# Vivien Garnes

> Vivien Garnès is the Lyon-based co-founder and co-CEO of Upfluence. An early online necktie venture with Kevin Creusy led him to blogger marketing and then software for creator partnerships. He defended a DBA on influencer marketing ROI in 2021 and is a former touring metal guitarist.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Upfluence
- **Organizations:** Upfluence, Nakama, Distillerie du Rhône
- **From:** Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
- **Nationality:** French
- **Education:** Doctorate in Business Administration; thesis: Return on Influencer Marketing Investment, Business Science Institute, SKEMA Business School and iaelyon School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded Upfluence and leads it as co-CEO with Kevin Creusy., Completed a DBA on influencer marketing return on investment., Co-authored a study of short-form video’s relationship to long-form performance across 250 creators.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Won a medal in a national classical guitar competition, as reported in a 2014 interview.
- **2011-2012** — Built an online necktie business with Kevin Creusy; blogger outreach helped sell the stock.
- **2012-2013** — Began Upfluence with co-founders including Kevin Creusy, Thomas Mesnier, Yann Metz-Pasquier and Alexis Montagne; project dates to 2012 and French incorporation to 2013.
- **2016** — Upfluence launched its SaaS offering.
- **2018** — Upfluence raised a $3.6 million Series A backed by ISAI and French Partners.
- **2021** — Defended DBA thesis on influencer marketing ROI on September 28, supervised by Kiane Goudarzi.
- **2024** — Co-authored Shorts on the Rise with Prajit T. Rajendran and Kevin Creusy.
- **2026** — Discussed Upfluence’s September relaunch around agentic campaign system Jaice.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Upfluence and leads it as co-CEO with Kevin Creusy.
- Completed a DBA on influencer marketing return on investment.
- Co-authored a study of short-form video’s relationship to long-form performance across 250 creators.
- Previously toured Europe with metal band Aléa.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Discussed the September 9 relaunch of Upfluence around Jaice and human escalation for uncertain campaign decisions.
- **2026-08** — Appeared on the Jason Marc Campbell Business Podcast to discuss micro-influencers, attribution and the company’s development.
- **2026-05** — Discussed revenue measurement, creative control and creator compensation in an interview with Net Influencer.

## Links

- Website: https://viviengarnes.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vgarnes/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RustedHarmonies

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/vivien-garnes
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22