Firefly

What Firefly does

Firefly Systems Inc. is a privately held, US-based mobility advertising company that operates the largest US digital taxi-top and rideshare-top network, with more than 60,000 screens across 14+ core US markets and operations in 7 countries (US, Canada, UK, Spain, UAE, Mexico, Turkey). Its flagship hardware is a proprietary, GPS-enabled LED rooftop screen — named one of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2019 — that supports HTML5 rich media, 180-degree viewing angles, and contextual creative triggers (weather, time, location, sports scores, lotto). The company's product surface has expanded well beyond Digital Tops to include Static Tops, Car Wraps, Glow Wraps, 3D Anamorphic Creatives, the 3D Hologram Truck, TaxiTV, Golf Screens, and a fixed spectacular called The Vegas Miracle (8 faces, 20,000+ sq ft at Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip).

Under the hood, Firefly runs a SAAS ad-serving, measurement, and audience-planning platform that processes GPS movement data combined with ~1,000 behavioral attributes and third-party demographic/socio-economic data to support Audience-Based Mobility Planning, mobility-based retargeting, and real-time campaign optimization. Programmatic access is delivered through integrations with VIOOH, Place Exchange, Vistar, Broadsign, and Stackadapt, supporting Programmatic Guaranteed, PMP, and Open Exchange transactions across 30,000+ screens.

The business model is primarily advertising-based: Firefly sells insertion-order (IO) campaigns to enterprise and mid-market brand advertisers and agencies, with calendar-month invoicing on net delivered impressions, flat-fee, or prorated terms and non-cancellable contracts. A second stream is international HAAS + SAAS licensing (e.g., Hangry Media in Spain, Viola Outdoor in UAE), under which local partners pay to operate Firefly's hardware/software on taxi and rideshare fleets in their markets. Key customers cited include Coca-Cola, Verizon, Sony, Discover Card, YSL, Puma, Allbirds, ALB Vodka, and Showtime, with named verticals spanning fashion & luxury, beauty, entertainment, travel & hospitality, retail/CPG, financial services, sports, and food & beverage. The company is venture-backed (Google Ventures, NFX; $30M Series B in 2019) and is led by founder-turned-Chairman Kaan Gunay.

Name

Firefly

Legal name

Firefly Systems Inc.

Website

https://fireflyon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Firefly is a mobility-based digital out-of-home advertising platform operating 60,000+ GPS-enabled car-top screens, wraps, and experiential formats across 7 countries, selling dynamic, geo-targeted, and measurable mobile ad campaigns to brand advertisers and agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Out-of-Home advertising sales: Primary revenue stream: Firefly sells advertising placements on its Digital Tops, Static Tops, Car Wraps, Glow Wraps, TaxiTV, in-car Golf Screens, The Vegas Miracle spectacular, LED Trucks, 3D Holograms, and experiential activations via Insertion Orders (IOs). Invoicing is calendar-month based on actual delivery or flat-fee; contracts are non-cancellable; includes Programmatic Guaranteed and PMP deals via Place Exchange and VIOOH.
2. Hardware-as-a-Service (HAAS) and Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) licensing: International channel partners (Hangry Media in Spain; Viola Outdoor in UAE) license Firefly's rooftop digital LED screen hardware (HAAS) and the SAAS ad-serving / content platform, paying for the right to operate Firefly tech on local taxi/rideshare fleets and resell DOOH inventory in their markets.
3. Programmatic DOOH transactions: Programmatic Guaranteed (PG), Private Marketplace (PMP), and Open Exchange transactions via Place Exchange, Vistar, Broadsign, Stackadapt, and VIOOH, including short-flight event-based campaigns. Over 30,000+ programmatically available screens.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Firefly operates a mobility-based digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising and data platform that monetizes taxi and rideshare vehicles as mobile media. The company sells advertising placements on proprietary GPS-enabled Digital Tops, Static Tops, Car Wraps, Glow Wraps, 3D Anamorphic Creatives, TaxiTV, Golf Screens, LED Digital Trucks, the 3D Hologram Truck, and landmark spectaculars like The Vegas Miracle, delivered through a SaaS ad-serving and measurement platform and made available via direct Insertion Orders plus programmatic channels (Place Exchange, VIOOH, Vistar, Broadsign, Stackadapt). Internationally, Firefly licenses its hardware (HAAS) and software platform (SAAS) to channel partners (Hangry Media in Spain, Viola Outdoor in UAE) and operates acquired subsidiaries (Ubiquitous in the UK, Curb Taxi Media) across a 60,000+ screen network spanning 7 countries.

