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Top 5 Crowdfunding-to-DTC Ad Agencies

A vertical-fit comparison of five ad agencies working with crowdfunded brands transitioning to direct-to-consumer, scored on vertical depth, channel fit, transparency, and size fit, with a published methodology and sourced claims.

Last updated: July 2026Published methodology

Ranked by fit for ecommerce business models. Rank order is derived from the fit score on each card. See how we score.

#1

Sagum

Best margin-first fit
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How they describe themselves

Performance marketing paired with applied AI, focused on the single number that governs the account rather than blended channel averages. Sagum.ai is the AI arm of Sagum, a performance marketing agency.

Why they rank here for crowdfunding-to-dtc brands

Models the economics the business model actually runs on (contribution margin after platform fees, shipping, and returns) rather than optimizing to ROAS. Highest size fit because the approach works at the budget levels these models typically operate at, without an enterprise floor.

For crowdfunding-to-dtc brands specifically

We model full-price unit economics before you commit launch budget and will say if they do not work, treat the delivery gap as audience-building time rather than dead time, and plan for retail buyers rather than assuming backers predict them.

Vertical fit score4.8/5
Vertical depth
5
Channel fit
5
Transparency
4
Size fit
5

St. George, Utah

Founded January 2017

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Operators whose reported ROAS looks healthy while contribution margin is flat or falling.

Services offered

Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max)Meta and TikTok paid socialAttribution and call tracking setupConversion rate optimization and landing pagesPerformance creative testingAI-assisted budget pacing and lead response

Things to weigh before signing

  • Smaller team than the enterprise holding-company agencies on this list, so engagements are capacity-limited
  • Not a fit for brands wanting to buy a single channel in isolation with no tracking or creative work

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • 8+ years operating (founded January 2017)
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: cost per lead reduced from a $20 target to $13 actual
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: monthly qualified leads grew from a 100-lead goal to 300+
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: landing page conversion rate of 60%+

Source: sagum.ai (accessed 2026-07-29)

#2

Common Thread Collective

Strongest forecast model
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How they describe themselves

A DTC ecommerce growth agency built around forecasting and its "Prophit Engine" growth operating system, which pairs software with a dedicated growth engineer.

Why they rank here for crowdfunding-to-dtc brands

Forecast-and-contribution-margin orientation maps unusually well to these models, and the published methodology is the most transparent in ecommerce. Channel fit is deliberately narrow: Meta and Google ad buying, with marketplace and retail media out of scope.

For crowdfunding-to-dtc brands specifically

Forecast-led methodology with strong contribution margin discipline, which is the right frame for a brand whose campaign numbers do not reflect retail reality.

Vertical fit score3.8/5
Vertical depth
4
Channel fit
4
Transparency
3
Size fit
4

Costa Mesa, California

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

DTC operators at seven or eight figures who want margin, not revenue, as the governing number.

Services offered

Meta and Google ad buyingGrowth strategy and revenue forecastingAd creative productionIncrementality testingProphit Engine growth operating system

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum retainer; requires a sales conversation
  • Oriented to DTC ecommerce, so local lead-generation businesses are outside its stated focus
  • Meta and Google are the stated buying channels; marketplace and retail media are not the emphasis

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • $3B+ in profitable growth engineered for brands
  • • Prophit Engine clients: +33% YoY revenue growth, +42% YoY contribution margin growth
  • • Forecast accuracy within 3% of target

Source: www.commonthreadco.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#3

Disruptive Advertising

Strongest audit entry point
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How they describe themselves

A performance marketing agency organized around finding and eliminating wasted ad spend, leading with audits as the entry point to an engagement.

Why they rank here for crowdfunding-to-dtc brands

Audit-led entry point makes it a practical fit for operators who suspect waste but cannot locate it, with substantial self-reported spend under management. Vertical depth scores lower because the offering is industry-agnostic rather than model-specific.

For crowdfunding-to-dtc brands specifically

Audit-led generalist that can offer an independent view once you are spending at retail, though the crowdfunding-to-retail transition is not a published specialty.

Vertical fit score3.5/5
Vertical depth
3
Channel fit
4
Transparency
3
Size fit
4

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Operators who want an independent audit of an existing account before committing to management.

