Local podcast platform startup Casted receives state tax credit, plans to grow staff

High Alpha portfolio company Casted, which makes and markets a platform for branded podcasts, is readying for more growth at its headquarters at 830 Massachusetts Ave. downtown.

Casted plans to invest $425,000 and hire 62 more workers, which led the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to offer it up to $1.2 million in tax credits. The additional hires will bring Casted’s workforce to 82 by the end of 2025.

The deal comes after a huge year for the startup, despite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Indianapolis-based company, which was founded in early 2019, grew its staff from seven to 20 full-time employees in 2020.

And with some high-powered partnerships in place, Casted expects that momentum to carry into this year.

“Casted had an explosive year of growth in 2020,” the company’s co-founder and CEO, Lindsay Tjepkema, told IBJ. “We quadrupled revenue, tripled our customer base and doubled our team. Podcasting is growing in popularity as an effective content marketing channel as brands aim to establish and maintain meaningful connections with their audiences—especially now.

“This demand for rich content has only accelerated our growth,” she added. “And as we’ve added to the team, I have been very grateful for the incredible talent here in Indy. As part of the community, Casted is looking forward to tapping into that talent as we continue to innovate.”

Tjepkema said Casted will be adding employees in the coming months and years “across all areas of the business.”

Casted’s customers include tech firms Salesforce, Drift, Terminus, Sumo Logic, ZoomInfo, Lev, Lumavate and OpenView.

“Casted jumped in and made a huge impact at Salesforce in a very short time,” said Michael Rivo, director of Salesforce’s podcast group. “They consolidated our 25-plus shows around the world—and growing—into one place. And then worked with our digital team to roll out custom pages on our website’s resource center. Now our global team can deliver audio content in ways they never could before.”

Several key integrations have fueled Casted’s growth.

In 2020, the company announced integrations with industry leaders Drift, HubSpot, WordPress, Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot to supercharge the modern content marketing strategy.

Casted paired these integrations with new offerings, including audiograms, hosting, premium transcription, and measurement and metrics to enhance podcast delivery, company officials said.

Tjepkema said the Casted staff learned a lot about itself while operating during the ongoing pandemic.

“Founders are innately wired for uncertainty,” she said. “We’re accustomed to pushing through the unknowns until we find success. But when surprises like all those we’ve faced throughout 2020 enter the mix, a young startup’s ability to thrive through adversity takes on a whole new meaning.