Rising Tide Interactive
Rising Tide Interactive is a Washington DC-based digital agency providing full-service strategy, creative, media buying, and fundraising exclusively to Democratic campaigns, progressive nonprofits, and ballot initiatives across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rising Tide Interactive does
Rising Tide Interactive is a privately-held, Washington DC-based digital agency founded in 2010 that provides full-service political and advocacy campaign services exclusively to Democratic candidates, progressive causes, ballot initiatives, and nonprofit organizations. The firm operates across eight integrated service lines: media strategy and persuasion, mobilization, creative production, advocacy campaigns, public affairs, email and SMS fundraising, paid list building, and testing and measurement. Its technical platform combines programmatic digital buying, voter file matching, custom voter modeling, A/B testing, multi-channel media planning, and CTV/OTT optimization to deliver targeted persuasion and GOTV programs at scale.
The firm monetizes through custom, project-based professional services engagements billed on a multi-year contract basis, with no public pricing tiers or self-serve channels. Clients are acquired via direct enterprise outreach, industry reputation, and case-study-driven demand generation rather than inbound self-service funnels. A sister company, DSPolitical, operates as a joint venture with data firm Catalyst to provide integrated programmatic buying capabilities that complement RTI's strategy and execution work.
RTI's customer base spans U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, the DCCC, presidential campaigns, ballot initiative committees, advocacy nonprofits, and progressive PACs, with documented outcomes including 17 U.S. Senate wins, 17 gubernatorial wins, $100M raised online for the DCCC in 2018, over 500,000 voters registered with Voto Latino, and $2.2B in revenue generated by the Fair Share Massachusetts ballot measure. The firm holds multiple Pollie and Reed Awards for digital advertising, fundraising, and creative work. Leadership comprises CEO Stephanie Grasmick (appointed March 2020) alongside co-founder Eli Kaplan and partner Annie Levene, with no disclosed institutional investors or external funding rounds.
Rising Tide Interactive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rising Tide Interactive
- Legal name
- Rising Tide Interactive, LLC
- Website
- https://risingtideinteractive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rising Tide Interactive is a Washington DC-based digital agency providing full-service strategy, creative, media buying, and fundraising exclusively to Democratic campaigns, progressive nonprofits, and ballot initiatives across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rising Tide Interactive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Political Digital Advertising Services
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Public Relations Agencies (54182)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Political & Advocacy Advertising (MPADAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Political/GOTV & Advocacy Calling (Campaigns) (BPAAADAK), Digital Marketing Strategy & Channel Mix Advisory (MPAAAFAF), Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)
Keywords
Where Rising Tide Interactive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rising Tide Interactive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Digital Campaign Services: Full-service digital agency providing media strategy, creative production, persuasion advertising, GOTV mobilization, fundraising, list building, and testing/measurement for political campaigns and progressive causes. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for campaign management and consulting.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom professional services engagements |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Rising Tide Interactive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rising Tide Interactive is a full-service digital agency that designs and executes customized digital campaign programs for Democratic candidates, party committees, progressive advocacy organizations, and nonprofits. The firm combines data-driven media planning, in-house creative production, multi-channel paid media buying, email/SMS fundraising, voter mobilization, and experimentation-based measurement to help political and advocacy clients raise funds, persuade voters, and mobilize supporters.
Product overview
Rising Tide Interactive is a full-service digital agency providing a comprehensive suite of political campaign services. Their portfolio consists of eight core service offerings: Media Strategy & Persuasion, Mobilization, Creative Services, Advocacy Campaigns, Public Affairs, Fundraising (Email & SMS), List Building, and Testing & Measurement. These services work together as an integrated digital campaign solution—combining audience targeting, creative production, multi-channel distribution (including CTV/OTT, social media, search, and programmatic), and performance measurement to help Democratic candidates and progressive causes win elections and advance policy goals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Media Strategy & Persuasion Customized digital media planning and execution with audience segmentation, targeting, and message delivery across digital channels (YouTube, Hulu, social media, programmatic) to influence voter opinions and drive campaign outcomes for Democratic candidates and progressive causes.
- Mobilization Digital voter mobilization and GOTV (Get Out The Vote) programs using multi-channel targeting to increase turnout among key voter segments including low-propensity, young, and infrequent voters.
- Creative Services In-house creative production including high-production video shoots, animation, and graphic design to develop campaign assets that communicate political and advocacy messages.
- Advocacy Campaigns Online advocacy programs to mobilize grassroots activists and engage lawmakers through targeted digital tactics, driving calls and constituent outreach to support legislative campaigns.
- Public Affairs Targeted digital tactics including customized social graphics, high-impact placements, geo-targeting, and digital out-of-home to create surround-sound effects around key decision-makers.
