A former YouTube content creator, Tan Guan Sheng founded Ittify to help micro-influencers connect with brands and tackle common issues faced by smaller influencers in the arbitrary world of influencer marketing. Though Tan’s foray into this world began in front of the camera while he was a student in university, after he graduated with a banking and finance degree, he shifted from content creation to developing social-media strategies for brands at a digital agency.

Here, Tan got a bird’s-eye view of the unique challenges faced by both parties, with brands or agencies facing issues in identifying the right influencers for a campaign, or to find a way to quantify its results. Influencers, meanwhile, dealt with uncertainties like payment terms and scope of work. This gave rise to the idea of Ittify.

Since launching his start-up in 2015, Tan has built up a network of more than 6,000 influencers with 250-plus campaigns to their name. He has developed software that will help match influencers with brands, and analyse results from advertising campaigns.

In 2020, Ittify was acquired by Malaysian digital media group iMedia, with Tan staying on as CEO. He is among Forbes’ 30 under 30 in Asia in 2021.