Soundpays Inc.

What Soundpays Inc. does

Soundpays Inc. (legal entity Soundpays Corp, Ontario, Canada) has developed TAP (Thought-to-Action Protocol), a patented inaudible-sound technology that embeds undetectable cues inside broadcast radio, television, and live-venue audio. When a consumer's mobile phone microphone detects the cue, it instantly triggers a second-screen action (purchase, vote, donation, subscription, or content unlock) without the user scanning a code, pairing a device, or otherwise initiating the interaction. Patents covering this inaudible response / 'Audio QR' method have been granted in the United States, Canada, China, and Japan. The company complements TAP with a consumer mobile application called @The Lightshow, which synchronizes smartphone flash displays across crowds at live events.

The company's primary customers are professional sports leagues, teams, and entertainment properties (NFL/MBL/NBA, WWE, motor racing circuits) as well as broadcasters, streaming platforms, sponsors, and retailers looking to convert passive second-screen attention into commerce. Documented deployments are limited in number: the most prominent live activation to date was an in-venue fan-engagement deployment with the Houston Texans during the November 10, 2024 game versus the Detroit Lions. Channel strategy includes enterprise field sales to leagues and broadcasters, SDK distribution to integration partners, and event-driven in-venue proof-of-concept activations.

Soundpays monetizes through a three-layer model: tiered platform licenses priced by audience scale, per-activation fees charged to sponsors and shoppable media providers, and revenue share on downstream commerce, affiliate, and betting transactions. The company is privately held, was founded in 2015, and is operationally tiny (fewer than 10 employees, fewer than 50 total under its AODA attestation). Cumulative disclosed funding is approximately $2.77M across rounds between 2015 and 2019, with an undisclosed round completed in November 2024. Leadership includes President Peter Awad (reported prior exits exceeding $500M), CTO Doug Sutherland (co-author of two patents), and a Chief Legal Officer, with an advisory bench drawn from Omnicom, NBC Universal, MLB Advanced Media, Tubi/Snap, and ALSD.

Name

Soundpays Inc.

Legal name

Soundpays Corp

Website

https://soundpays.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Soundpays (Toronto, private) sells TAP, a patented inaudible-sound technology that triggers mobile engagement from broadcast and live-event audio, serving professional sports teams, leagues, broadcasters, and entertainment venues via platform licensing, per-activation fees, and commerce revenue share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audio Signal Mobile Engagement Technology

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAMAJAC

Music & Audio Streaming Platforms

Business & Public Services/Web, Mobile & Digital Platforms/Media Streaming, Publishing & Content Platforms

SECONDARYMPACAEAA

Drop-in Live Audio Social Platforms (Open Rooms/Stages)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Digital Media & Content Platforms (Online Video, Podcasts, Creators)/Audio Social & Live Audio Platforms

Keywords

• Inaudible sound technology
• Broadcast engagement platform
• Mobile commerce technology
• Shoppable media solutions
• Second-screen activation

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Platform License (Tiered by Audience Scale): Tiered licensing model based on audience scale. Platform license fees charged to teams, leagues, networks, and sponsors for access to TAP technology.
2. Per-Activation Fees: Fees charged to sponsors and shoppable media providers for each activation. Revenue generated each time the technology triggers a consumer action.
3. Revenue Share on Commerce and Partners: Shared revenue from commerce transactions, affiliate partnerships, and betting partners facilitated through the platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Soundpays sells the TAP (Thought-to-Action Protocol) platform, a patented technology that embeds inaudible sound cues in broadcast, radio, and in-venue audio streams to trigger instant second-screen engagement on mobile devices without user scanning or manual initiation. The company licenses this technology to professional sports leagues, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sponsors, and also offers @The Lightshow, a mobile app that synchronizes smartphone light displays in crowds at live events.

Product overview

Soundpays offers a platform-plus-product portfolio anchored by TAP (Thought-to-Action Protocol), its patented inaudible response technology that bridges live events, broadcast, and commerce by embedding inaudible sound cues in audio streams. The core platform enables real-time second-screen engagement (purchases, voting, donations, subscriptions) across broadcast, streaming, and in-venue environments. Complementing the platform is @The Lightshow, a dedicated mobile app that creates synchronized crowd light displays at live events. Together, the technology works over terrestrial and satellite radio, linear and streaming television, and in-venue stadium systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• @The Lightshow: A cutting-edge mobile app that transforms fan experiences at sports events, concerts, and entertainment venues. The app creates dynamic light displays, turning crowds into synchronized, immersive, interactive spectacles using proprietary technology.

