Stay22 raises $122m to drive global creator commerce push

Stay22 has secured a $122 million minority growth investment from Summit Partners as it expands its creator monetisation business beyond travel and builds out newer retail categories.

The Montreal-based company sells tools that place and optimise booking and shopping links inside creator and publisher content. It works with travel creators, media groups, and some event and transport partners.

Summit Partners took a minority stake in the business, and Managing Directors Colin Mistele and Daniel Kim have joined the Stay22 board.

Stay22 processed more than $1 billion in annual transactions in 2025. That figure reflects activity routed through its platform, rather than revenue booked by the company. It also reported $80 million in gross merchandise value from a retail vertical launched in 2025.

Creator commerce

The investment comes as marketing spend and consumer purchasing continue to shift towards creators and specialist publishers. Stay22 positions itself as infrastructure that converts audience interest into transactions across travel and retail.

The platform analyses contextual and behavioural signals, then directs users to booking options. It connects to online travel agencies including Booking.com, Expedia Group and Tripadvisor, which Stay22 says improves conversion and monetisation for partners.

Stay22 counts more than 5,500 creators and publishers as customers. It cites partners including Time Out and Lonely Planet, along with independent creators such as Nomadic Matt. It also works with Travelier Group, which operates in travel transportation and related services.

Stay22 started in travel content and accommodation links. It has expanded into retail, with initial focus areas including food, fashion, DIY, lifestyle and consumer technology.

Expansion plans

Stay22 plans to use the new funding for global expansion, product development and hiring. It has more than tripled its headcount over the past two years and is recruiting across product development, engineering and partner support.

It also plans to deepen relationships with suppliers and partners internationally, and highlighted continued investment in AI-based optimisation and product development.

In travel, Stay22 operates as an affiliate and routing layer between content and travel sellers. In retail, it applies the same approach to product discovery and purchase links, and wants to extend the model to additional verticals.

Industry estimates put the global creator economy at more than $200 billion, reflecting the growing role of creators and publishers in purchase decisions. Stay22 aims to capture a larger share of that spend by expanding the number of categories it covers.

"Creators and publishers now shape how people discover experiences and products, but many lack the infrastructure to monetize that influence," said Andrew Lockhead, CEO and Co-Founder, Stay22. "Stay22 was built to solve that problem. Summit's experience investing in category-leading companies across the creator economy and marketing technology stack makes them an ideal partner to help scale our platform, grow our team and expand globally."

Investor view

Summit Partners has invested across marketing technology and creator-focused tools, with past investments including Klaviyo, Manychat, Later and StackAdapt. As part of the transaction, Mistele and Kim will take board seats.

"We believe Stay22 is building essential infrastructure at the intersection of travel, content and commerce," said Colin Mistele, Managing Director, Summit Partners. "As creators and publishers become more central to demand generation, the need for intelligent, scalable monetization tools has become critical. Stay22's platform, team and execution stood out to us, and we're excited to support the company as it continues to grow rapidly and expand its global reach."

Stay22 plans to continue building its partner ecosystem as it expands beyond travel into broader creator monetisation across retail categories.