The top 10 list below showcases the leading digital marketing agencies for startups, carefully selected from over 1,500 service providers. Our expert team has evaluated them based on their specialized skills, areas of focus, successful projects, and client testimonials. You’ll also discover what goes into our selection process and the criteria we employ.
Table of Contents
The Number 1 Digital Marketing Agency For Startups as Selected by DesignRush Is...
1. NinjaPromo
- Best for: Overall
- Average hourly rate: $25
- Minimum budget: $1,000 - $10,000
- Founded: 2017
- Size: 100 - 249
- Location: New York City, NY
- Notable clients: Recycleye, Stockmusic, Intellectsoft, Tripment, Papercrypto
A leading digital marketing agency for startups, NinjaPromo leverages innovative multi-channel marketing solutions, creative branding, brand-specific design, influencer marketing, and community management to help businesses scale, thrive, and remain competitive. NinjaPromo’s team is a mix of creatives, expert marketers, and tech and code enthusiasts.
When Recycleye, a B2B waste management startup, had to enter a competitive market, it turned to NinjaPromo to establish a strong brand presence and effectively engage potential clients. The agency crafted a compelling brand messaging toolkit, visually appealing designs, and promotional materials to emphasize the client’s values and brand identity. It also employed end-to-end web analytics, SEO techniques, email marketing, and LinkedIn campaigns.
Over a six-month period, NinjaPromo helped Recycleye achieve:
- 500 new sign-ups from sales-qualified leads
- A 25% conversion rate
- Over 10 million impressions
- A 3.5x return on ad spend (ROAS)
- A 30% month-over-month (MoM) growth
Check NinjaPromo Agency Profile
2. Firebrand Communications
- Best for: Tech industry
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2016
- Size: Under 49
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Notable clients: EMOTIV, Pantone, Aidkit, Paravision, SuiteFiles
As a full-funnel startup marketing agency, Firebrand Communications drives significant results across key metrics, including closed revenue, pipeline growth, conversions, web traffic, engagement, and press coverage. It uses the unique multiplier marketing approach, which blends content marketing, growth marketing, and public relations — the three core principles of the “Firebrand Flywheel.” This marketing program leverages multiple platforms to spike brand awareness, generate demand, and expedite buyer journeys.
EMOTIV, a brain research and development applications manufacturer, turned to Firebrand to drive sales and raise product awareness. In response, the agency configured an advertising and martech stack, integrating Google Merchant Center with WooCommerce for data-driven optimizations. It also used display ads and conducted rigorous A/B testing on ad variations.
The outcomes of Firebrand’s digital marketing efforts for EMOTIV included:
- 33.33% increase in transactions from Google Ads
- 228% revenue growth
- 54% decrease in cost per click (CPC)
- 719% return on investment (ROI) from ad campaigns with a 447% ROI from Google Shopping
Check Firebrand Communications Agency Profile
3. NoGood
- Best for: Digital media industry
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2016
- Size: 50 - 99
- Location: New York City, NY
- Notable clients: Invisibly, Nike, TikTok, Amazon, Citi
NoGood is a startup marketing company comprising growth leads, creatives, designers, data scientists, and engineers. It helps emerging businesses rapidly scale through performance branding, search engine marketing (SEM), content, conversion rate optimization (CRO), as well as pay-per-click (PPC) and social ads. With an 88% retention rate, NoGood holds a record of doubling the revenues of 65% of its clients within the first six months of engagement. The firm has premium partnerships with industry giants like Google, Facebook, TikTok, and Microsoft.
Invisibly, a media and content platform, enlisted NoGood to establish its authority in a competitive data market. To drive high-intent traffic, the agency implemented a product-led growth strategy alongside a launch plan, public relations (PR) guidance, optimized content, and paid performance marketing.
NoGood helped the client achieve a 103% MoM surge in app installations, 400% in quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) user retention, and 84% in QoQ organic web traffic. Invisibly also experienced a drop in customer acquisition cost (CAC) by 65%.
4. Stackmatix
- Best for: Edutech sector
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: $1,000 - $10,000
- Founded: 2018
- Size: Under 49
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Notable clients: ICL Academy, Playbook Products, Remoov, Groove.co, Dacast
Stackmatix houses a team of seasoned professionals with extensive backgrounds in marketing, technology, and startup advisory. It uses a multi-channel approach to its projects, ensuring coverage of all aspects of digital marketing for startups. It offers an advertising stack tailored for maximum reach and engagement, a social media stack for amplified brand presence, and an advisory stack for strategic guidance in sustainable growth. Stackmatix has cross-platform expertise spanning Google, Amazon, Shopify, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and more.
