What TargetSmart Communications does

TargetSmart Communications is a private political data, research, and media-buying company founded in 2006 and headquartered in the Washington, DC area, operating as a remote-first organization with 51-100 employees. It builds and maintains the VoterBase voter file — 265 million plus records updated more than 400 times annually — alongside adjacent datasets (CellBase, IntelliBase, ContributorBase, FECBase, ElectionBase) that collectively cover cell phones, consumer demographics, $13 billion-plus in political contributions, federal campaign finance filings, and a billion-plus census-block-level election results. On top of this data layer, TargetSmart offers self-service tools (ListBuilder, SmartMatch), a set of voter-data APIs, an organizing tools suite, a political-specific Demand-Side Platform called the Media Buying Platform (MBP), and a Data Store marketplace for third-party data enrichment.

The company monetizes through three interconnected pillars: (1) subscription and licensing of data products and software, (2) programmatic advertising fees flowing through the MBP for CTV, streaming audio, display, video, and native placements, and (3) professional services including polling, qualitative research, and strategic consulting. Distribution is hybrid — direct sales for enterprise managed engagements, self-service digital access for mid-market campaigns — and is reinforced by integrations with NGP VAN/VoteBuilder, OpenField, Meta, and Google BigQuery, plus academic-data hosting. Customers are concentrated in Democratic campaigns, progressive non-profits, and state Democratic parties, with Fair Fight Action, Stacey Abrams, and the NJ/NC/OH Democratic Parties among named anchors; TargetSmart has won five Pollie Awards and three Reed Awards for political strategy and consulting work.

Name

TargetSmart Communications

Legal name

TargetSmart Communications, LLC

Website

https://targetsmart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

TargetSmart Communications is a private political data, research, and media-buying firm that maintains a 265M+ record U.S. voter file, programmatic ad-buying DSP, polling, and consulting services for Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and state parties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Data and Campaign Technology

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Programmatic Display & Retargeting (DSP) (MPAAACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Programmatic Media Buying & Trading Desks (DV360/TTD, RTB) (MPAAABAB), Political & Advocacy Advertising (MPADAEAK), Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio) (BPAFABAB)

Keywords

• Political data platforms
• Voter targeting software
• Campaign analytics
• Programmatic advertising
• Polling research

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Data Products and Software Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to voter files (VoterBase, IntelliBase), data tools (ListBuilder, SmartMatch), organizing tools, and the Media Buying Platform. Revenue generated through licensing data products and software access to campaigns and organizations.
2. Media Buying Platform (Programmatic Advertising): The MBP enables campaigns to purchase digital advertising (CTV, streaming audio, display, video, native) with AI-optimized CPMs. Revenue generated through ad spend management and platform fees.
3. Polling and Research Services: Custom polling services including benchmark polling, tracking polls, ballot initiative polling, issue polling, modeling data collection, and qualitative research. Professional services delivered by veteran pollsters and researchers.
4. Strategic Consulting and Analytics: Consulting services including landscape assessments, path to victory analysis, redistricting analysis, post-election evaluation, and ongoing strategic consulting retainers.
5. Poll Samples: Ready-to-use polling samples tailored to client specifications, with standard 100,000-record samples that can be expanded. Revenue from sample licensing.
6. Academic Data: Data access for academic researchers, including full voter files, historical snapshots, and custom datasets. Optional Google BigQuery hosting for analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TargetSmart Communications is a political data, research, and media buying provider for Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. It sells access to a 265M+ record voter database (VoterBase), self-service audience building and data enhancement tools (ListBuilder, SmartMatch), a political-specific programmatic advertising Demand-Side Platform (Media Buying Platform), polling and research services, and strategic consulting.

