SmartSource
SmartSource (Rent-A-PC, Inc.) is a privately held US B2B provider of event technology, managed IT services, and short-term AV and computing equipment rentals. Founded circa 1983-1984, it serves enterprise clients in entertainment, legal, staffing, government, banking, and education with nationwide branch coverage.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersHauppauge, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SmartSource does
SmartSource, operating under the legal entity Rent-A-PC, Inc. (d.b.a. SmartSource Computer & Audio Visual Rentals), is a privately held US B2B technology solutions provider founded around 1983-1984 and headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. The company delivers three interconnected service lines: short- and long-term equipment rentals, managed IT services, and event technology production. Its customer base spans enterprise clients in entertainment, legal, staffing, banking and financial services, government, incident response, and education across the United States and Canada. SmartSource explicitly excludes individual consumers and operates with a sales-led, direct enterprise go-to-market supported by a 24/7 help desk.
The company's product portfolio centers on a multi-million dollar inventory of AV and event technology (LED tiles, LED posters, LED spheres, interactive kiosks, transparent OLED, projectors, audio, lighting, cameras), computing technology (iPads, tablets, MacBooks, PC laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming hardware), and managed IT services (remote monitoring, infrastructure management, backup and disaster recovery, 24/7 help desk, cybersecurity, and Microsoft 365 licensing). Event-facing software offerings include AV production, digital signage, registration and badge printing, lead retrieval, mobile event apps, and an AI Behavioral Analytics module for attendee engagement. The company also operates SmartCloud, a sub-brand delivering cloud-based IT management and hosting services.
Commercially, SmartSource runs a direct enterprise sales motion with quote-based, pay-as-you-go pricing. Revenue is generated across three streams: equipment rentals (hardware-sales economics with short- and long-term duration), recurring managed IT service contracts, and event technology professional services. Distribution is entirely direct via a nationwide branch office footprint in major US metropolitan areas. Marketing is concentrated on the company website, blog content, case studies, and a modest organic social presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Named enterprise customers include Warner Bros., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Reed Smith LLP, Update Legal, Beacon Hill Staffing Group, and LA Ops. Leadership is led by CEO Ali Vafa.
SmartSource firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartSource
- Legal name
- Rent-A-PC, Inc.
- Website
- https://thesmartsource.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- SmartSource (Rent-A-PC, Inc.) is a privately held US B2B provider of event technology, managed IT services, and short-term AV and computing equipment rentals. Founded circa 1983-1984, it serves enterprise clients in entertainment, legal, staffing, government, banking, and education with nationwide branch coverage.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartSource industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Technology and IT Equipment Rentals
- NAICS
- Office Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (53242), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Computer & Office Equipment (3570)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio-Visual Equipment Rentals (Sound, Projection, Screens) (HSACAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Workplace Technology & Smart Office Support (Room Booking Systems, IT/AV Liaison) (IMAIALAK), Hardware & Device Support (PC, Mobile, Peripherals) (BPAAACAB)
Keywords
Where SmartSource is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hauppauge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SmartSource business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Equipment Rentals: Short-term and long-term rental of technology equipment including laptops, tablets, monitors, AV equipment, LED displays, and event technology. Equipment rentals for trade shows, conferences, corporate events, and temporary IT needs.
- Managed IT Services: Ongoing managed IT services including remote monitoring, infrastructure management, backup and disaster recovery, help desk solutions, and cybersecurity. Services provided on contract basis with 24/7 support.
- Event Technology Services: AV production, event management technology, exhibit solutions, exhibitor services, registration and badge printing, mobile event apps, and meetings support for live, virtual, and hybrid events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom rental and service pricing based on project requirements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
SmartSource product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartSource rents AV and IT equipment and delivers managed IT and event technology services to businesses. Its inventory spans projectors, audio, lighting, cameras, LED tiles/screens/kiosks, laptops, tablets, desktops, monitors, and office equipment, while its service portfolio covers AV & event production, digital signage, lead retrieval, event registration, mobile event apps, AI behavioral analytics, laptop rentals with custom imaging, remote monitoring, infrastructure management, backup & disaster recovery, 24/7 help desk, and cybersecurity. The company sells exclusively B2B and supports customers nationwide from branch offices across the United States and Canada.
