On The Brink With Kaeya #1

Hi!

I’m Kaeya, Founder of SwayID—the go-to solution for marketers to stop $43K fines, flags, and legal actions for non-compliant influencer posts and UGC ads before they happen…

Thank you for subscribing to “On The Brink”—your go-to newsletter for staying on top of the complex, evolving world of creator marketing compliance.

Told through the raw, unfiltered lens of a founder (me) building the first-in-market all-in-one solution.

I’m honored to have you court side. 🙏🏽

The Moment It Clicked

In December 2024, an influencer marketing agency owner hunted me down, rescheduled three times, and finally got on my calendar.

When he showed up, he brought several team members and kicked off the meeting with:

"We serve about 100 brands. We need this ASAP."

But getting here wasn’t easy.

It took nine years of extreme trials and tribulations to reach this point…

The Backstory

Getting a deal on Shark Tank as a 19 year old catapulted me from Emory University college student to retail shelves overnight.

After graduating college in 2015, I dove headfirst into launching product lines with celebrities. My first big break: Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose, with viral merch featuring a meme of his son.

In 2017, at 24, I worked with influencer Lala Milan on a skincare line and tried something new: upfront discounts for customers who promised to post on Instagram.

💡 Game changer: Turning customers into creators was the future.

Entering the Tech Startup World

The next step was obvious (at least to me, though not to my physician parents or med school bound sister 😅): build tools to help brands mobilize everyday customers as advocates.

But I wasn’t a prodigal Mark Zuckerberg—just a gal with supernatural grit. So, I took my first-ever Product Manager role under Christine Hunsicker, an incredible founder who sold her company for $680M, to learn the ropes.

By the end of 2021, I resigned from the PM gig and raised $4.2M in venture capital funding to launch Swaypay: a cash back app that democratized influencer marketing by letting shoppers earn rewards for sharing their purchases on TikTok.

I was 28. I felt unstoppable. And then…

The Hard Lessons: Nightmares That Shaped SwayID

Superuser Nightmares

A viral TikTok post seemed like a win—until the creator added a cryptic jab that sparked backlash. Damage control cost us more than the campaign’s ROI.

Brand Reputation Risks

“We can’t just have anyone saying whatever they want about our brand,” a Fortune 500 CMO told me. One misleading post can erase years of credibility.

The Investor Shut Down Letter

In October 2023, my investors declared the company “irreparably damaged” and recommended I shut it down and return their capital.

💡 Earned Insight: Turning everyday creators into brand advocates wasn’t the meaty problem to solve—it was managing the compliance challenges that come with it.

2024: The Pivot

By early 2024, deepfakes and AI avatars were flooding social media, and the FTC ramped up its crackdown on deceptive advertising practices.

Then, on August 14, 2024, the FTC announced its landmark ban on fake reviews and testimonials:

🚨 $43,792 fines per non-compliant influencer post, UGC ad, etc.
🚨 Passed by unanimous, bipartisan vote
🚨 FTC Chair warned: “Violators are officially on notice.”

By then, my team and I were already nearly a year into our pivot to compliance—with revitalized investor support. I even met with key regulatory leaders to refine our product further.

Here’s the new harsh reality every creator marketer must face:

💣 Deceptive advertising legal actions are skyrocketing
💣 FTC fines of $43,792 per non-compliant ad creative are now in effect
💣 Consumer trust is on the line

Silver lining: SwayID makes compliance easy so marketers can focus on growth.

✅ Automated Content Violation Risk Checker
✅ Dedicated (human) Compliance Support
✅ Audit-Ready Documentation Vault

I’m excited to keep you up to speed and share how we’re helping marketers turn compliance challenges into growth opportunities.

Feel free to reach out with feedback, questions, or comments—I’d love to hear from you.

We’ve got this!

Kaeya