Product overview

TargetSmart Communications is a political data, research, and media buying company serving Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations since 2006. The portfolio consists of three interconnected pillars: (1) Data Products including the ListBuilder audience building tool, SmartMatch data enhancement, Poll Samples, and the comprehensive VoterBase database (265M+ records) along with specialized databases (IntelliBase for consumer data, CellBase for cell phones, ContributorBase for political contributions, FECBase for campaign finance, ElectionBase for election results); (2) Media Buying Platform (MBP), a programmatic DSP for political advertising across CTV, streaming audio, display, video, and native channels, with sub-capabilities for Streaming TV/Podcasts and Social Media; and (3) Polling & Analytics services including quantitative/qualitative research and strategic consulting. These products are designed to work together, with voter data powering audience targeting, media activation, and research services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VoterBase
• IntelliBase
• CellBase
• ContributorBase
• FECBase
• ElectionBase
• ListBuilder
• SmartMatch
• TargetSmart APIs
• Poll Samples
• Academic Data
• Organizing Tools
• Data Store
• Media Buying Platform (MBP)
• Polling & Research
• Analytics & Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• 41x fundraising ROI - campaign raised $6,100 from 1,418 voters with 3.7% donation rate using ListBuilder
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability10 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NGP VAN (VoteBuilder)coreTechnology or IntegrationTargetSmart partners with NGP VAN (VAN/VoteBuilder), the dominant campaign CRM in Democratic politics, to provide integrated voter file access, data activation, and organizing tools. The partnership enables campaigns to access TargetSmart data directly within VoteBuilder for voter targeting, list building, and field organizing.
• OpenFieldcoreTechnology or IntegrationTargetSmart partners with OpenField, a voter activation and organization platform, to connect TargetSmart's industry-leading data to direct voter engagement tools for managing voter contact, volunteer activity, and field operations at scale.
• Meta (Facebook, Instagram)coreTechnology or IntegrationTargetSmart integrates with Meta platforms to enable campaigns to build highly specific audiences using TargetSmart voter data and activate campaigns via Facebook and Instagram. Audiences can be pushed via VoteBuilder integration for same-day activation.
• Integral ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTargetSmart acquired Integral Resources, a company with a long history in political data and dealmaking intelligence. The acquisition expands TargetSmart's capabilities in political data and consulting.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catalist: Progressive-aligned voter file and data analytics provider serving Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. Closest direct competitor to TargetSmart's VoterBase, with overlapping modeling, targeting, and API offerings on the same side of the political aisle.
• NGP VAN: Dominant Democratic campaign CRM and tech platform (VoteBuilder, VAN, ActionKit). Both a strategic integration partner and a competitor in voter data and organizing tools; NGP VAN's breadth across fundraising, compliance, and field makes it the closest full-stack peer.
• i360: Conservative political data, analytics, and audience-targeting platform serving Republican campaigns and aligned organizations. Direct counterpart on the other side of the political data industry, with comparable voter file, appending, and targeting services.
• L2 (formerly Aristotle): Political and consumer data vendor offering voter files, contact data, and targeting tools to campaigns, PACs, and advocacy groups. Comparable to TargetSmart's data products (VoterBase, CellBase, ContributorBase) but more bipartisan in customer base.
• DSPolitical: Political-focused programmatic advertising platform offering CTV, audio, display, and video buying for campaigns. Directly comparable to TargetSmart's Media Buying Platform and a competitor for the same political ad budgets.

Emerging players

• Civis Analytics: Data science consultancy and progressive-aligned analytics platform used by Democratic campaigns and major progressive organizations. Overlaps with TargetSmart's modeling, targeting, and consulting capabilities, though Civis is more software/analytics-led.
• Resonate: Audience data and analytics platform with consumer and political verticals. Comparable to TargetSmart's IntelliBase and predictive modeling capabilities, particularly around psychographic and intent-based segmentation.
• Bully Pulpit Interactive: Progressive digital strategy, creative, and media buying agency. Comparable to TargetSmart's strategic consulting and media buying services for Democratic and progressive clients, though more creative/agency-led and less data-infrastructure-focused.

Broad incumbents

• The Trade Desk: Largest independent global DSP, used by some political advertisers for omnichannel programmatic buying. Not political-specific, but its scale, inventory access, and feature velocity set the competitive bar for any DSP — including TargetSmart's MBP.
• LiveRamp: Leading identity resolution and data collaboration platform used to onboard and activate audiences across CTV, social, and the open web. Comparable in the data-onboarding and audience-activation layer that underpins TargetSmart's voter matching and programmatic activation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_targetsmart
• Facebookfacebook.com/targetsmartcommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/targetsmart-communications-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 TargetSmart Communications