Product overview

Firefly offers a unified moving out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform built on three core on-car product modules — Digital Tops (GPS-enabled LED screens), Static Tops, and Car Wraps (360°, 270°, 180°) — supplemented by advanced add-on formats including Glow Wraps (illuminated wraps), 3D Anamorphic Creatives on digital tops, and the mobile 3D Hologram Truck. The platform extends beyond on-car products to in-car products (TaxiTV and Golf Screens) and an around-car suite (Coordinated Swarms, Complimentary Rides, 3D Animated Hologram, Brand Ambassadors, Retargeting, and Vehicle Build Outs), as well as a separately positioned spectacular site called The Vegas Miracle (a landmark digital billboard at Miracle Mile Shops with 20,000+ square feet of exterior displays plus a 32-screen interior network). Operational layers include the Firefly Advertiser Dashboard for real-time campaign monitoring, programmatic buying through Place Exchange (PG/PMP/Open Exchange), VIOOH, Vistar, Broadsign, and Stackadapt, and an Audience-Based Mobility Planning capability. All products run on Firefly's network of more than 60,000 screens across major U.S. markets and 7 countries (U.S., Canada, UK, Spain, UAE, Mexico, and Turkey via Istanbul HQ), delivering geo-targeted, GPS-triggered dynamic messaging on taxis, rideshares, and partner fleets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Tops Industry-leading GPS-enabled digital LED screens mounted on taxi and rideshare vehicle roofs, delivering dynamic HTML5 creative with full-motion, weather/location/data triggers, 180° viewing angles, and 3D anamorphic creative capability. Forms the foundation of Firefly's moving OOH network across 14+ U.S. markets and 7 countries.
• Static Tops Iconic non-digital taxi-top displays available in standard, 2D, and 3D formats, providing 100% Share of Voice (SOV) and consistent reach and frequency across the most trafficked areas in top markets.
• Car Wraps Full (360°), partial (270°), and door (180° & 180+°) vehicle wraps available for vehicles with or without digital tops, turning taxis and rideshares into moving billboards for launches, entertainment, and fashion campaigns.
• Glow Wraps Industry-first illuminated vehicle wraps with integrated lighting technology that makes creative shine. Debuted at the DPAA Global Summit in October 2025; available nationwide as a standalone format that pairs with Firefly Digital Tops for 360-degree storytelling.
• 3D Anamorphic Creatives Creative capability for Firefly Digital Tops that delivers 3D and anamorphic visuals with dynamic depth, shadows, and movement, transforming vehicles into kinetic art installations rolling through streets.
• 3D Hologram Truck World's first mobile 3D hologram truck developed with HYPERVSN and FLO Advertising, delivering immersive 3D visuals that appear to float in mid-air. Available nationwide for live events, conventions, product launches, and brand activations.
• The Vegas Miracle Landmark digital spectacular at Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip, featuring three large-format digital displays spanning eight faces and more than 20,000 square feet, plus an interior network of 32 synchronized screens (9 LED + 23 LCD kiosks). Sold directly to advertisers as a destination layer complementing the Las Vegas mobility network.
• LED Digital Trucks High-impact LED digital screen trucks capable of running video or static images, providing mobile visibility along travel corridors and near stadium approaches.
• TaxiTV In-car digital screens delivering NBC local news and entertainment programming to taxi riders since 2007, with built-in advertising slots.
• Golf Screens HD touchscreen golf screens with built-in speakers and Bluetooth connectivity installed in golf carts, offering GPS yardage, real-time sports tickers, music streaming, and scorecards while displaying advertising. Extends Firefly's reach to premium nationwide golf course audiences.
• Firefly Advertiser Dashboard Self-serve campaign monitoring and analytics dashboard providing real-time heat maps across 14 major U.S. markets, total campaign heat maps for selected date ranges, and real-time campaign locations in NYC. The only digital top vendor providing this level of street-level granularity.
• Programmatic DOOH Buying Programmatic access to Firefly's digital top inventory through Place Exchange (PG, PMP, Open Exchange), VIOOH (SSPs/DSPs), Vistar, Broadsign, and Stackadapt, with 30,000+ programmatically available screens and contextual creative triggers (weather, time of day, proximity to points of interest).

