Future B2B
Future B2B is the B2B media and marketing services division of Future PLC, operating 15+ vertical brands (including SmartBrief, ITPro, and ActualTech Media) to deliver advertising, lead generation, custom content, and event services to enterprise and mid-market B2B technology vendors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Future B2B does
Future B2B is a B2B media and marketing services division of UK-listed Future PLC, formed in 2024 by consolidating 15+ vertical-specific media brands including SmartBrief, ActualTech Media, ITPro, and AV Technology under a single operating unit headquartered in New York with a London office. The division serves B2B technology vendors and the broader B2B marketing community with five service lines: advertising, lead generation, custom content, events, and affinity/association programs. Its core assets are a first-party audience of more than 7 million newsletter subscribers, 1.2 billion newsletters delivered annually, 513 B2B webinars per year, and 250+ association partnerships, including agreements with ILA, ISTE, FETC, and UPCEA.
The technical platform combines a portfolio of media properties (some with 25-40+ year brand histories) with a proprietary AI stack that includes Ad Genie for generative ad creative, AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting, and the Aperture Intent platform, all of which sit on top of the division's first-party engagement data. The business model is a B2B media services model: revenue is generated through advertising sales across owned newsletters, sites, and events, supplemented by lead generation and custom content engagements sold to enterprise and mid-market technology vendors, and by association partnership and event revenue. Distribution is concentrated in North America with growing European coverage via the London office, and a 300-person global leadership team oversees a broader organization of 501-1,000 employees. Recent strategic activity has focused on productizing AI capabilities, re-platforming flagship brands such as ITPro, and expanding the ITPro Awards franchise.
Future B2B firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Future B2B
- Legal name
- Future B2B LLC
- Website
- https://futureb2b.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Future B2B is the B2B media and marketing services division of Future PLC, operating 15+ vertical brands (including SmartBrief, ITPro, and ActualTech Media) to deliver advertising, lead generation, custom content, and event services to enterprise and mid-market B2B technology vendors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Future B2B industry classification
Industry- Product category
- B2B Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (541830)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)
Keywords
Where Future B2B is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Future B2B business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Advertising: Display, newsletter, dedicated email sends, in-Brief email advertising, social advertising via SmartSocial, and premium placements across Future B2B's brand portfolio (SmartBrief, ITPro, AV Technology, Radio World, SVC, ActualTech, etc.). Sold primarily on a sponsorship/placement basis with named brand audiences.
- Lead Generation: B2B lead generation programs with cost-per-lead (CPL) pricing; ActualTech Media reports 150K CPL leads generated in the last 12 months and 260K CPL leads generated in the last 12 months across the ActualTech program. Delivered via webinars, content syndication, and dedicated campaigns with custom filtered forms.
- Custom Content: Custom content services including eBooks, whitepapers, blogs, infographics, comics, Q&A videos, and sponsored thought leadership articles. Editorial expertise blended with targeted audiences, sold as content production engagements.
- Events (Live, Virtual, Award Events): Live events, virtual events, webinars, and award events (including paid entry awards via future.swoogo.com). Future B2B hosted 513 B2B webinars in the past year. Includes webinar production services with seasoned moderator talent.
- Appointment Setting: B2B appointment setting services governed by Future B2B LLC Appointment Setting Terms. Sold as a managed outbound service to B2B vendors.
- Content Syndication: Content syndication programs that distribute sponsored/thought leadership content to targeted audiences via the Future B2B brand network. Governed by Future B2B LLC Content Syndication Terms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Quote-based / Not publicly disclosed across all service lines (advertising, lead generation, custom content, events, content syndication, appointment setting). |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Future B2B product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Future B2B provides B2B marketing services—including advertising, lead generation, custom content, events, and audience activation—delivered through a portfolio of 15+ owned-and-operated media brands (SmartBrief, ActualTech Media, ITPro, AV Technology, TV Tech, etc.) that together reach 7M+ senior executives and professionals, deliver 1.2B newsletters per year, and host 513+ B2B webinars annually. The company also operates proprietary AI-powered advertising tools (Ad Genie, Behavioral Targeting, Aperture Intent) and the Future-owned Vanilla publishing platform.