The agency addressed critical challenges in the marketing infrastructure of its client, ICL Academy, a unique online 6th - 12th grade school, in preparation for the upcoming academic year. Recognizing the task’s urgency, it swiftly set up Google and Facebook ads, Google Analytics, HubSpot integrations, and tracking mechanisms on various digital touchpoints to maximize audience engagement and conversion.
As a result of Stackmatix’s efforts, ICL Academy witnessed a 215% ROAS in the first year, with a 40% reduction in cost per lead (CPL). Its projected customer lifetime value (CLV) also surged by 915%, underscoring the long-term impact of the agency’s initiatives.
Check Stackmatix Agency Profile
5. SeeResponse
- Best for: Medical and healthcare industry
- Average hourly rate: $30
- Minimum budget: Under $1,000
- Founded: 2016
- Size: Under 49
- Location: McLean, VA
- Notable clients: Joovv, RR Donnelley, Rategain, Knack Technologies, Curacubby
SeeResponse leverages its considerable experience and expertise to deliver comprehensive digital marketing services for startups. Its core services include marketing consulting, strategy creation, marketing automation for streamlined processes, customer relationship management (CRM) implementation, as well as content creation and design for optimal brand visibility.
One of SeeResponse’s clients, Joovv, a therapy devices manufacturer, lacked the resources and expertise to effectively execute email marketing campaigns. The digital marketing agency specialized in startups stepped in to identify valid contacts within the client’s target market and implemented email campaigns at scale without compromising on timeliness or quality.
Following the project’s launch, Joovv expanded its reach to spa, wellness, and aesthetics centers, converting them into paying customers. It also saw a revenue increase of 36%, generated from email marketing alone.
Check SeeResponse Agency Profile
6. GrowthRocks
- Best for: Security technologies
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: Under $1,000
- Founded: 2014
- Size: Under 49
- Location: London, UK
- Notable clients: Smart Eye, CareerPaths, Volta, Viral Loops, SmartCV
GrowthRocks specializes in data-driven startup digital marketing strategies that leverage rapid experimentation with low-budget methods, ensuring effective routes to business expansion. Its focus areas include acquiring traction through optimized content, converting visitors into paying customers, analyzing retention through feedback collection and re-engagement techniques, and boosting revenue as a key metric for client success. Besides digital marketing, GrowthRocks provides consulting services and training programs to further educate startups on growth frameworks, tools, and processes.
Smart Eye, a security solutions provider, partnered with GrowthRocks to redefine its focus, messaging, and approach to the brand’s ideal customer persona (ICP) while establishing new user acquisition channels. To address these challenges, the agency built a growth machine, involving a multifaceted approach to branding, communication, web development, onsite and offsite SEO, paid social, and lead magnet generation.
As a result, GrowthRocks managed to uplift the client’s B2B leads by 1,200%, with 30% of sales coming from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also raised web traffic by 300% and conversions by 20%.
Check GrowthRocks Agency Profile
7. Eskimoz
- Best for: Retail industry
- Average hourly rate: $150
- Minimum budget: Under $1,000
- Founded: 2015
- Size: Under 49
- Location: London, UK
- Notable clients: INTURN, Gophr, Hiyacar, Beaufort & Blake, Matterport
With a solid foundation of serving more than 850 clients from major industries, Eskimoz is a premier digital marketing agency for startups, whose team of 200+ consultants equips businesses with insights-backed solutions. Its focal service offers are SEO with comprehensive audits, strategic link building, programmatic media buying, and paid advertising. It also provides content creation for establishing a unique brand voice, performance tracking, CRO, and data analysis, including A/B testing.
Eskimoz’s client, INTURN, aimed to revolutionize the retail industry’s off-price inventory transactions. As a newcomer with a unique concept, it had difficulty gaining visibility and converting leads due to the limited search volume for its offers. Eskimoz resolved this by targeting closely related keywords with higher search volume instead of direct search terms. Then, it moved on to an organic campaign with an emphasis on content creation and link-building.
Following the agency’s digital marketing initiatives, INTURN secured the top position for targeted keywords, boosting traffic by 37% and gaining visibility for 1,500 keywords.
