ConnectCRE

What ConnectCRE does

Connect Media, operating commercially as ConnectCRE, is a privately held B2B business media platform founded in 2015 in Los Angeles, California, and headquartered in Glendale. The company produces and distributes industry news, data, and events across six core verticals: commercial real estate, financial services, automated banking and self-service technology, food and restaurants, digital signage, and legal services. Following the January 2026 acquisition of Networld Media Group, the combined company operates 20+ owned digital media properties (including ConnectCRE.com, ATMmarketplace.com, FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, and VendingTimes.com), seven or more flagship in-person and digital conferences, regional daily email newsletters covering 15+ U.S. markets and Canada, and a portfolio of podcasts. The combined team exceeds 60 employees.

The company's underlying platform combines editorial content production, event management infrastructure, and an in-house creative agency (Connect Creative) into an integrated offering. Media properties range from long-established brands with decades of operating history (VendingTimes.com since 1962, ATMmarketplace.com since 1997) to newer launches such as Connect Money (2022) and Connect CRE Canada. ApartmentBuildings.com, acquired in 2023, adds a subscription-based multifamily investment listings platform serving investors, brokers, REITs, and family offices. The technology stack is positioned as a B2B digital media platform and full-service creative agency rather than a proprietary SaaS or AI-driven product.

Connect Media generates revenue through four primary streams: digital advertising and media services across its portfolio of branded properties; conference and event sponsorships; full-service creative, PR, and marketing agency engagements (Connect Creative); and subscription listings on ApartmentBuildings.com. Pricing is quote-based and routed through media kit inquiries. The company serves enterprise B2B clients across multiple verticals, with named customers including CBRE, Trammell Crow, Colliers, NCR, Oracle Restaurants, and CloudKitchens. Connect Media is certified as a Minority Owned Business by the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) and is led by founder and CEO Daniel Ceniceros.

Name

ConnectCRE

Legal name

Connect Media

Website

https://connect.media

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connect Media is a privately held B2B business media platform that produces industry news, digital media, conferences, and creative agency services across commercial real estate, financial services, banking technology, restaurant/retail, and digital signage verticals, serving enterprise clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Trade Media & Events

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & B2B PR (BPAFADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)

Keywords

• B2B media platform
• Commercial real estate news
• Industry conference events
• Creative marketing services
• Financial services news

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Advertising and media services: Digital advertising across multiple industry-specific media properties and platforms. Media kits are available for each brand.
2. Conference and event sponsorships: Revenue from in-person and digital conferences across multiple industry verticals. Custom event production services available for enterprise clients.
3. Creative and agency services: Full suite of marketing services including graphic design, public relations, content production, video, SEO, social media, website development, and integrated marketing campaigns.
4. Subscription listings (ApartmentBuildings.com): Premium listing platform for multifamily properties serving investors, brokers, REITs, private equity firms, developers, and family offices.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ConnectCRE (legal name Connect Media) operates an integrated B2B digital media platform comprising 20+ industry-specific editorial brands delivering daily news, insights, podcasts, webinars, and live conferences across commercial real estate, financial services, automated banking/self-service technology, and food/restaurant/retail sectors in the U.S. and Canada. It complements the media platform with the ApartmentBuildings.com multifamily listing marketplace and a full-service creative, PR, and marketing agency (Connect Creative) offering design, content production, video, SEO, social media, and website development to B2B clients.

Product overview

Connect Media operates as a full-service business media platform encompassing multiple brands and product lines. The portfolio includes core products Connect CRE and Connect CRE Canada for commercial real estate news, Connect Money for financial services, and Connect Conferences for events. Following the 2026 acquisition of Networld Media Group, the platform expanded to include acquired brands serving automated banking and self-service technology (ATMmarketplace.com, KioskMarketplace.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, VendingTimes.com), restaurant and food sectors (FastCasual.com, QSRweb.com, PizzaMarketplace.com, FoodTruckOperator.com), and related podcasts and summits. Connect Creative provides integrated marketing agency services. The platform delivers news, insights, and industry events through editorial, digital, and live event channels across commercial real estate, financial services, retail technology, and food/restaurant sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATMmarketplace.com: Leading global resource for professionals across the ATM and banking technology ecosystem since 1997.
• Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show
• Automation & Self-Service Podcast
• Bank Customer Experience Podcast
• Digital Signage Today Podcast
• DigitalSignageToday.com
• KioskMarketplace.com
• VendingTimes.com
• ApartmentBuildings.com
• Connect Conferences
• Connect CRE
• Connect CRE Canada
• Connect Money
• #QSRNext
• Fast Casual Executive Summit
• Fast Casual Nation
• FastCasual.com
• FoodTruckOperator.com
• Founderology Growth Summit
• Founderology Podcast
• Pizza Marketplace Podcast
• PizzaMarketplace.com
• QSRweb.com
• Restaurant Catering Workshop
• Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit
• Restaurant Marketing Workshop
• Restaurant Operator Podcast
• Connect Creative