Quantifiable outcome

• Multi-format (moving + stationary) OOH delivers 50–100% lift in campaign performance (Firefly x Reveal White Paper, Oct 2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Reveal (Reveal Mobile)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 6 May 2026Reveal is Firefly's independent measurement partner for "The Amplifying Effect" white papers. Part I (Oct 2025) found stationary + moving OOH lifts campaign performance 50–100%. Part II (May 2026) found moving OOH delivers up to 2.8x greater unique reach growth and 60–80% greater unique audience reach vs stationary OOH at equivalent impression levels. Reveal applied its 12-year measurement framework using fully deduplicated mobile location data (MAIDs).
• VIOOHflagshipTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2026Integration with VIOOH's premium global digital out-of-home supply-side platform announced April 23, 2026. Provides an additional programmatic pathway for advertisers to discover and activate Firefly's moving fleet and digital car top network via major DSPs. VIOOH trades programmatically in 37 markets with 50+ DSP partnerships.
• FDNY (Fire Department of the City of New York)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 March 2026FDNY partnered with Firefly to deliver fire-safety awareness and recruitment messages across New York City via digital taxi-top displays in all five boroughs, through Firefly's City Partners program. Peter Arnell (Creative Director, Peter Arnell Design) is the creative partner on the initiative.
• Miracle Mile ShopsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026Miracle Mile Shops hosts The Vegas Miracle, Firefly's landmark digital spectacular on the Las Vegas Strip. Three large-format digital displays spanning 8 faces and 20,000+ sq ft, positioned across from Bellagio Fountains and Aria, with a 32-screen interior digital network. The partnership extends Firefly's Las Vegas mobility network with a fixed "destination" layer.
• HYPERVSNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2025HYPERVSN co-developed Firefly's 3D Hologram Truck with Firefly and FLO Advertising. The truck was launched on the Las Vegas Strip before rolling nationwide, offering immersive 3D visuals appearing to float in mid-air.
• FLO AdvertisingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2025FLO Advertising co-developed Firefly's 3D Hologram Truck with Firefly and HYPERVSN, contributing to bringing 3D hologram technology to the truck advertising category.
• Hangry MediaflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 April 2024Hangry Media operates Firefly's Digital Top Screens in Madrid as Spain's first mobile DOOH platform. Hangry licenses Firefly's Hardware-as-a-Service (HAAS) and Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) advertising formats, enabling real-time campaign management and data-driven insights for the Spanish market. Founded by IE Business School MBA graduates.
• Viola OutdoorflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 June 2023Viola Outdoor licenses Firefly's HAAS and SAAS offerings to power DOOH advertising across Abu Dhabi's Tawasul taxi fleet (Viola Communications is the parent). Tawasul taxis transport ~23,000 passengers and cover 350,000 km per day across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Firefly's proprietary GPS-enabled digital screens enable geo-targeted and dynamic messaging.
• UbiquitousflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2022London-based Ubiquitous, a UK taxi advertising company, was acquired by Firefly in July 2022 to expand into international markets. The acquisition aimed to leverage data analytics and technology to enhance advertising effectiveness and accelerate digital transformation.
• Curb Taxi MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2021Firefly strengthened its out-of-home advertising network by acquiring Curb Taxi Media in June 2021, expanding its taxi advertising footprint and capabilities.
• Place ExchangeflagshipTechnology or IntegrationIntegration enables Firefly to offer Programmatic Guaranteed (PG), Private Marketplace (PMP), and Open Exchange campaign activation through Place Exchange, with 30,000+ programmatically available screens. PG allows short-flight event-based activations with guaranteed inventory at predetermined prices.