8. SimpleTiger
- Best for: Software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies
- Average hourly rate: $250
- Minimum budget: $1,000 - $10,000
- Founded: 2009
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Sarasota, FL
- Notable clients: Segment, JotForm, ContractWorks, SecureDocs, Bitly
SimpleTiger is a startup digital marketing agency exclusively catering to SaaS companies. It combines AI-powered keyword research, technical optimization, link building, and performance tracking with paid promotion on search engines and social media. The firm leverages proprietary AI processes and machine learning technologies for streamlining research, planning, and execution of marketing strategies. Additionally, it uses synergized marketing to deliver swift yet efficient solutions, while iterations ensure that the marketing methods are constantly refined as necessary.
Segment, a customer data infrastructure company, came to SimpleTiger to maximize its online presence and identify areas for improvement in its strategies. After a comprehensive marketing audit, SimpleTiger optimized keyword targeting and content production, coupled with a strategic link-building campaign.
The project led to a 127% increase in Segment’s organic traffic to targeted pages within the first two months, along with a significant improvement of over 1,320 positions in the website’s total ranking.
Check SimpleTiger Agency Profile
9. The Branx
- Best for: Biotech industry
- Average hourly rate: $95
- Minimum budget: $10,000 - $25,000
- Founded: 2019
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Cádiz, Spain
- Notable clients: Vivici, Reavive, Loonawell, Evolve, Screenloop
The Branx is a tech-focused startup marketing agency with a proven record of success. It has collectively raised over $225 million for its clients and served more than 70 businesses in 20+ countries. The firm is home to a multidisciplinary team whose members contribute diverse skills and insights in brand naming, identity, strategy, illustrations, UI/UX design, and web design and development. Drawing upon their own extensive experience as startup founders and advisors, these seasoned professionals possess a deep understanding of the ecosystem, whether it’s the pre-seed stage or Series B.
With The Branx’s expertise, Vivici, a sustainable protein producer, sought to establish a distinctive brand identity and website that would effectively convey its scientific sophistication and background. To fulfill this goal, the agency developed a brand strategy and visually engaging website design to highlight Vivici’s scientific prowess, values, and technological innovations.
The agency’s strategic approach included incorporating elements inspired by Vivici’s precision fermentation process and leveraging branded illustrations to communicate complex scientific concepts in a visually compelling manner. Recognized by Awwwards, the project enabled Vivici to reinforce its position as a leader in the sustainable protein market.
Check The Branx Agency Profile
10. Humbleteam
- Best for: Service economy
- Average hourly rate: $85
- Minimum budget: $25,000 - $50,000
- Founded: 2017
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Prague, Czech Republic
- Notable clients: Stoovo, NASA, Renault, Royal Caribbean, Nexar
Humbleteam is a startup marketing agency with a focus on crafting digital-first brand systems and marketing websites. Its growth strategies are anchored on user research and A/B testing to ensure continuous improvement. Delivering robust support to clients, it also creates sophisticated brand identity manuals for seamless integration into the workflows of their in-house teams. With a global reach, Humbleteam has collaborated with over 100 startups in different sectors, providing them with comprehensive services at every stage of the sales cycle. Its partnerships with renowned accelerators, such as Y Combinator and Techstars, attest to its expertise and credibility in the startup environments.
Stoovo, a gig economy platform, hired Humbleteam as its design and development partner to help shape a distinctive brand identity and develop a matching website for a cohesive digital presence. The agency devised multiple marketing campaigns and iteratively refined landing and web pages to optimize conversions.
Through its partnership with Humbleteam, Stoovo secured $2.4 million in venture investment and amassed a substantial user base, with over 30,000 users on the waiting list.
Check Humbleteam Agency Profile
How We Picked the Best Startup Marketing Agencies
To identify the best digital marketing agencies for startups, DesignRush carefully looks into their previous projects, client reviews, and level of authority in the category. These enable our executive selection team to find the top companies most adeptly geared with experience and expertise to help startups succeed.
These are the selection criteria:
- Verified reviews: Evaluation of client satisfaction, the agency’s authority within the startup digital marketing segment, and work quality
- Comprehensive portfolio: Showcase of marketing projects for startups along with outcomes
- Accolades and media coverage: Recognition for thought leadership, industry reputation, and innovative approaches
- Team bios: Profiles detailing the workforce’s expertise, experience in digital marketing for startups, and areas of specialization
- Startup marketing expertise: Competency in market research, competitor analysis, creation of buyer personas, digital strategy, growth marketing, content distribution, social media management, and other startup-focused marketing initiatives
For more detailed insights, please refer to the DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology page.
Verified
-preview.jpg)
DesignRush Design Award Winner