Products and services

• TAP (Thought-to-Action Protocol) TAP is Soundpays' patented inaudible response technology that embeds inaudible sound cues in broadcast, radio, and in-venue audio streams. When detected by a smartphone microphone, the cue triggers instant second-screen activities such as purchases, voting, donations, subscriptions, or access without user scanning, pairing, or manual initiation. It is licensed to professional sports leagues, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and sponsors.
• @The Lightshow Mobile App @The Lightshow is a mobile application that transforms smartphones in an audience into synchronized dynamic light displays at live sports events, concerts, and entertainment venues. It uses proprietary technology to coordinate crowd devices into immersive, interactive visual spectacles and is offered to event organizers and entertainment operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% of consumers would like to use their TV to shop; 65% would purchase directly from an ad if convenient; 83% already use second devices while watching TV; 69% of sports viewers research products seen in ads

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

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

• Houston TexansflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-venue partnership with the Houston Texans NFL team. Soundpays deployed its inaudible sound technology through existing stadium speakers to enable real-time fan engagement including immersive light shows, exclusive offers, merchandise purchases, and interactive moments during live games. Successfully activated during the Texans vs Detroit Lions game on November 10, 2024, delivering what was described as one of the team's most dynamic and interactive fan experiences.
• WWEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement in place with WWE for expansion of in-venue and broadcast engagement use cases. Partnership leverages WWE's large live and broadcast audiences for technology deployment.
• Speedway MotorsportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement in place with Speedway Motorsports for in-venue fan engagement at motor racing circuits. Expands use cases to large outdoor motorsport venues.
• Steve KatelmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member bringing nearly three decades of experience at Omnicom, most recently as EVP of Global Strategic Partnerships for Omnicom Media Group. Focused on digital strategies and investments, launched OMG's trading desk Accuen and Annalect data practice.
• Glenn ReitmeiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member, widely recognized technology visionary and pioneer in television industry. Career includes NBC Universal as SVP of Technology Standards and Policy, creator/architect of digital television at RCA/Sarnoff Laboratories, and recipient of NAB's Television Engineering Award for lifetime achievement.
• Jeff LucasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member, Chief Revenue Officer at Tubi, former leadership at Snap, Yahoo, Viacom, NBCU and Firework. Most recently CRO at Firework, the world's largest video commerce platform with over 1,000 clients across 37 countries.
• Joe ChotiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member, CTO and Senior VP at Major League Baseball Advanced Media, also President and CEO at Tickets.com. Over 20 years of sporting industry experience providing strategic direction and executive leadership.
• Jeff MoranderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member, CEO of Association of Luxury Suite Directors (ALSD) since 2022. Over 35 years of senior management experience in sports industry with Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bears, Houston Rockets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Epoxy: Epoxy (now part of Zype) builds interactive video and shoppable media experiences for publishers and broadcasters. Comparable to Soundpays' broadcast engagement layer enabling clicks-to-commerce within video experiences.
• Grabyo: Grabyo provides live sports clipping, publishing, and interactive second-screen experiences for broadcasters and sports leagues. Directly comparable to Soundpays' in-broadcast and second-screen engagement use cases for sports media.
• Lisnr: Lisnr uses ultrasonic audio tones to transmit data between devices for proximity, identity, and engagement use cases. Directly comparable to Soundpays' TAP inaudible-signal approach and target applications in retail and venue engagement.
• Firework: Firework is a video commerce and shoppable media platform for broadcasters and publishers, enabling second-screen engagement and commerce. Directly comparable to Soundpays' shoppable broadcast use case (Jeff Lucas, Soundpays advisor, was Firework's CRO).
• LiveLike: LiveLike provides interactive fan engagement experiences for sports leagues and broadcasters, including polls, predictions, and gamification during live events. Directly comparable to Soundpays' in-venue and second-screen engagement offerings for sports.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify: Shopify's Shop Pay and Shop app enable shoppable media, checkout, and retail-to-screen commerce. Compares to Soundpays' commerce activation and revenue-share monetization on transactions triggered from media moments.
• The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is a leading demand-side platform for programmatic advertising across CTV and digital channels. Operates broadly in the shoppable and programmatic TV advertising space where Soundpays is building activation technology.
• Snap: Snap's second-screen advertising, AR shopping, and broadcast partnerships (e.g., with sports leagues) overlap with Soundpays' second-screen engagement vision. Broad incumbent with vastly greater scale, distribution, and ad-tech infrastructure.
• Wurl: Wurl is a CTV content distribution and monetization platform connecting publishers, advertisers, and streaming partners. Adjacent to Soundpays' broadcast monetization layer with overlapping enterprise buyer relationships.
• Innovid: Innovid is a leading connected TV ad serving and measurement platform used by major advertisers and publishers. Operates broadly in the CTV advertising space where Soundpays targets shoppable TV activations, but with a much wider portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soundpays
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Soundpays
• Facebookfacebook.com/soundpays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soundpays
• Instagraminstagram.com/soundpaysengage

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors3 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Soundpays Inc.