Captivate Network

What Captivate Network does

Captivate Network, founded in 1997 and headquartered in the Empire State Building in New York City, operates one of North America's largest premium digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising networks, running approximately 24,000 video screens across 10,000 venues — including Class A office towers, luxury residential buildings, and student housing communities — spanning 180 DMAs in the United States and Canada. The company generates revenue from two primary streams: an Advertising Solutions segment that sells B2B (ABM-targeted to 100,000 businesses and 125 Fortune 1000 HQs) and B2C (8.5M households) ad inventory through direct enterprise sales, programmatic pDOOH activation (PMP, Open Exchange, Programmatic Guaranteed) across major DSPs, and a self-serve SMB portal called Captivate Create; and a Property Solutions segment that sells digital signage hardware, the ScreenCenter tenant communication portal, and a Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) subscription to commercial real estate owners including Vornado, SL Green, Empire State Realty Trust, Tishman Speyer, Brookfield, Hines, and BXP.

The underlying technology stack includes a proprietary content management and delivery platform, the thin-bezel Captivate | CANVAS display system, and integrations with elevator OEMs (KONE, Otis) and PropTech software (VTS Rise). Captivate differentiates through third-party-verified audience measurement (The People Platform, COMMB), a proprietary 6,000-professional Office Pulse research panel for brand lift studies, and a 200+ content provider editorial library. The company is privately held (Captivate LLC, Massachusetts), led by CEO Marc Kidd with CRO Leigh Lowery, CFO Devin White, COO Del McPhetridge, and CGO Alice Gogh, and operates offices in New York, Lowell (Boston), and Los Angeles. Marquee advertisers include AWS, Netflix, Anthropic, Walmart, Salesforce, Coca-Cola, BlackRock, UBS, HSBC, Pfizer, Heineken, Starbucks, and JetBlue.

Name

Captivate Network

Legal name

Captivate LLC

Website

http://www.captivate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Captivate Network operates a North American premium digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising network of 24,000 screens across 10,000 Class A office, luxury residential, and student housing venues, serving B2B/B2C advertisers through direct, programmatic, and self-serve channels, while also selling digital signage and tenant communication solutions to commercial real estate owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Out-of-Home Advertising

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Format / Spectacular OOH (Building Wraps, Digital Spectaculars) (MPAAAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Signage & Commercial Displays (HDACADAL), Street Furniture Advertising (Bus Shelters, Kiosks, Benches, Phone Booths) (BPAFALAD)

Keywords

• Digital out-of-home advertising
• Elevator advertising network
• Property digital signage
• Programmatic DOOH media
• Office building video screens

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DOOH Advertising: Digital out-of-home advertising revenue from brands and agencies buying placements across the network of 24K screens in premium office towers, luxury residential, and student housing. Revenue generated through direct sales and programmatic transactions including PMP, OE, and Programmatic Guaranteed formats.
2. Digital Signage Services for Properties: Property solutions revenue from commercial real estate owners, multifamily housing operators, and student housing providers who pay for digital signage content, building messaging portals, and hardware. Includes Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) model for existing screens.
3. Screen Monetization: Revenue opportunity unlocked for screen owners through brand-safe advertising placements. Media planning, compliance, and performance managed by Captivate on property networks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Captivate sells advertising on a network of more than 24,000 digital video screens placed in elevators and lobbies of Class A office buildings, luxury multifamily residential properties, and student housing across the U.S. and Canada, reaching an estimated 100,000 businesses and 8.5 million households. The company also supplies digital signage hardware, software, and managed services to building owners via ScreenCenter and its Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering, monetizing both the advertiser and property sides of each screen.

Product overview

Captivate Network is a unified DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) advertising and real estate digital signage platform operating 24K video-first screens across premier office towers and luxury residential properties in North America. The Advertising Solutions segment enables B2B and B2C brands to reach influential audiences through account-based targeting and programmatic activation (pDOOH), featuring ad formats including Premium Full Screen Ads, Branded Content Sponsorship, and Full Screen Content Sponsorship. The Property Solutions segment provides buildings with digital communication tools including the ScreenCenter tenant communication portal, Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) for monetizing existing screens, and Captivate | CANVAS multi-screen installations. Additional offerings include Audience Measurement & Attribution through third-party partners, Office Pulse proprietary research panel of 6,000 professionals, and dedicated Canada and creative services. The platform serves 10K+ venues across 180 DMAs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ScreenCenter™: Cloud-based tenant communication portal for publishing real-time custom property messages and building updates.
• Captivate | CANVAS
• Captivate | CLASSIC
• Captivate | CONNECT
• Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS)

Products and services

• B2B Advertising & ABM Targeting
• B2C Advertising
• Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH)
• Captivate Create
• Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) for Commercial Buildings
• Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) for Multifamily Residential
• Captivate-as-a-Service (CaaS) for Student Housing
• ScreenCenter Tenant Communication Platform
• Captivate | CANVAS Displays
• Captivate | CLASSIC Displays
• Free-Standing Digital Kiosks
• Office Pulse Audience Research