Products and services

• Connect CRE Daily commercial real estate news, market analysis, and major industry events platform serving brokers, developers, lenders, investors, and owners across the U.S.
• Connect CRE Canada Commercial real estate news and analysis platform serving the Canadian market.
• Connect Money Daily business of financial services news platform delivering market commentary, capital markets insights, and investment trends for advisors, broker dealers, wealth managers, and private debt providers.
• Connect Conferences In-person and digital events with timely content, premier speakers, and world-class operations, plus custom event production for enterprise clients across multiple B2B verticals.
• ApartmentBuildings.com Premium multifamily online sales platform with intuitive interface, enhanced search functionality, and loan calculator serving investors, brokers, REITs, private equity firms, developers, and family offices.
• ATMmarketplace.com Leading global resource for professionals across the ATM and banking technology ecosystem, covering ATMs, self-service banking, and payments.
• KioskMarketplace.com
• DigitalSignageToday.com
• VendingTimes.com
• FastCasual.com
• QSRweb.com
• PizzaMarketplace.com
• FoodTruckOperator.com
• Connect Creative

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bisnow: Bisnow operates a near-identical model: commercial real estate news, daily email briefings, and a large portfolio of regional and vertical events across the U.S. ConnectCRE's Connect CRE platform and Connect Conferences division compete head-to-head with Bisnow for the same broker, developer, and lender audience and sponsor dollars.
• The Real Deal: The Real Deal is a multi-platform B2B media company covering real estate with news, magazines, events, and awards, targeting the same broker, investor, and developer audience as ConnectCRE. Comparable revenue model combining advertising, event sponsorships, and subscriptions.
• GlobeSt.com (ALM): GlobeSt.com is a long-standing CRE news and information platform, originally co-founded by Connect Media's CEO Daniel Ceniceros, and now part of ALM. It directly competes with ConnectCRE in CRE editorial coverage and audience relationships.
• QSR Magazine: QSR Magazine is a long-standing B2B media brand covering quick-service restaurants, directly competing with Connect Media's QSRweb.com and FastCasual.com properties (acquired via Networld) for the same QSR and fast-casual operator audience and advertising budgets.

Broad incumbents

• CoStar Group: CoStar is the dominant incumbent in commercial real estate information, data, and media (LoopNet, Apartments.com, CoStar, Homes.com). It competes broadly with ConnectCRE for CRE audience attention, ad spend, and listings revenue, with vastly larger scale and proprietary data assets.
• Informa Connect / Restaurant Business Media: Informa operates large B2B media and events franchises, including Restaurant Business media, in the same food/restaurant, retail, and technology verticals that Connect Media now covers through the Networld Media Group acquisition. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping event and content assets.

Emerging players

• Multi-Housing News / Yardi Matrix: Multi-Housing News is a multifamily-focused B2B media property that competes for the same investor, REIT, and developer audience as ConnectCRE's ApartmentBuildings.com platform and Connect CRE multifamily coverage. Comparable audience but narrower vertical focus.
• PEI Media: PEI Media produces B2B news, research, and events for private equity, private debt, and institutional investors—directly comparable to Connect Money's coverage of capital markets, wealth management, and private debt. Strong overlap in target audience and content format.

Regional players

• Self-Service World / Kiosk & Vending Media: Industry associations and publications covering the self-service kiosk, vending, and unattended retail space—directly comparable to Connect Media's KioskMarketplace.com and VendingTimes.com properties serving automated retail vendors and deployers.

Others

• Greystone / Multi-Housing News Wire: Greystone and adjacent CRE services companies participate in the same news, content, and event ecosystem as ConnectCRE, often as sponsors, contributors, or distribution partners in the multifamily/CRE media and event space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connectCRE

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 ConnectCRE