LinkedIn Voices: David Walsh

Building a business isn't just about innovation, it's about connecting the right people in the right way. David Walsh, founder and CEO of Limelight, is reshaping B2B marketing by creating a platform that connects brands with influential creators.

With a background in software sales and marketing, David has founded multiple successful companies, including a watch brand and an HR software company. He has raised over $30 million in funding for his ventures and is now focused on revolutionizing B2B influencer marketing through Limelight.

David Walsh

Overview of The Voice

David Walsh – Serial Entrepreneur | Founder & CEO of Limelight | Advocate for B2B Creator Economy

Niche & Specialization

• B2B creator economy and influencer partnerships

• Go-to-market strategy for SaaS and B2B companies

• Building scalable platforms that connect brands with thought leaders

• Entrepreneurship and venture-backed startup growth

Target Audience

• B2B SaaS founders, CMOs, and marketing teams seeking innovative go-to-market strategies

• Brands looking to partner with verified B2B creators, podcasters, and thought leaders

• Investors and professionals interested in the creator economy and emerging B2B marketing trends

• Entrepreneurs inspired by lessons in resilience, fundraising, and scaling startups

Career Journey

David Walsh's entrepreneurial journey began with a vision to own a tech company by the age of 25, a goal he achieved at 27. After moving from Ireland to the U.S., he founded and exited several ventures, including a watch brand that gained attention when Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders wore its products.

His most recent venture, Limelight, emerged from his observations of the B2B creator economy. Launched in 2023, Limelight is the first B2B creator partnership platform, helping brands scale go-to-market strategies through content partnerships with verified B2B creators and thought leaders.

The platform has rapidly gained traction, attracting over 100 companies within a month of its beta release and securing backing from Entrepreneur Ventures and other strategic investors.

Screenshot of David Walsh's LinkedIn Profile

Content Strategy & Teaching Approach

• Platform: Limelight

• Focus: Connecting brands with verified B2B creators and thought leaders

• Method: Utilizing a recommendation engine to match brands with creators, facilitating content partnerships across various channels (LinkedIn, newsletters, podcasts)

• Tools: Data-driven insights to manage partnerships and performance

Metrics & Impact

• Platform Reach: Over 3,000 verified B2B creators

• Client Base: 140+ top B2B brands

• Funding Raised: $1.1M in pre-seed funding from AltaIR Capital, Soma Capital, EntrepreneurVC, and other strategic investors

• Growth: Attracted over 100 companies within a month of beta release

Some of His Interviews

The #1 Mindset That Made Me a Successful Entrepreneur – David Walsh

EP 1 : The Man Behind the World's First B2B Creator Marketplace - David Walsh

Building a B2B creator partnership platform with David Walsh

Personality & Background Notes

David is known for his resilience and adaptability, having navigated challenges such as visa issues during his early career. His approach to entrepreneurship emphasizes learning from setbacks and maintaining a long-term perspective.

He encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to seize opportunities early and surround themselves with strong leaders to accelerate growth.

Why He Matters

David Walsh is at the forefront of the B2B creator economy, creating a platform that empowers brands and creators to collaborate effectively. Through Limelight, he is redefining how B2B marketing is approached, focusing on authenticity and strategic partnerships to drive success.

Examples of his Featured Posts on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

July was our wildest month ever! | David Walsh | 77 comments

July was our wildest month ever! 303 proposals sent, 87 deals closed, $133,000 paid to creators 🤯 The truth? The last 120 days almost broke me. → Fundraising dragged on longer than we planned. → A growth curve that refused to budge. → Building a brand new product. But seeing these numbers now though… I’m proud we pushed through and it’s clear we’ve hit real momentum. Here’s the breakdown: → 303 proposals sent out (up +20% again!) → 87 transactions closed (+47% jump MoM) → $133,175 paid to creators (+61% from June) → 1,359 creator applicants to live campaigns (+55%) We’re not just moving faster. We’re building a real flywheel. Big brands like BILL, Webflow, ZoomInfo, Hubspot are all spending money 💰 One LinkedIn creator even pulled in $24,000 from a single campaign. (Record payout. Doubled our old high!) Proof: Companies are scaling up budgets for creator-led growth. The wild part? All this happened while we were focused on fundraising and new product development. Speaking of… We locked in our lead investor last week. Assembled a crew of heavy hitters. Official announcement drops in Sept along with a BRAND NEW product. Wins? → Channel-based pricing: Brands compare rates across platforms. → Recurring payments in Campaigns View: No more back-and-forth. Losses? → Not gonna sugarcoat it... churn is still too high for self-serve. → Fundraising was a distraction & took longer than planned. But NOW momentum is real. You can feel it on with every campaign, and every Stripe payout. We’re back on offense. New funds New product New energy And we’re hiring more engineers! We did the hard yards… now it’s GO TIME. Onwards and upwards. PS: All these numbers look great on paper. But the last few months tested my grit and determination. We fought through it, and now we’re so back. | 77 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

