Parade’s Cami Tellez announces new creator economy marketing platform, $4M in funding

Cami Tellez is back. Tellez is the founder of the viral undergarments brand Parade, which at one point was seen as the Gen Z rival to Victoria’s Secret . Launched in 2019, when Tellez was just 21, the company went on to raise millions in funding and attract thousands of customers, but was sold in 2023 to the lingerie manufacturer Ariela & Associates. Late last year, Parade announced it was officially closing its doors. But it turns out Parade was just the beginning of Tellez’s journey as a founder. On Monday, she and former TikTok executive Jon Kroopf announced the launch of the influencer marketing platform Devotion, which they said will help large brands to run and manage their influence programs. Right now, many of these brands have human teams juggling existing influencers and discovering new ones. It’s a tedious task often bogged down by how fast this space moves. “The first version of the creator economy was built around macro creators, brands working with 15 or 20 highly visible faces each month,” Tellez said. “That model hasn’t worked.” Citing a 2025 IAB report showing that creators still account for about 2% of ad spend, she added, “The issue isn’t belief in creators, it’s unlocking the high-scale model that works in a content-based algorithm.” Devotion automates parts of this process, using AI to help brands scale their creator discovery, management, and content workflows. They still have humans to review the AI’s decisions. “There are no rogue-like agents that operate independently of a human review,” Kroopf told TechCrunch. “But they make everything we do much faster.” Techcrunch event Disrupt 2026: The tech ecosystem, all in one room Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity. Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $400. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrun...