MANTIS Ad Network

What MANTIS Ad Network does

MANTIS Ad Network operates a programmatic advertising platform purpose-built for the legal cannabis, CBD, hemp, and Delta-8/Delta-9 industries, where mainstream ad networks (Google, Facebook, Instagram) categorically restrict participation. The platform is anchored on a Demand-Side Platform (Mantis DSP) executing second-price real-time bidding across display, video (pre-roll and in-article up to 60 seconds, guaranteed 100% video completion of 2+ seconds), sponsored content, and retargeted display formats. Direct publisher integrations span 250+ endemic cannabis publications (including Leafly, AllBud, The Cannabist, and Grasscity) and 50,000+ mainstream websites and apps through an Audience Extension feature. Supporting infrastructure includes the Mantis retargeting pixel with native one-click integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, conversion-attribution reporting at the per-publication level (available at $5,000+/month spend), publisher blacklisting, audience extension to mainstream lifestyle properties, and built-in fraud filtering.

The company is a privately held LLC domiciled in Lititz, Pennsylvania (operating out of Los Angeles), founded in 2014, with 11–50 employees and no disclosed external funding. Its commercial model blends a self-serve, no-minimum-spend product-led growth motion (with $250 deposit and $10 daily minimum per campaign) for SMB and individual advertisers, alongside a Managed Service enterprise tier requiring $25,000+ monthly media spend with dedicated account management, strategic advising, and online plus in-store attribution. Revenue is generated on a usage basis via vCPM and CPC auction mechanics, with Mantis Direct eliminating third-party intermediary fees (claimed ~50% savings) to improve unit economics for advertisers. Mantis has been independently recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, HuffPost, AdWeek, and Ad Exchanger as the largest digital ad network focused on the cannabis industry, and serves a customer base that spans cannabis brands, CBD product vendors, licensed dispensaries, delivery services, and ancillary industry vendors.

Name

MANTIS Ad Network

Legal name

Mantis Ad Network, LLC

Website

https://mantisadnetwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MANTIS Ad Network is a programmatic DSP built for the legal cannabis, CBD, hemp, and Delta-8/Delta-9 industries, offering display, video, sponsored content, and retargeted ads across 250+ endemic publications and 50,000+ mainstream sites via self-serve and Managed Service tiers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Programmatic Advertising Spend: Advertisers pay for ad impressions (vCPM) or clicks (CPC) through real-time bidding auction. Rates fluctuate based on inventory supply and demand. Second-price auction model means advertisers pay just above the second-highest bid to win impressions.
2. Ad Credit Deposits: All advertisers must fund account balance with ad credits before launching campaigns. $250 minimum deposit to replenish account. Credit card charged only when first campaign is submitted and approved.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MANTIS Ad Network operates a programmatic advertising platform built specifically for the legal cannabis, CBD, and hemp industries. It connects advertisers with over 50,000 mainstream websites/apps and 250+ endemic cannabis publications through a self-serve Demand-Side Platform (Mantis DSP) that runs real-time bidding auctions on display, video, native, and retargeted ad formats. The platform offers both a DIY self-serve tier with no monthly minimum and a Managed Service tier for advertisers spending $25,000+ per month.

Product overview

Mantis Ad Network is a programmatic advertising platform consisting of multiple integrated products and service tiers. The core offering includes Display Ads, Video Ads, Sponsored Content Ads, and Retargeted Display Ads, all accessible through the Mantis DSP. The platform operates on a second-price real-time bidding model across a network of over 50,000 websites and apps with direct integrations to 250+ endemic cannabis publications. Two service tiers are offered: Self Service for DIY advertisers requiring no minimum spend, and Managed Service for larger advertisers requiring dedicated support with a $25,000/month minimum. Supporting features include the Mantis Pixel for conversion tracking and Audience Extension for reaching mainstream audiences. Integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce enable e-commerce conversion tracking for online retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MANTIS Ad Network Platform (Mantis DSP) An end-to-end programmatic advertising platform and Demand-Side Platform (DSP) purpose-built for the legal cannabis, CBD, and hemp industries. It runs second-price real-time bidding auctions across endemic and mainstream inventory, serving advertisers who are restricted from running campaigns on Google, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Display Ads

