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Scale Social AI

Category: AI in Marketing

AI-powered marketing platform that automates capturing, curating, and distributing customer-generated content for local and franchise marketing Scale Social AI was founded in 2024. The company is led by Runbin Dong. Based in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Team size: 10-50. Total funding raised: $1.3M. Latest round: Pre-seed. Key investors include LAUNCH, The Syndicate (Jason Calacanis-led), RTP Angel Fund, Primordial Ventures, Charlotte Fund, Triangle Tweener Fund, Blue Valley Capital.

Founded
2024
Headquarters
Durham, North Carolina, USA
Team size
10-50
Total funding
$1.3M

Value proposition

Automates the collection, curation, and deployment of authentic customer-generated content to enhance local marketing campaigns, reduce costs, and boost engagement with 580% ROI and +15% new customer acquisition

Products and solutions

AI-driven content curation platform for social media and marketing, Automated local SEO tools for franchise locations, Customer engagement dashboards for multi-location brands

Unique value

Focus on democratizing AI-powered CGC marketing for small/mid-sized businesses, with a proprietary algorithm that filters and optimizes user-generated content for hyper-local campaigns

Target customer

Franchised brands, local businesses, and multi-location enterprises in retail, hospitality, and service industries

Industries served

Franchising (e.g., quick-service restaurants), Local retail chains, Service-based businesses (e.g., salons, fitness studios)

Technology advantage

Leverages Runbin Dong's expertise from IBM Watson and Amazon, combined with a B2B SaaS model tailored for franchise networks with QR code-based content collection and automated brand-safe deployment

How they differentiate

Scale Social AI differentiates through AI-powered automation of customer-generated content specifically for local and franchise marketing, while competitors like Emplifi focus on broader social media management. Unique QR code-based content collection and automated brand-safe deployment for franchises

Main competitors

Emplifi, Birdeye, Grade.us

Key partnerships

LAUNCH (funding), The Syndicate (funding), RTP Angel Fund (funding), 40+ franchise clients for pilot programs

Notable customers

Osmow's, Fox's Pizza Den, Mezze Mediterranean, Mimi Garden, Fat Tuesday Raleigh, Q Noodles

Major milestones

$1.3M pre-seed funding led by LAUNCH and The Syndicate (Nov 2025), $50K NC IDEA SEED grant, Client expansion to 40+ businesses across 10 states, Partnership with franchise brands for multi-location rollouts, Crossed $1M ARR (early 2026), Signed first major enterprise partnership (early 2026)

Growth metrics

Crossed $1M ARR by early 2026; serving 40+ clients across 10 states; 580% ROI for clients; +15% new customer acquisition; +$870,000 net annual benefit for 100-unit franchise systems; signed first major enterprise partnership

Market positioning

Positioned as a niche SaaS platform for franchise and multi-location brands seeking to leverage authentic customer content for hyper-local marketing, avoiding direct competition with broader AI marketing tools

Geographic focus

Primarily focused on the United States, with clients across 10 states and headquarters in Durham, North Carolina

Patents and IP

No public patents filed as of December 2025

About Runbin Dong

Former IBM Watson and Amazon AI/Marketing Technology professional; Lead Director of Commercialization at CVS Health; founder of Mama Chen's Chinese dumpling restaurant

Official website: