The Dots, Dubbed the ‘LinkedIn for Creatives’, Raises £4m to Fund Further Growth

The Dots, a fast-rising social network which describes itself as “a professional network for the people and teams that don’t wear suits to work” – in other words it’s LinkedIn for those in more creative roles – looks set to enjoy some healthy expansion as the company recently secured £4m in funding via investments, which will be used to facilitate further growth.

The network raised the £4m sum in an investment round led by Hambro Perks, which also saw investments being made by advertising agency gurus Sir John Hegarty and Tom Teichman, whose investment fund The Garage Soho invested, and female-focused investors Angel Academe. The funds will now be used in an effort to secure lucrative overseas expansion of the network’s user base, drawing from a global pool of an estimated 80 million “no collar” creative millennial professionals.

The creative individuals often cost a lot when it comes to recruitment, and therein lays The Dots’ value. The network has already accumulated around 250,000 members since it was first launched by founder Pip Jamieson in 2014, with current clients including the likes of Google, Burberry, Sony Pictures, Viacom, M&C Saatchi, Warner Music, Tate, Discovery Networks, and VICE, among others.

The Dots facilitates networking by collecting data on full teams that create projects, making their network “high-trust”, since members have actually worked with another connected member.

The plan for the future is to incorporate machine learning into their operations, utilising gathered data to make personalised recommendations to clients and in the longer-term enable the hiring of full teams, rather than limiting their service solely to individuals.

“Everyone thinks LinkedIn is insurmountable, but that’s exactly why I believe it’s ripe for disruption,” says Pip Jamieson. “LinkedIn was built around the networking needs of a traditional workforce of ‘White Collar’ professionals. However, there is a new professional class emerging, who have different networking preferences and need an alternative solution that reflects their behavioural and career preferences.”

Sir John Hegarty also commented, “Whole waves of traditional industries will disappear or radically change due to automation. But there is no algorithm for creativity - creators are our future workforce. So if we want our economies to thrive, we need to support the people and teams that bring ideas to life. That is what The Dots is all about; connecting, supporting and championing the people, teams, and brands that make ideas happen.”