Quantifiable outcome

• ROAS as high as 20X reported by ILGM for every dollar spent
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and extended.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform integration enabling one-click connection for conversion tracking on Shopify checkout pages. Merchants can install Mantis application directly from Shopify App Store.
• WooCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration via WooCommerce Conversion Tracking plugin. One-click connection for conversion tracking on WooCommerce-powered stores.
• BigCommercecoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform integration enabling simplified pixel implementation for BigCommerce merchants advertising on Mantis network.
• LeaflycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of hundreds of endemic cannabis publications in Mantis network, providing access to cannabis-interested audiences for advertisers.
• AllBudcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEndemic cannabis publication partner providing advertising inventory within Mantis network for reaching cannabis consumers.
• The CannabistcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor cannabis industry publication partner in Mantis ad network, offering premium endemic inventory to advertisers.
• GrasscitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCannabis community website partner providing advertising inventory in Mantis network for reaching engaged audiences.
• HGTVextendedChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMainstream publication included in audience extension feature, enabling advertisers to reach cannabis enthusiasts on mainstream lifestyle websites.
• Food NetworkextendedChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMainstream publication partner in audience extension program, allowing advertisers to target cannabis audiences on mainstream food/lifestyle sites.
• eHarmonyextendedChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMainstream website partner in audience extension feature, enabling reach to cannabis-interested users on mainstream dating/lifestyle platforms.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TrafficJunky: Programmatic ad network (owned by MindGeek) running real-time bidding across a walled-garden-style inventory pool for restricted/regulated verticals. Mantis mirrors TrafficJunky's structural model — owning publisher integrations, running RTB auctions, and serving advertisers excluded from Google/Meta — but focuses on cannabis/CBD instead of adult.
• MassMedia Cannabis: Cannabis-specialized advertising/marketing agency offering media planning, paid digital, and creative services to dispensaries, MSOs, and CBD brands. Competes head-to-head with Mantis's Managed Service tier for enterprise cannabis advertisers, especially for strategy-led engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Weedmaps: Largest cannabis marketplace and media property, generating meaningful revenue from dispensary and brand advertising. While Weedmaps is primarily a listings/discovery platform rather than a programmatic DSP, its advertising business competes with Mantis for the same cannabis brand budgets.
• Leafly: Major cannabis content/media brand with native advertising and sponsored content offerings targeted at the same CBD and THC brand customers Mantis serves. Operates as both a publisher in Mantis's network and an indirect competitor for endemic ad dollars.
• Outbrain: Large-scale native content-discovery/sponsored-content network that competes with Mantis's Sponsored Content Ad format. Lacks Mantis's cannabis-vertical specialization and direct endemic publisher relationships but represents a broader alternative for brands considering native placements.
• Taboola: Global native advertising and content-discovery platform; competes with Mantis in the sponsored-content / open-web performance space. Lacks Mantis's vertical depth in cannabis and the direct publisher economics, but is a default benchmark for sponsored-content pricing.

Emerging players

• Baker Technologies: Cannabis-specific CRM, loyalty, and marketing-automation platform for dispensaries; overlaps with Mantis's Licensed Dispensaries & Delivery Services segment on customer engagement and reactivation use cases rather than programmatic media buying.
• Stack Influence: Influencer-marketing platform focused on the cannabis industry that competes for the same brand budgets on a different channel (creator-driven rather than programmatic display/video). Useful as a comparable for how cannabis brands allocate digital spend.
• Vrtly: In-store digital signage and retail-media network for cannabis dispensaries; competes with Mantis for dispensary marketing budgets but on a retail-experience channel rather than programmatic display/video.

Others

• Power Digital Marketing: Full-service performance-marketing agency with a vertical practice in cannabis and CBD; competes for managed-service ad budget on the agency side of the same RFPs where Mantis positions its $25K+/month Managed Service tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mantisadnetwork
• Facebookfacebook.com/mantisadnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mantis-ad-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 MANTIS Ad Network