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% Ad Recall from campaign effectiveness studies
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration26 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Vistar MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic DOOH partner enabling programmatic activation across Captivate's network. Vistar's platform provides access to premium DOOH inventory for advertisers buying programmatically.
• Place ExchangecoreTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic DOOH exchange partner providing programmatic activation capabilities for Captivate's screen network.
• HivestackcoreTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic DOOH platform partner enabling programmatic buying across Captivate's network of premium screens.
• BroadsigncoreTechnology or IntegrationDOOH programmatic platform partner for activating premium inventory across Captivate's network.
• The Trade DeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor DSP partner enabling programmatic DOOH buying through The Trade Desk's advertising platform.
• Google DV360coreTechnology or IntegrationDemand-side platform partner enabling programmatic buying through Google Display & Video 360.
• Yahoo DSPcoreTechnology or IntegrationDSP partner for programmatic DOOH activation through Yahoo's demand-side platform.
• VIOOHcoreTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic DOOH platform partner for programmatic activation across Captivate's network.
• The People Platform (TPP)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party audience measurement provider for US market. Combines location intelligence, behavioral insights, and consumer data to deliver accurate, screen-level impression reporting across Captivate's network.
• COMMBcoreTechnology or IntegrationCanadian Out-of-Home Marketing & Measurement Bureau providing third-party audience measurement for Captivate's Canadian network.
• AlidacoreTechnology or IntegrationResearch platform managing Office Pulse panel of 6,000+ professionals for brand lift studies. Provides Pre/Post and Test/Control methodology for campaign effectiveness measurement.
• AdelaidecoreTechnology or IntegrationAttention metrics partner providing AU (Attention Unit) scores that quantify how effectively Captivate placements capture real viewer attention.
• GroundTruthcoreTechnology or IntegrationLocation-based attribution partner for measuring foot traffic, POI visitation, and proximity-based campaign effectiveness.
• MIQcoreTechnology or IntegrationMeasurement and insights partner for campaign attribution and effectiveness measurement.
• PlacedcoreTechnology or Integrationattribution partner for measuring location-based campaign outcomes and visitation lift.
• MFourcoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile research partner for first-party mobile research measuring OFFICE and RESIDENTIAL network impact.
• KONEcoreTechnology or IntegrationElevator OEM partner for KONE InfoScreen integration. Captivate content seamlessly integrates into KONE hardware to elevate tenant journey in elevators.
• OtiscoreTechnology or IntegrationElevator OEM partner for Captivate CONNECT integration, bringing full Captivate content experience to existing OEM elevator displays.
• CE ElectronicscoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner powering CE's premium position indicators and screens with Captivate's curated content.
• MAD ElevatorcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner transforming MAD Matisse digital position indicators into engaging media experiences.
• LuxerOnecoreTechnology or IntegrationSmart locker solutions partner bridging package pickup and property news with Captivate-powered locker screens.
• SamsungcoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner for HD Digital Displays. Modernizes any HDMI-compatible display with Captivate's plug-and-play media player.
• VTScoreTechnology or IntegrationPropTech software partner. Streamlines tenant communications by connecting VTS or Rise Buildings messaging with Captivate's ScreenCenter capabilities.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Outfront Media: Public US outdoor and digital out-of-home advertising operator with a large national footprint across transit, billboards, and place-based venues. Directly comparable to Captivate as a DOOH media seller competing for the same brand budgets across multiple venue types.
• Lamar Advertising: One of the largest US outdoor advertising companies operating billboards, transit, and DOOH inventory nationwide. Comparable to Captivate as a scaled DOOH media owner selling impressions to national advertisers and agencies.
• Clear Channel Outdoor: Global outdoor and digital out-of-home advertising company with airports, billboards, transit, and street furniture inventory. Closely comparable to Captivate's DOOH media model, with similar programmatic DOOH ambitions and advertiser overlap.
• Firefly: Digital out-of-home advertising network placing smart screens on rideshare vehicles to reach urban audiences. Comparable to Captivate as a place-based DOOH media owner targeting high-value audiences in motion, though operating in a different venue environment.

Broad incumbents

• JCDecaux: World's largest outdoor advertising company, dominant in street furniture and transit DOOH globally. Comparable as a DOOH incumbent with broader international portfolio; competes with Captivate for global brand budgets but at much larger scale and different venue mix.

Regional players

• Ströer: Leading German outdoor and digital out-of-home advertising company with strong European footprint and growing programmatic DOOH offering. Comparable as a vertically integrated DOOH media operator and technology provider, but primarily serves European markets.

Others

• Vistar Media: Programmatic DOOH supply-side platform and ad server integrated with Captivate's network. Adjacent/partner rather than direct competitor; provides the technology layer that enables Captivate's PMP, OE, and Programmatic Guaranteed transactions.
• Hivestack: Programmatic DOOH demand- and supply-side platform partner of Captivate. Comparable as a DOOH technology ecosystem player; not a direct media competitor but a critical integration that connects Captivate inventory to omnichannel DSP buyers.
• Broadsign: DOOH content management system and programmatic ad platform used by Captivate and many of its venue partners. Comparable as a DOOH infrastructure provider rather than media owner; powers operations across the broader place-based OOH ecosystem.

Emerging players

• National CineMedia: US in-cinema advertising network selling impressions to brands in a captive-audience environment. Comparable to Captivate in the place-based, captive-audience advertising model, though focused on movie theaters rather than commercial real estate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/captivate
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaptivateNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/21000

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Captivate Network