About usAbout usAbout us
Stride Social is a superior creator management & influencer marketing agency, started by two best friends
WHO are stride social?
Stride Social is an influencer marketing agency, started by two best friends. We create influencer campaigns to grow businesses like yours.
Started for creators, by creators. We’re the first creator-founded influencer marketing agency.
Industry experience combined
21 years
Paid to influencers in 2023
$2M+
Alex Hendy
Co-founder | EX-CREATOR WITH OVER 6M FOLLOWERS
Ollie Kitson
Co-founder | Background in building ecom brands
WHO WE ARE
Meet the 2 co-founders of Stride Social Alex & Ollie.
Alex and Ollie became best friends at age 12. Between playing sports and starting side hustles, they discovered a shared entrepreneurial streak. School wasn’t easy for either of them. Both have learning difficulties and Alex’s experiences with dyspraxia and speech therapy – things were tough.
Alex finally found his voice through social media, starting at just 10 years old, and went on to grow an incredible following of over 6 million. Meanwhile, Ollie channelled his entrepreneurial spirit into e-commerce, building a thriving dropshipping business that laid the foundation for his expertise.
With Alex's talent for social media and influencer connections and Ollie’s knack for strategy and systems, they decided to bring everything together. That’s how Stride Social was born.
Alex finally found his voice through social media, starting at just 10 years old, and went on to grow an incredible following of over 6 million. Meanwhile, Ollie channelled his entrepreneurial spirit into e-commerce, building a thriving dropshipping business that laid the foundation for his expertise.
With Alex's talent for social media and influencer connections and Ollie’s knack for strategy and systems, they decided to bring everything together. That’s how Stride Social was born.
OUR timeline
Creators first. We know the industry best, because we live it first hand.
2016
Alex blows up his TikTok followers (pun intended!)
Alex started creating content on YouTube and quickly realised he enjoyed the process, so he kept at it for a few years. He filmed Minecraft videos on his mum's iPad and then TikTok launched. He started uploading content to TikTok every day and his content started gaining immense popularity. To this day Alex has over 5.6 million followers on his TikTok page alone!
Meanwhile, Ollie was building an e-commerce empire. During this time he learned the importance of having a strong brand presence and marketing strategy. Very soon it became apparent the importance of having a diverse marketing strategy and how important content had become in this emerging market.
Meanwhile, Ollie was building an e-commerce empire. During this time he learned the importance of having a strong brand presence and marketing strategy. Very soon it became apparent the importance of having a diverse marketing strategy and how important content had become in this emerging market.
2020
Stride social is born
When Alex and Ollie left sixth form, the world around them felt like it had a set path—university, gap years, or traditional careers. But neither of them fit into those moulds. While friends packed their bags for university or travelled the world, Alex and Ollie had a different vision. To create something meaningful, something uniquely theirs.
Alex had already been a trailblazer on social media and Ollie had spent years building his own e-commerce ventures. They realized their combined strengths were a perfect match, and the idea for Stride Social began to take shape.
The early days weren’t easy. They poured every ounce of energy into laying the foundation of a talent agency that understood influencers because it was built by the very people they wanted to help.
Alex had already been a trailblazer on social media and Ollie had spent years building his own e-commerce ventures. They realized their combined strengths were a perfect match, and the idea for Stride Social began to take shape.
The early days weren’t easy. They poured every ounce of energy into laying the foundation of a talent agency that understood influencers because it was built by the very people they wanted to help.
2021
Talent management
After a year of working with influencers, using Alex’s personal experience and a good old bit of trial and error, they learned what influencers actually wanted. They focused on creating their company values to improve the influencer's experiences when being signed. They helped creators build brands around their social media channels to work with some of the biggest brands in the world and clients they had always dreamed of working alongside
2022
Stride Social creates an influencer marketing department
The founders soon discovered the next step was helping brands themselves get the most out of influencer marketing. This branch was to focus on helping product-based companies work with product review creators. And quickly this side of the business started to expand without signs of slowing.
There’s a huge gap in the market when it comes to companies overseas working with influencers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. So they focused on matching up the best influencers for specific businesses and putting their influencer marketing campaigns into action from start to finish.
There’s a huge gap in the market when it comes to companies overseas working with influencers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. So they focused on matching up the best influencers for specific businesses and putting their influencer marketing campaigns into action from start to finish.
2023
Everything comes together
With a clear vision to connect influencers with the rapidly growing e-commerce and Amazon markets, Alex and Ollie established the UK’s first influencer marketing agency. Their innovative approach positioned Stride Social at the forefront of an emerging industry with immense potential.
The opportunity to sponsor the prestigious Influencer Marketing Show in London marked a pivotal milestone. Giving them a chance to align their brand with such a high-profile event, they seized the moment, solidifying Stride Social’s reputation as a leader in the influencer marketing space. This was more than a sponsorship—it was a statement of intent, showcasing their commitment to driving the industry forward.
Stride also won an award from Hello Partners, being listed as one of the world's top 30 influencer marketing companies to work with. Truly an honour. The founders went from kids playing football together, to running a world-renowned business!
The opportunity to sponsor the prestigious Influencer Marketing Show in London marked a pivotal milestone. Giving them a chance to align their brand with such a high-profile event, they seized the moment, solidifying Stride Social’s reputation as a leader in the influencer marketing space. This was more than a sponsorship—it was a statement of intent, showcasing their commitment to driving the industry forward.
Stride also won an award from Hello Partners, being listed as one of the world's top 30 influencer marketing companies to work with. Truly an honour. The founders went from kids playing football together, to running a world-renowned business!
2024
Stride’s future: UGC talent management
Fast forward to today, and the 2 school friends have generated over $2 million for their talented bunch of creators. This year they have their eyes set on an epic new project. With their sights set on redefining the creator economy once again, 2025 marks the launch of their most ambitious project yet: User Generated Content (UGC) talent management.
This new venture opens the doors to managing UGC influencers, empowering them to scale their businesses and forge stronger partnerships with brands eager for authentic, high-quality content. By bridging the gap between creators and brands, Alex and Ollie are setting the stage for another seismic shift in influencer marketing.
This new venture opens the doors to managing UGC influencers, empowering them to scale their businesses and forge stronger partnerships with brands eager for authentic, high-quality content. By bridging the gap between creators and brands, Alex and Ollie are setting the stage for another seismic shift in influencer marketing.