Product overview
SmartSource is a B2B technology solutions provider offering three interconnected service pillars: Event Technology Solutions (AV production, digital signage, exhibit solutions, event registration, lead retrieval, mobile apps, and AI behavioral analytics), IT Solutions (managed IT services, laptop rentals, remote monitoring, infrastructure management, backup/disaster recovery, help desk, cybersecurity, and Microsoft 365 licensing), and Equipment Rentals (AV equipment, computing devices, LED displays, interactive kiosks, and office equipment). The company operates with nationwide coverage through multiple warehouse locations, serving industries including staffing, entertainment, legal, education, government, incident response, and banking/financial services. With over 40 years of experience, SmartSource provides both rental and managed services for temporary and permanent technology deployments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartCloud: Cloud-based IT management and hosting services
Products and services
- Event Technology Solutions Comprehensive event technology services including AV production, digital signage, exhibit solutions, exhibitor services, event registration and badge printing, lead retrieval, mobile event apps, and AI behavioral analytics for live, virtual, and hybrid events; sold to event organizers, production companies, and enterprises.
- IT Solutions (Managed IT Services) Managed IT services for businesses including laptop rentals with custom imaging, remote monitoring and management, infrastructure management, backup and disaster recovery, 24/7 help desk, cybersecurity solutions, and Microsoft 365 licensing.
- Equipment Rentals Rental inventory of AV equipment (projectors, audio, lighting, cameras, video processing), computing technology (iPads, tablets, MacBooks, PC laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming hardware), LED displays (LED tiles, bematrix LEDskins, large LED/4K/touch screens, portrait LED and kiosks, interactive tables and transparent OLED), and office equipment (copiers, printers, scanners) for trade shows, conferences, corporate events, and temporary IT needs.
- SmartCloud Cloud-based IT management and hosting services offered under the SmartSource sub-brand.
- 55" LED UHD 4K Display Samsung QMR-A 55-inch 4K UHD Smart Digital Signage LED Display with built-in media player, DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 inputs, HDR10 support, and 500 cd/m2 brightness; available for rent.
- 80" LED Display Sharp PN-LE801 80-inch Full HD Commercial LED TV with 1920 x 1080 native resolution and included speakers; available for rent for displaying detailed high-definition content.
- Indoor LED Sphere 1.5 meter (5 feet) diameter LED sphere with seamless 360-degree viewing angle and 1.9mm pixel pitch, designed as an eye-catching display centerpiece for trade shows and events; available for rent.
- 1.8mm LED Posters Ultra-thin modular LED poster displays with 320x1080 resolution, 1920-3840Hz refresh rate, supporting multiple formats (RM, FLV, AVI, JPG, PNG) and controllable via phone, iPad, or PC; available for rent.
- 1.9MM LED Posters LED tile posters with 1.9mm pixel pitch, 288x972 resolution, supporting portrait and landscape orientation, with Novastar Taurus-series controller and VNNOX cloud management; available for rent.
- 55" Double-Sided Interactive Kiosk Interactive double-sided kiosk with two UHD 4K displays (2160x3840 resolution), 10-point touch capability, 9:16 aspect ratio, and built-in media player for branding and attendee engagement; available for rent.
- 80" Interactive Smart Board Sharp AQUOS BOARD 80-inch Full HD commercial smart touchscreen LED display with two interactive pens, recognizing up to 10 touchpoints for on-screen collaboration; available for rent.
- 30° Universal Tilt Kiosk Tilt kiosk stand supporting 32-55 inch displays with VESA compatibility (200x200 to 600x400mm), powder coat finish, up to 150 lbs load capacity, and 0-30 degree tilt positions; available for rent.