• Vistar MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationVistar is one of the leading programmatic SSPs through which Firefly's digital tops inventory is available, enabling advertisers to plan, buy, and optimize DOOH campaigns using familiar digital buying workflows.
• BroadsigncoreTechnology or IntegrationBroadsign is among the SSPs/DSPs integrated with Firefly for programmatic DOOH buying and DOOH measurement frameworks, supporting programmatic interoperability for mobility-based inventory.
• StackadaptcoreTechnology or IntegrationStackadapt is among the programmatic DSPs/SSPs integrated with Firefly, enabling digital media buyers to activate mobility DOOH alongside other OOH formats using familiar tools.
• Loop MecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLoop Me partnered with Firefly to measure brand awareness, purchase intent, message recall, and brand favorability for a major cosmetics brand's multi-market DOOH campaign in Chicago, NYC, LA, and Miami. The case study delivered 39.98M impressions with 43% brand lift, 85% purchase intent lift, 44% recall lift, and 46% favorability lift.
• Neustar (TransUnion)coreTechnology or IntegrationFirefly partnered with Neustar to pioneer mobility-based audience planning, leveraging demographic and socio-economic data to enable hyper-targeted mobility-based advertising capabilities.
• 3ROCK GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner3ROCK Global produced the 3D creative showcased on Firefly's digital tops at the OAAA Out of Home Media Conference in May 2025, supporting Firefly's first-ever 3D anamorphic creative capability launch.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Adomni: Adomni operates a programmatic DOOH marketplace aggregating digital billboard, place-based, and mobile screen inventory. It competes with Firefly on the programmatic supply side for the same brand-direct and agency budgets moving OOH spend into automated channels.
• Hivestack: Hivestack is a programmatic DOOH ad platform and SSP active across North America, EMEA, and APAC. It competes directly with Firefly/Vistar/Place Exchange for programmatic OOH budgets and operates as a parallel programmatic rails provider.
• Wrapify: Wrapify runs a rideshare-car-wrap advertising network with similar advertiser use cases (brand lift, foot traffic, geo-targeting) to Firefly's Car Wraps and Glow Wraps. It is a direct peer in the on-vehicle / gig-driver monetization category.
• Carvertise: Carvertise is a car-wrap advertising platform operating in rideshare fleets across U.S. markets. It shares Firefly's underlying supply (gig-driver vehicles) and competes for the same mid-market brand budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Vistar Media: Vistar Media is a leading DOOH SSP enabling programmatic buying across screens. While broader than Firefly, Vistar surfaces Firefly's inventory alongside competitor networks and represents the platform layer Firefly depends on for demand.
• Place Exchange: Place Exchange is a major DOOH supply-side platform that runs Firefly's Programmatic Guaranteed, PMP, and Open Exchange transactions. As both a partner and an aggregator of competing mobility and stationary DOOH supply, it is a structural counterparty.
• Lyft Media: Lyft Media monetizes Lyft rides via rooftop digital screens and in-car displays — directly adjacent to Firefly's taxi-top and TaxiTV inventory. Lyft is also a major rideshare fleet owner that competes with taxi fleets for ad placement dollars.
• Uber Advertising: Uber Advertising operates in-car Journey Ads and the Car Top product across the Uber rideshare fleet. As the world's largest rideshare operator, Uber is both a potential supply partner and the most threatening vertical integrator to Firefly's mobility-DOOH model.
• Outfront Media: OUTFRONT is one of the largest U.S. OOH media companies, operating transit, billboard, and digital OOH inventory. It competes with Firefly for agency OOH budgets and offers substitutable transit/urban reach through its own transit contracts.
• Lamar Advertising: Lamar Advertising is a major U.S. outdoor advertising operator with a sizable digital billboard portfolio. While primarily stationary OOH, Lamar increasingly competes for the same programmatic DOOH budgets Firefly targets via its own programmatic capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Firefly_Cities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fireflyon
• Instagraminstagram.com/firefly_cities

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors27 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Firefly