- Fundraising (Email & SMS) Digital fundraising programs using email and SMS to build long-term supporter relationships and raise low-dollar donations, optimized for conversion and donor retention.
- List Building Paid acquisition advertising programs to grow supporter lists and email databases with record-breaking return on investment for progressive political clients.
- Testing & Measurement Experiment-informed programs using A/B testing, control-treatment designs, and accountability measures to optimize campaign performance and validate strategic decisions for political and advocacy clients.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17 U.S. Senate wins and 17 gubernatorial wins over a decade
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Rising Tide Interactive
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rising Tide Interactive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Rising Tide Interactive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DSPoliticalcoreDSPolitical is described as a 'sister company' to Rising Tide Interactive and a 'joint venture' with data firm Catalyst. DSPolitical operates as a programmatic buying shop, while RTI focuses on strategy and campaign execution. The two entities work together to serve political clients with integrated programmatic advertising capabilities.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rising Tide Interactive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bully Pulpit Interactive: Largest Democratic-aligned digital agency and the most direct competitor to RTI. BPI offers a similarly broad set of media strategy, creative, fundraising, and mobilization services for Democratic campaigns, nonprofits, and advocacy clients, with comparable client lists including US Senate and presidential campaigns.
- DSPolitical: Programmatic advertising sister company to RTI, originally spun out as a joint venture with data firm Catalyst. DSPolitical shares clients and founders with RTI and operates in the same Democratic political paid-media space.
- Mothership Strategies: Democratic digital agency offering media buying, creative, and fundraising services to campaigns and progressive causes. Mothership is a comparable mid-sized peer competing for many of the same Democratic primary and general-election engagements.
- Blueprint Interactive: Democratic digital fundraising and online advertising agency serving campaigns, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations. Overlaps with RTI on direct-response fundraising, list building, and email/SMS programs.
Broad incumbents
- SKDKnickerbocker (SKDK): Larger full-service Democratic public affairs and political consultancy with a broader PR/advertising portfolio. SKDK provides paid media and digital services for many of the same candidates and causes RTI serves, but also does crisis comms, lobbying, and traditional advertising.
- Global Strategy Group: Democratic polling, research, and communications firm with growing digital capabilities. Competes for progressive and Democratic campaign work and serves overlapping client types including nonprofits and ballot initiatives.
Others
- Catalist: Progressive data and analytics firm that is RTI's JV partner in DSPolitical and a foundational voter-file provider to Democratic campaigns. Catalist supplies targeting infrastructure used across the progressive ecosystem.
- ActBlue: Dominant Democratic online fundraising platform. While not a direct agency competitor, ActBlue is the principal infrastructure that powers much of RTI's email/SMS fundraising work for Democratic campaigns and progressive nonprofits.
Emerging players
- Tech for Campaigns: Nonprofit that connects Democratic campaigns with pro bono digital talent from the tech industry. A partial-overlap peer that competes for digital execution capacity on down-ballot progressive races.
Regional players
- American Bridge 21st Century Foundation: Democratic opposition research and communications PAC with in-house paid digital capabilities. Adjacent to RTI's media/persuasion practice, particularly on independent expenditure campaigns.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rising Tide Interactive social profiles
Digital presenceRising Tide Interactive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rising Tide Interactive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Rising Tide Interactive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rising Tide Interactive 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 Rising Tide Interactive
What does Rising Tide Interactive do?
Rising Tide Interactive is a full-service digital agency that designs and executes customized digital campaign programs for Democratic candidates, party committees, progressive advocacy organizations, and nonprofits. The firm combines data-driven media planning, in-house creative production, multi-channel paid media buying, email/SMS fundraising, voter mobilization, and experimentation-based measurement to help political and advocacy clients raise funds, persuade voters, and mobilize supporters.
Is Rising Tide Interactive a public or private company?
Rising Tide Interactive is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Rising Tide Interactive founded?
Rising Tide Interactive was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rising Tide Interactive based?
Rising Tide Interactive is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rising Tide Interactive make money?
One revenue line is on record: digital Campaign Services.
Who are Rising Tide Interactive's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bully Pulpit Interactive, DSPolitical, Mothership Strategies and Blueprint Interactive. Broad incumbents are SKDKnickerbocker (SKDK) and Global Strategy Group. Others are Catalist and ActBlue. Tech for Campaigns is listed as an emerging player. American Bridge 21st Century Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Rising Tide Interactive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rising Tide Interactive.
What industry is Rising Tide Interactive in?
Rising Tide Interactive's product category is Political Digital Advertising Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAEAK, Political & Advocacy Advertising, with a secondary code of BPAAADAK, Political/GOTV & Advocacy Calling (Campaigns). Its NAICS code is 54183 and its SIC code is 7311.