- 90° Universal Tilt Kiosk Versatile tilt kiosk stand supporting 32-55 inch displays in landscape or portrait orientation, with 0-90 degree tilt range and locking positions at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees; available for rent.
Quantifiable outcome
- 24-hour full turnaround for emergency command center deployments
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SmartSource
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
SmartSource technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
SmartSource partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SmartSource competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rentex Audio Visual & Computer Rentals: National AV and computer equipment rental company serving events, trade shows, and corporate customers — the closest direct competitor to SmartSource's AV and IT rental business with a comparable multi-city branch model.
- Rentacomputer.com: Direct competitor offering short- and long-term IT and AV equipment rentals nationwide for events, offices, and temporary deployments — closely overlaps SmartSource's rental-and-imaging offering.
- Meeting Tomorrow: Nationwide AV and event technology rental company for corporate meetings, conferences, and trade shows — a smaller, more focused competitor that mirrors SmartSource's event-rental go-to-market.
- Velocity Production Group: Event production and AV rental company serving corporate events, trade shows, and experiential activations — directly comparable in event-AV rental and production scope.
Broad incumbents
- PSAV (now Encore Global): Largest global event-technology and AV production provider; competes with SmartSource on hotel, convention, and corporate event production but at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- Freeman: Major event/exhibit services company offering AV, digital signage, lead retrieval, and event technology — overlapping with SmartSource's Event Technology Solutions pillar at a much larger scale.
- CDW: Large-scale B2B IT hardware, software, and services provider; competes with SmartSource's managed IT and laptop-rental offerings for enterprise IT procurement and deployment contracts.
- Insight Enterprises: Global IT solutions integrator offering hardware procurement, managed services, and lifecycle services — overlapping with SmartSource's IT Solutions pillar for enterprise clients.
- Marlin Leasing (now known as Marlin Equipment Finance): Equipment financing and leasing provider serving businesses including IT and office equipment — competes at the financing-versus-rental frontier with SmartSource's longer-term rental agreements.
Regional players
- Smart City Networks: Provider of event technology services (Wi-Fi, AV, digital signage) primarily to convention centers across the U.S. — competes in a subset of SmartSource's event-technology scope but anchored in convention-center partnerships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SmartSource social profiles
Digital presenceSmartSource financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartSource leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SmartSource funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartSource M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartSource
What does SmartSource do?
SmartSource rents AV and IT equipment and delivers managed IT and event technology services to businesses. Its inventory spans projectors, audio, lighting, cameras, LED tiles/screens/kiosks, laptops, tablets, desktops, monitors, and office equipment, while its service portfolio covers AV & event production, digital signage, lead retrieval, event registration, mobile event apps, AI behavioral analytics, laptop rentals with custom imaging, remote monitoring, infrastructure management, backup & disaster recovery, 24/7 help desk, and cybersecurity. The company sells exclusively B2B and supports customers nationwide from branch offices across the United States and Canada.
Is SmartSource a public or private company?
SmartSource is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SmartSource founded?
SmartSource was founded in 1983. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is SmartSource based?
SmartSource is headquartered in Hauppauge, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmartSource make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Equipment Rentals are the primary driver. The others are managed IT Services and event Technology Services.
Who are SmartSource's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rentex Audio Visual & Computer Rentals, Rentacomputer.com, Meeting Tomorrow and Velocity Production Group. Broad incumbents are PSAV (now Encore Global), Freeman, CDW, Insight Enterprises and Marlin Leasing (now known as Marlin Equipment Finance). Smart City Networks is listed as a regional player.
Does SmartSource have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartSource.
What industry is SmartSource in?
SmartSource's product category is Event Technology and IT Equipment Rentals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACAFAF, Audio-Visual Equipment Rentals (Sound, Projection, Screens), with a secondary code of IMAIALAK, Workplace Technology & Smart Office Support (Room Booking Systems, IT/AV Liaison). Its NAICS code is 53242 and its SIC code is 7350.