Winner spotlight: Halo AI
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Halo AI, a winner of the L’Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program, uses AI to match brands with influencers to create high-engagement campaigns
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The startup automates influencer selection, vetting, and management, helping brands scale collaborations efficiently
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Halo AI will collaborate with L’Oréal on a commercial pilot and a year-long mentorship with program partners like Accenture, Google, and Meta
In an ever-changing marketing landscape, influencer marketing has become one of the fastest‑growing segments, with global spending projected to reach $40 billion in 2026 - a 171% increase from 2025. Yet, the industry still grapples with manual processes that make it difficult for brands and creators to find each other and collaborate effectively. At the same time, while 80% of micro-creator income comes from brand collaborations, they spend 90% of their time searching for reliable deals.
Halo AI bridges this gap by using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to intelligently match brands with nano and micro‑influencers, simplifying discovery and enabling authentic, high‑engagement partnerships that scale efficiently.
“The main problem that we’re solving is that brands and micro-creators have a really hard time finding each other, and effectively and efficiently collaborating”, said Vito Strokov, CEO and co-founder of Halo AI.
The startup was selected as a winner at the L’Oréal 2025 Big Bang Tech Innovation Program for its innovative approach to influencer marketing. This comes at a time when consumers are increasingly discerning and trust in nano and micro-influencers grows.
Using AI to automate influencer discovery and campaign optimization
Halo AI is a networking platform transforming how brands and creators connect and collaborate by automating traditionally manual steps of influencer marketing. Its matching engine can review more than 100,000 creator profiles in minutes, recommending nano and micro-influencers whose audiences are most likely to engage with a brand’s message and values.
Once campaigns go live, Halo AI continues to support both sides of the collaboration. Creators receive step-by-step guidance through an AI assistant that helps them understand campaign requirements, refine their content, and determine optimal posting times.
For brands, a central dashboard tracks collaboration progress and campaign performance in real time, enabling teams to monitor engagement metrics and optimize future creator strategies.
Why Big Bang Mattered: Scaling the infrastructure for brand & creator collaborations
Following its win at L'Oréal's SAPMENA Big Bang Tech Innovation Program, Halo AI will be embarking on a one-year pilot with L'Oréal. The pilot explores how Halo AI’s platform can support and enhance processes used across L’Oréal campaigns, helping to drive more efficient and impactful collaborations while maintaining quality and brand integrity.
“It’s a great feeling to be on stage and to be pitching to such an amazing crowd”, said Rami Saad, co-founder of Halo AI. "When the biggest advertiser in the world decides they want to partner with you on a one-year-long pilot, it's not only massive validation for the mission and the team, but proof we're solving real problems for brands. As a startup, you experience a lot of ups and downs, so winning this competition is an injection of motivation that will drive the team in the right direction."
The partnership will see Halo AI working with L'Oréal in SAPMENA, one of the most diverse regions, at a time when AI and digital platforms are transforming how brands connect with consumers. As social and creator-led commerce grows across the region, solutions like Halo AI help brands discover the right creators efficiently to deliver more personalized and relevant content to consumers.
About Halo AI
Founded in 2024 and based in Saudi Arabia, Halo AI is an AI-driven platform that transforms how brands and creators connect. Using advanced matching algorithms and creator economy expertise, the platform streamlines influencer discovery, eliminating the manual workflow traditionally required to find and vet the right partners. By enabling end-to-end campaign management, Halo AI delivers precise audience targeting and sustainable monetization for both sides.