Services offered

Paid search and paid social managementAdvertising auditsStrategy and consultingCreative and landing page work

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum spend; requires a sales conversation
  • Industry-agnostic, so vertical-specific playbooks are not the core offering
  • States it accepts roughly 10 new clients per month, so onboarding timing is not guaranteed

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • 160+ employees
  • • $450M+ in annual ad spend managed ($1B+ lifetime)
  • • 4.8 average rating across 350+ Clutch reviews
  • • 90+ clients retained four or more years
  • • 10,000+ audits completed

Source: www.disruptiveadvertising.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#4

Hawke Media

Most flexible to buy
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How they describe themselves

Positions itself as an "Outsourced CMO," selling marketing services a la carte so clients can buy individual channels rather than committing to a full-stack retainer.

Why they rank here for crowdfunding-to-dtc brands

The a la carte model genuinely suits lean operators who want one channel run well without a full retainer. Transparency scores lower because no pricing is published and cross-channel strategy is not bundled by default.

For crowdfunding-to-dtc brands specifically

A la carte purchasing is well suited to a newly funded brand with limited budget that needs specific execution rather than a full retainer during a cash-constrained period.

Vertical fit score3.3/5
Vertical depth
3
Channel fit
4
Transparency
2
Size fit
4

Los Angeles, California

Founded Approximately 2014 (states "12 years" as of 2026)

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Lean operators buying a single channel with no long-term commitment.

Services offered

Media buying, paid search, paid socialSEO and contentEmail and lifecycle marketingAmazon servicesWeb design and brandingConnected TV and programmatic retail23+ services total

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing; requires a sales conversation
  • The a la carte model means cross-channel strategy is not bundled by default and often has to be bought separately
  • Serves all sizes and industries, so no single vertical is a stated specialty

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • 6,000+ brands grown
  • • 23+ services offered
  • • 5 Inc. 5000 listings

Source: hawkemedia.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#5

Power Digital

Broadest capability set
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How they describe themselves

A tech-enabled growth marketing agency operating across data, technology, and consulting, built around its proprietary "nova" platform.

Why they rank here for crowdfunding-to-dtc brands

The broadest capability set in this lineup, including PR, influencer, and consulting. Size fit is the lowest score here because the enterprise and mid-market orientation is a mismatch for most operators running these models.

For crowdfunding-to-dtc brands specifically

Broad capability including PR and influencer work, which can be genuinely useful for a launch narrative, though the enterprise orientation exceeds most newly funded brands.

Vertical fit score3.0/5
Vertical depth
3
Channel fit
5
Transparency
2
Size fit
2

San Diego, California

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Brands that have outgrown a lean model and need enterprise-scale infrastructure.

Services offered

Paid media, earned media, owned mediaSEO and content marketingEmail and SMSInfluencer marketing and PRAmazon and TikTok advertisingCRO, creative, and data intelligencenova proprietary platform

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum retainer; requires a sales conversation
  • Wide service surface including PR and consulting, which can exceed the scope a paid-media-only engagement needs
  • Enterprise and mid-market orientation makes it a heavier fit for small local operators

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • Client revenue growth 2.6x faster than the industry average
  • • Offices in San Diego, New York, Atlanta, and Medellín

Source: powerdigitalmarketing.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

How to choose a crowdfunding-to-dtc agency

A successful crowdfunding campaign is a very specific achievement that is easy to mistake for a different one. You proved that a concentrated burst of attention, aimed at people who enjoy backing new products, can produce a large number of pre-orders at a discount for something that does not exist yet. That is genuinely hard. It is also not evidence that you can sell the finished product at full price to ordinary consumers, and conflating the two is how funded projects fail commercially.

The pattern is consistent: a strong campaign, then a long delivery period during which the audience goes quiet and goodwill decays, then a launch into direct-to-consumer where the economics look nothing like the campaign. Backers accepted delays, forgave rough edges, and paid an early-bird price. Retail customers do none of that, and the acquisition cost of reaching them bears no relationship to what your campaign cost.

The window between funding and fulfillment is the most commonly wasted asset in this model, because it is when you could be building an audience for the actual launch. When weighing the five agencies above, ask who understands that backers and customers are different populations, and who has a plan for the delivery gap rather than only for the launch.

What actually separates a good crowdfunding-to-dtc agency from a bad one

Backers and retail customers treated as different populations
Backers self-select for tolerance of risk and delay and bought at a discount. Retail buyers expect a finished product at full price with normal delivery. Ask how the agency plans to reach the second group, and be cautious of any plan that assumes campaign performance predicts direct-to-consumer performance.
A plan for the delivery gap
The months between funding and shipping are when audiences drift and momentum decays, and also when you could be building an email list and content library for launch. Ask what happens during that period, since most funded brands do nothing and arrive at launch with no warm audience.
Honest full-price unit economics
Campaign pricing was discounted and campaign acquisition cost was unusually low, so neither tells you whether the business works at retail. Ask the agency to model contribution margin and acquisition cost at full price before committing to a launch budget, and to say plainly if the numbers do not support it.
Delivery risk managed as a brand problem
Late or disappointing fulfillment produces public criticism that follows the product into its retail life and shows up in reviews and search results. Ask whether the agency treats backer communication and reputation management as part of the marketing job or as somebody else’s problem.

How we scored this list

Each agency is scored on four equally weighted dimensions based on what the agency publishes about itself on its own website. Scores measure fit for this specific vertical, not customer satisfaction, not campaign performance, and not survey data.

Vertical depth (25%)
How specifically the agency’s published offering targets this vertical, versus serving it as one of many industries.
Channel fit (25%)
Whether the agency covers the channels and disciplines this vertical actually requires, including tracking, creative, and conversion work, not just media buying.
Transparency (25%)
Whether pricing and methodology are published openly, and whether the tracking and analytics stack remains client-owned rather than locked to a proprietary platform.
Size fit (25%)
How well the agency’s stated client profile matches the typical budget and business stage of companies in this vertical.

What this list is not

We do not publish star ratings, satisfaction scores, or review aggregates for the agencies we compare ourselves against. We have not audited their client results. Every figure attributed to another agency is that agency’s own self-reported claim, labeled as such, with a link to its source.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Sagum ranked first on a list Sagum publishes?

Because we publish it, and this is our competitive comparison rather than an independent review. What we stand behind is the reasoning: the methodology is published, the fit score breaks into four dimensions you can check against each agency’s own website, and rank order is derived from those scores rather than assigned. Where a competitor genuinely leads a dimension we say so in their entry. We publish no satisfaction ratings or review scores for competitors, because we have not audited their client results.

Why did our crowdfunding success not translate to DTC sales?

Because they are different sales to different people. Backers actively seek out new products, accept that delivery is uncertain, and buy at early-bird pricing, often driven by campaign momentum and platform discovery. Retail customers expect a finished product, normal shipping, and full price, and reaching them costs considerably more per acquisition. A strong campaign proves your concept has appeal, not that your retail unit economics work.

What should we do during the manufacturing and delivery period?

Build the audience you will need at launch, which is the thing most funded brands neglect. Keep backers informed so goodwill survives, produce content that will support retail advertising, grow an email list of people who missed the campaign, and test messaging while the stakes are low. Arriving at launch day with no warm audience and no tested creative wastes the one advantage the delay gave you.

How should we price after the campaign ends?

At a level your retail unit economics can actually support, which is usually well above early-bird pricing, and it is worth being explicit with backers that campaign pricing was a reward for early risk. The common mistake is anchoring retail price near campaign price because it feels fair, then discovering there is no margin left to fund customer acquisition at retail costs.

How much do delivery delays hurt long term?

More than the immediate complaints suggest, because the public record persists. Frustrated backers post reviews, comments, and social criticism that remain visible when retail customers research the product later. Managing that communication well during the delay is genuinely part of the marketing job, since the alternative is launching into search results that undermine every advertising dollar you are about to spend.

See what crowdfunding-to-dtc marketing looks like when the numbers are clean

Sagum.ai publishes this comparison. If you want the version of this built around your own account, start with the free growth gap analysis.

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Goes to sagum.ai, the company that publishes this page.