Two prominent entrepreneurs have teamed up to create an artificial intelligence-powered platform to build the next big brand, and have decided to base the company in Miami.
Co-founder Kim Perell is an angel investor with a strong tech and marketing background, most recently as the CEO of AdTech platform Amobee. Co-founder James Brennan has built and sold brands to companies such as Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, and Unilever in industries ranging from hospitality to beverage and beauty.
Their venture, 100.co, leverages artificial intelligence to better understand trends and develop brands around consumer preferences. Perell, 100.co’s CEO, told Refresh Miami that part of the startup’s key to success is the two co-founders’ complementary backgrounds: “James and I are a really good match because he’s got 20 years of brand experience, and I’ve been in tech for 20 years. Bringing that together offers a unique opportunity to do things differently.”
Perell said that 100.co’s flagship CLAIRE intelligence platform will help them “reinvent the product creation process.” Calling CLAIRE “the science powering the art of marketing,” Perell explained that the platform will scour the internet for thousands of key consumer data points to dissect market trends. It will then suggest market attributes and product price points to help 100.co’s internal experts conceptualize the offering.
Once CLAIRE identifies these market opportunities, 100.co will seek out a celebrity influencer to partner with the company through the product’s development and launch. Brennan, 100.co’s chairman, said that this will help the company “utilize the power of celebrity and influence to really give the brand a boost to get it off the ground.” He explained that authenticity between the brand and the influencer is “paramount” because without it the project will “fall flat.”
The first celebrity to work with the startup will be Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow. (100.co has not yet announced details about the brand they will be launching with Harlow.) “These celebrity influencers are true partners and co-founders of the brands,” Brennan said.
Perell and Brennan relocated to the Miami area from San Diego.
“The political leadership in Miami and Florida has been nothing but welcoming,” said Brennan. “Mayor Suarez puts his money where his mouth is,” he continued, explaining how the mayor’s office got in touch with Brennan within an hour of sending Suarez a direct message on Twitter. “When you have that leadership in place, it makes it so much easier for business leaders to make the decision to move.”
“Miami is becoming a top destination for technology leaders,” Perell said. She highlighted the city’s diversity as a particular advantage: “Diversity breeds innovation, and we’re here to continue to innovate and disrupt.”
Perell and Brennan are still on the hunt for an office, but they hope to settle into a space in the Design District.
While they already have a handful of their 22 employees in South Florida, Perell and Brennan hope to triple the number of employees here over the course of the next few months. They are hiring across the board, with roles open in finance, operations, marketing, and logistics.
Photo at top of post shows 100.co co-founders Kim Perell and James Brennan. Photo provided by 100.co.
