How Opticyte Revived Their Crowdfunding Campaign
the story.
Opticyte came to me with a live Reg CF raise on StartEngine, but the campaign needed momentum. Before 2025 kicked off, they had raised ~$149K, with just 286 followers and 83 investors. To hit their goals, we had to re-energize the campaign, scale awareness, and convert more visitors into investors.
I built a performance marketing system around three pillars: paid acquisition, audience growth, and investor engagement. I rebuilt investor communication with 78 updates, two webinars, and a live event that put Opticyte’s story front and center. At the same time, I scaled paid acquisition through Google Search and Performance Max campaigns, ensuring every dollar worked harder by targeting the right audience segments and retargeting warm traffic.
On social, we shifted the brand presence into overdrive, growing LinkedIn followers by 200% and building credibility with potential investors. By the time the campaign hit the final stretch, traffic was surging, engagement was consistent, and conversion rates were climbing.
“Wes ramped up quickly on our technology, its clinical impact, and our overall business. He brought sharp, actionable guidance to our StartEngine campaign and helped us significantly boost awareness. Wes’ marketing expertise, integrity, and positive, grounded attitude made him an invaluable asset to our team.”
Lori Arakaki, Inventor, Founder, CEO @ Opticyte Inc.
summary.
Opticyte’s Reg CF campaign went from stalled to scaling, with capital raised, followers grown, and conversion rates lifted.
💰 $287,725.16 raised via Reg CF + $100K+ convertible note (93% increase)
📊 4.55x ROAS on $30.5K Google ad spend
📈 547.5% increase in monthly site traffic during ad periods
👥 +493 new campaign followers (+192.9%)
📬 78 investor updates, 2 webinars, 1 live event executed
🔄 200% increase in LinkedIn followers
🚀 121 investors added in 2025 (145.8% increase)