One LinkedIn influencer made $24,000 last week 🤯 | David Walsh | 51 comments

One LinkedIn influencer made $24,000 last week 🤯 My Slack pinged at 6:12 AM. $24,717. Paid. One campaign. One creator. Still half-asleep, I stared at the number. Twenty-four thousand, seven hundred and seventeen dollars. Not Meta. Not Google. Not some faceless agency. Straight to a real B2B creator with the exact audience a brand wanted. A year ago? This budget would’ve gone to ads. Burned in seconds. No connection. No trust. No measurable ROI. Today? Brands are buying trust. They’re paying creators who already have the attention of their ICP. People told me: → “B2B creators won’t bring results” → “No brand will pay that much” → “It’s too hard to measure” They were wrong. Why this worked: → Audience matched the ICP (no guessing) → Trust already there (no ramp-up) → Content felt native, not forced → ROI was instant (decision-makers reached) The result? → $24,000 in the creator’s account immediately → Trusted, high-impact content for the brand instantly This isn’t a fluke: → $2,400,000+ to proposals to creators → 195 campaigns live on Limelight → Hundreds of creators earning (many for the 1st time in B2B) Creator-led growth is faster, more authentic, and more efficient than old-school channels. Brands — stop feeding the ad machine. Creators — your audience is worth more than you think. The B2B creator economy is here. And it’s growing fast! PS: What would you do with $24,000? Drop your answer below, I’ll read every comment. | 51 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

75 employees. | David Walsh | 35 comments

75 employees. Endless meetings. No velocity. That was my life. Never again. 3 years ago, I managed a 75-person team. It felt like I was steering a ship through mud. People became the problem. I wasted 75% of my time in unnecessary meetings. And it was my fault. I prioritized the wrong things! Now at Limelight, my philosophy is simple: → Kill complexity → Hire intrapreneurs → Ruthlessly trim headcount My co-founder and I are aiming for $10M ARR with under 10 people. Not because we like pain. But because LEAN teams win. Big teams slow you down. Bloat creeps in. You end up chasing headcount milestones while revenue stalls. Founders brag about hiring sprees. But what are they actually building? (Hint: It’s not a business. It’s a prison) Lean teams that AUTOMATE everything Is the ONLY way to win now. Here’s what we’re doing: → Hire people who move fast, own outcomes, and thrive with freedom → Cut every process that doesn’t drive revenue or customer love → Build systems that work for us, not the other way around Every person on our team is a builder. There are no passengers. No “just-in-case” roles. We ship fast. We learn faster. We outdeliver orgs 10x our size. If you’re a founder stuck in headcount-obsession, take a step back. Chase revenue goals, not body count. Build a team that can outlearn, outbuild, and outlast. Who agrees? | 35 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

We paid $133,000 to B2B creators in 30 days. | David Walsh | 53 comments

We paid $133,000 to B2B creators in 30 days. I still can't believe that number. This is up 61% from last month! I remember checking our payout sheet and thinking-wait, is this right? Here’s what actually blew my mind: → $82K paid the month before → $133K paid last month → That’s a $51,000 jump We also donated $5,000 to charity for a client to sponsor a YouTuber. The wildest part? We didn’t push any harder. No extra campaigns. No big ad spend. No crazy sales sprint. We’ve been heads down building a new product. Launch is 4 weeks out. Most of our energy is there. But the Limelight marketplace kept running. Deals, partnerships, payments-moving on autopilot. Every week, Janine sends our full report (shoutout Janine!). Email + Slack. 10 core KPIs tracked: → Payments → Proposals → MAUs → Creator / Brand signups → Cancellations → (and more) Normally, I check every number myself. (Yes, I’m that founder.) But last month, I was distracted with the product build and fundraising. I didn’t notice how much we were scaling. When I finally looked-BOOM. We blew past every target. Didn’t even see it coming. The founder journey is a rollercoaster. 90 days ago, I was questioning everything! Grateful for the team. Grateful for our creators. Grateful for every brand who trusts us. And... grateful to our new investors too 👀 If you want to see how Limelight can help your business grow-DM me. Always happy to chat! Who else has had a growth spurt when you least expected it? | 53 comments on LinkedIn

Quick Profile Summary

Detail	Info
Name	David Walsh
Title	Founder & CEO of Limelight
Focus	B2B Creator Economy, Brand-Creator Partnerships
Experience	Serial Entrepreneur; founded multiple companies including a watch brand and HR software
Funding Raised	$1.1M pre-seed funding from AltaIR Capital, Soma Capital, EntrepreneurVC, and others
Platform Reach	Over 3,000 verified B2B creators
Client Base	140+ top B2B brands
Notable Achievements	Launched Limelight, the first B2B creator partnership platform; rapid traction with 100+ companies in the first month
Website	limelight.com

David Walsh's LinkedIn Account:

www.linkedin.com

David Walsh - Limelight | LinkedIn

If you're reading this, you're either: a) A brand struggling to conduct high ROI… · Experience: Limelight · Education: UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School · Location: Los Angeles · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View David Walsh’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion members.