Ruhrkraft

What Ruhrkraft does

Ruhrkraft GmbH is a privately held German digital signage provider founded in 2019 and headquartered in Essen. Operating under the Screen Promotion brand with its proprietary content management system called Scromo, the company delivers an integrated signage stack comprising an Android-based media player, a browser-accessible CMS dashboard, a built-in content editor, and an API-first architecture. The platform targets four primary use cases: point-of-sale content in retail and gastronomy, waiting-room TV in medical practices, white-label signage for agencies, and citizen information systems for smart cities. A publicly displayed live player feed at the Essen site doubles as both proof-of-concept and marketing collateral.

The business model blends three revenue streams: recurring software subscriptions for the Scromo CMS, one-time hardware sales (player boxes, displays, and pre-configured bundles), and professional services covering consultation, installation, project management, and content creation. Go-to-market is multi-modal, combining a self-serve e-commerce motion with on-site field sales for enterprise deployments and an agency channel-partner program for indirect distribution. Strategic integrations with Supply Side Platforms — explicitly Broadsign and SSP1 — extend the platform into programmatic Digital-Out-of-Home advertising, while a blockchain-based impression-validation module addresses ad-measurement transparency.

Ruhrkraft serves a regionally concentrated customer base anchored in the Ruhr area and broader German market, with publicly disclosed customers including Altavia Deutschland GmbH, Duesseldorf Marketing GmbH, and Zeitsprung GmbH. The company is small (1–10 employees), founder-led by co-founder and fullstack developer Benjamin Dorner, and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Ruhrkraft

Legal name

Ruhrkraft GmbH

Website

https://ruhrkraft.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ruhrkraft GmbH is a German digital signage provider offering its Screen Promotion (Scromo) CMS platform, Android media players, hardware bundles, and professional services to retail, gastronomy, medical, agency, and smart-city clients in the Ruhr region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Signage Software

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Ad Insertion & Monetization (SCTE-35, DAI/SSAI) (MPAHAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB), Programmatic Display & Retargeting (DSP) (MPAAACAE), Personalization, Testing & Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) (BPAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Digital signage software
• Content management systems
• Android media players
• Programmatic DOOH advertising
• Point-of-sale displays

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions (SaaS): Recurring software licensing for CMS access, player management, and content scheduling capabilities. Flexible licensing models mentioned in FAQ.
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of player boxes, displays, and complete bundles (hardware bundles) that are pre-configured and ready for deployment.
3. Professional Services: Consulting, concept development, content creation, editorial services, installation, and project management for Digital Signage deployments.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ruhrkraft's Screen Promotion (Scromo) is a digital signage platform that combines a proprietary web-based Content Management System, an Android-based media player, dedicated hardware (player boxes, displays, bundles), and supporting professional services. It enables businesses to display dynamic, scheduled content at point-of-sale and other locations, with API-first integration, Supply Side Platform connectivity for programmatic DOOH advertising, and blockchain-validated impression tracking.

Product overview

Ruhrkraft's Screen Promotion (Scromo) is a digital signage platform consisting of a core software product supplemented by hardware offerings and professional services. The platform combines a CMS-based content management system, an Android player, and API integration capabilities. Additional modules include programmatic advertising connectivity (SSP/DSP), blockchain-validated impression tracking, and industry-specific solutions for retail, gastronomy, medical practices, agencies, and smart cities. Professional services cover consultation, conception, content creation, and editorial support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scromo: Digital Signage software solution and content management system for agencies, retail, and smart cities.

Products and services

• Screen Promotion (Scromo) Software Proprietary digital signage Content Management System (Scromo CMS) for displaying dynamic content at point-of-sale locations. Combines Digital-Out-of-Home reach with online advertising efficiency, includes a dashboard with location and campaign KPIs, a built-in content editor, Android Player integration, and an API-first architecture.
• Screen Promotion Hardware (Player Boxes, Displays, Bundles) Digital signage hardware lineup including player boxes, high-quality displays, and pre-configured complete bundles coordinated for use with the Screen Promotion software, including options suitable for continuous operation and multiple display sizes/resolutions.
• Consulting, Concept, Content and Editorial Services Professional services for digital signage projects covering consultation, conception, content creation, editorial support, installation, and project management for Screen Promotion deployments.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BroadsigncoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Broadsign Supply Side Platform enables programmatic advertising through leading SSPs, maximizing digital out-of-home advertising reach for Screen Promotion customers.
• SSP1coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with SSP1 Supply Side Platform provides programmatic advertising capabilities for digital signage networks.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NoviSign: NoviSign offers a digital signage SaaS platform with content management, player software, and a focus on SMB and mid-market deployments. Directly comparable to Ruhrkraft's Scromo CMS in functionality and customer segment.
• BrightSign: BrightSign manufactures purpose-built digital signage media players (hardware-first), paired with BrightSign CMS and ecosystem integrations. Comparable to Ruhrkraft's hardware-plus-software integrated approach, but operating at far greater scale and with a hardware-led go-to-market.
• Yodeck: Yodeck is a cloud-based digital signage platform with bundled Raspberry Pi players targeting SMB and mid-market customers. Closely comparable to Ruhrkraft's Scromo + Android player combination in product scope, pricing model, and target buyer, with a stronger self-serve motion.
• OnSign TV: OnSign TV is a digital signage platform with CMS, player apps across multiple OS, and an emphasis on multi-screen network management. Comparable to Ruhrkraft in core platform capabilities and SMB-to-enterprise customer base.
• ScreenCloud: ScreenCloud provides a CMS-software digital signage platform with broad hardware-agnostic support, integrations, and apps marketplace. Comparable to Ruhrkraft in serving retail, corporate, and agency customers via a software-led model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Signagelive: Signagelive is a UK-headquartered digital signage SaaS platform with a strong partner/reseller program and focus on enterprise networks. Comparable to Ruhrkraft in software-first digital signage and channel-led distribution, particularly relevant given Ruhrkraft's agency channel model.

Broad incumbents

• Stratacache (Scala): Stratacache (including Scala) is a large enterprise digital signage and in-store media company offering hardware, software, and services at global scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same end markets (retail, QSR, large-enterprise signage) but operating with vastly greater resources.
• Samsung MagicINFO: Samsung MagicINFO is Samsung's enterprise digital signage CMS tightly integrated with Samsung display hardware. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same retail and enterprise signage deployments Ruhrkraft targets, with overwhelming distribution and installed-base advantages.

Emerging players

• Pickcel: Pickcel is a cloud-based digital signage platform offering CMS, content apps, and player support targeting SMB and mid-market. Comparable to Ruhrkraft in feature set and customer profile, though operating primarily in different geographies.
• Kitcast: Kitcast is a digital signage solution purpose-built for Apple TV displays, offering CMS and content scheduling. Comparable to Ruhrkraft in targeting smaller-footprint retail and SMB deployments with simplified hardware assumptions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ruhrkraft__io
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ruhrkraft-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ruhrkraft