Foundation Direct

Name

Foundation Direct

Legal name

Foundation Direct, LLC

Website

https://foundationdirect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Digital Advertising Platform

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

akta.pro primary industry

Paid Social Media Buying (MPAAABAD)

Keywords

• Digital advertising platform
• Automotive marketing technology
• Dealership digital solutions
• Automotive retail media
• Performance marketing software

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology/Platform Fee: Foundation Direct charges a flat monthly technology fee with no upsells. The company does not take margin on media spend - 100% of dealer ad budget goes directly to media platforms. This transparent model aligns the company's incentives with dealer performance.
2. Performance-Based Digital Advertising Services: The company provides digital advertising management services including campaign strategy, audience activation, and attribution, integrated with their automated platform technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Foundation Direct provides a digital advertising automation platform that enables automotive dealerships and dealer groups to take direct control of their media buying on Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Microsoft. The platform ingests real-time dealer inventory and pricing data to automate ad creation, daily creative optimization, and cross-channel campaign execution under a flat monthly technology fee with no margin on media spend.

Product overview

Foundation Direct offers a unified digital advertising platform for automotive dealerships, combining core technology with strategic consulting services. The main Foundation Direct Platform enables dealers to go direct to major media partners (Google, YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft) with automated ad creation based on real-time inventory. This core platform is complemented by Dealer Reporting Dashboards providing executive-level performance visualization across website, traffic, conversions, and ad metrics, plus the NCM Digital Performance Composite for industry benchmarking. The Go Direct Solution represents the company's service model emphasizing dealer ownership of accounts and transparency. The platform was acquired by Team Velocity in May 2026 to integrate with the Apollo Customer Experience Platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundation Direct Platform A digital advertising platform for automotive dealerships that enables dealers to take control of their digital advertising by going direct to the largest media partners (Google, YouTube, Facebook, Microsoft) with automated digital solutions built on inventory and pricing data.
• Dealer Reporting Dashboards
• NCM Digital Performance Composite

Quantifiable outcome

• Conversion lifts exceeding 50% when Foundation Direct's media strategies paired with Team Velocity website environments
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Team VelocityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Team Velocity acquired Foundation Direct on May 18, 2026. The acquisition combines Foundation Direct's elite media strategy capabilities with Team Velocity's Apollo customer experience platform for automotive dealerships. Foundation Direct will maintain its existing client base while serving as the strategic performance engine behind Team Velocity's digital advertising offerings. Foundation Data continues operating independently.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationFoundation Direct is a Google Premier Partner with direct API integrations to Google Ads, YouTube, and Google's advertising platforms. The platform enables dealers to advertise directly on Google properties with full account ownership.
• Facebook/MetacoreTechnology or IntegrationFoundation Direct provides direct access to Facebook advertising platforms as part of its integrated media platform, enabling dealers to manage Facebook ads alongside Google and Microsoft from a single platform.
• Microsoft (Bing Ads)coreTechnology or IntegrationFoundation Direct integrates with Microsoft Bing Ads, providing dealers access to Microsoft advertising inventory as part of the unified platform approach.
• NCM (National Automobile Dealers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation Direct powers the NCM Digital Performance Composite, a benchmarking and analytics solution for automotive dealerships. Foundation Data operates this product independently following the Team Velocity acquisition.
• Hyundai Motor AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation Direct operates the Hyundai Certified Digital Advertising Program, a certified dealer marketing program where Hyundai dealers access Foundation's platform technology. The program includes co-op advertising support and automated submission processing.
• American Honda Motor Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation Direct operates the Honda Dealer Digital Program, a certified program providing Honda dealers with access to Foundation's platform with exclusive Google Search demand visualizations.
• Acura (American Honda Motor Co.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation Direct operates the Acura Dealer Digital Program, a certified program delivering digital advertising solutions to Acura dealerships.
• Subaru of AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation Direct operates the Subaru Certified Digital Program, providing Subaru retailers with digital advertising solutions including 18.9% average click-through-rate outcomes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dealer Inspire: Dealer Inspire, also under Cox Automotive alongside Dealer.com, provides dealership websites and digital marketing solutions including paid media management. Comparable to Foundation Direct as a dealer-focused digital advertising and website platform.
• AutoLeadStar: AutoLeadStar provides digital advertising and customer engagement software to automotive dealers, including paid media management and inventory marketing. Direct competitor to Foundation Direct; notably, VP of Client Experience Ashlyn Murray previously led Dealer Experience and Technical Support at AutoLeadStar before joining Foundation Direct.
• Digital Air Strike: Digital Air Strike is a digital engagement and marketing platform for automotive dealerships, providing social media, reputation, and digital advertising solutions. Direct competitor in the dealer digital marketing space with overlapping product offerings.
• LotLinx: LotLinx operates a VIN-level digital advertising platform for automotive dealers that automates paid media based on dealership inventory. Directly comparable to Foundation Direct in targeting, product capabilities, and dealer customer base.
• PureCars: PureCars is a digital marketing platform built specifically for automotive dealers that automates paid search, social, and display advertising using inventory data. Highly comparable to Foundation Direct in product approach (inventory-driven ad automation) and dealer target customer.
• Adpearance: Adpearance is a digital marketing agency and platform with a strong automotive vertical practice, providing paid media, SEO, and websites to dealers and dealer groups. Direct competitor in automotive dealer digital advertising services.

Broad incumbents

• Cox Automotive: Cox Automotive is the largest technology provider to the auto retail industry, encompassing Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and more. Functions as both an incumbent peer and the parent of Foundation Direct's two largest competitive platforms (Dealer.com, Dealer Inspire).
• Cars.com: Cars.com operates a major automotive marketplace while also selling advertising and digital marketing solutions to dealers. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping digital advertising offerings to franchised dealers, though anchored in a marketplace business model.
• Dealer.com (Cox Automotive): Dealer.com, part of Cox Automotive, is the dominant provider of digital marketing platforms for franchised auto dealers, offering websites, advertising, and CRM. Directly comparable to Foundation Direct as a dealer-facing digital ad platform, but operates at vastly greater scale and as part of a much broader automotive technology portfolio.

Others

• Team Velocity: Team Velocity is Foundation Direct's parent company following the May 2026 acquisition, providing the Apollo customer experience platform to automotive dealerships. Listed as ecosystem context rather than direct competitor given the corporate combination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Foundation-Direct-104232657693742
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foundation-direct

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Foundation Direct