple, elevate people around him, and GET RESULTS!
Agency Operator of the Year: Mike McElhaney, COO of Round Barn Labs
Mike is one of my best friends and right-hand man. He leads operations and client services at Round Barn Labs. He is critical to our success and an excellent example of empathetic servant leadership.
SaaS Marketer of the Year: Aaron Orendorff, VP of Growth, FERMAT
The guy is a writing, publishing, clear-thinking, energetic machine always looking to add value, educate, and improve business performance.
ENJOY and CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!
CEO of the Year: Jensen Huang
Start-Up of the year: Gold: Perplexity, Silver: Deel, Bronze: Ramp
SaaS tool of the year: Gold: Notion, Silver: Loom, Bronze: Gorgias
Affiliate SaaS platform: Impact
Affiliate SaaS platform (B2B): PartnerStack
Influencer Platform: CreatorCo
Affiliate Partner of the Year: Gold: Capital One Shopping, Silver: AddShoppers, Bronze: BrandXAds
Influencer of the Year (B2B): Alvin the PM
SaaS Operator of the Year: Chase Mohseni
Agency Operator of the Year: Mike McElhaney
SaaS Marketer of the Year: Aaron Orendorff
Let’s have a great year!
Tye