Product overview
Future B2B is not a single unified software product but a B2B media and marketing services platform-plus-brands portfolio organized under five core service lines (Advertising, Lead Generation, Custom Content, Events, and Affinity) and 15+ owned-and-operated media brands that together reach 1.2B newsletter deliveries, 7M+ newsletter subscribers, and 513 B2B webinars per year. The flagship brands SmartBrief (curated newsletters and Ad Genie / AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting advertising tools), ActualTech Media (tech webinars and content syndication lead generation), and ITPro (in-depth IT analysis and the annual ITPro Awards) anchor the portfolio, while specialist brands such as AV Technology, Installation, Mix, Radio World, Residential Systems, SCN, Sound & Video Contractor, Tech & Learning, TVBEurope, TV Tech, Twice, and NextTV provide niche pro-AV, broadcast, education, and consumer-electronics audiences. Underpinning these services are proprietary capabilities including Aperture Intent (predictive intent targeting), SmartSocial (social audience extension), the AI Impact SmartBrief newsletter, and the Future-owned Vanilla publishing platform used to host brands such as ITPro, TechRadar, and Tech & Learning. Future B2B is a division of Future PLC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SmartBrief: Leading digital media publisher of targeted business news and insight by industry; delivers curated daily industry news to nearly 7 million senior executives and professionals in partnership with 250+ trade associations, professional societies, nonprofits and corporations.
- ActualTech Media
- ITPro
- TV Tech
- TVBEurope
- NextTV
- Radio World
- MIX
- TWICE
- AV Technology
- Tech & Learning
- Installation
- Residential Systems
- SCN (Systems Contractor News)
- Sound & Video Contractor
- TechRadar Pro
Products and services
- Advertising Services Specialized B2B advertising services delivered through Future B2B's owned media brands, boosting client brand presence across email newsletters, display, social, and sponsored placements. Includes proprietary offerings such as SmartSocial audience extension, SmartBrief Ad Network, Ad Genie AI creative generation, and AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting.
- Lead Generation B2B lead generation services that enhance pipeline velocity with targeted CPL and MQL programs. Includes content syndication with advanced targeting by geography, job title, and company size, plus the Aperture Intent intent-targeting capability. ActualTech Media reports approximately 260k CPL leads generated in the last 12 months.
- Custom Content Custom content services delivering editorial-grade eBooks, whitepapers, blogs, infographics, comics, and human-curated content for B2B audiences across ActualTech Media, SmartBrief, ITPro, AV Technology, Tech & Learning, and TV Tech communities.
- Events Live events, virtual events, webinars, and award events (including the ITPro Awards) spanning 17 industries. Includes ActualTech Media's MegaCast, EcoCast, and Virtual Summit multi-vendor webinar formats with seasoned moderator talent. 513 B2B webinars hosted in the past year.
- Affinity Audience activation service that reaches and activates verified, in-market B2B audiences using real-time engagement signals, complementing advertising, lead generation, and content syndication offerings.
- SmartBrief Flagship digital media publishing brand delivering industry-specific targeted business news and insights to nearly 7 million senior executives and professionals via curated daily newsletters, in partnership with 250+ trade associations, professional societies, nonprofits, and corporations. Powers association-branded newsletters and advertising tools (Ad Genie, SmartSocial, AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting, Ad Network).
- ActualTech Media High-impact tech webinar and authoritative technology content brand reaching 3M+ IT professionals and generating approximately 260k CPL leads in the last 12 months. Runs proprietary formats including MegaCast, EcoCast, and Virtual Summit multi-vendor webinars for IT vendor lead generation. Team includes ex-CIOs, IT managers, and infrastructure architects.
- ITPro In-depth analysis and coverage brand for IT decision-makers, delivering 422.1K global monthly users and 53.1K newsletter subscribers, covering Business, Channel Pro, Cloud Pro, Hardware Infrastructure, Security, and Devops. Also runs the annual ITPro Awards and publishes Future Focus research.
- SmartBrief Ad Genie Proprietary AI-powered creative generation tool launched by SmartBrief that rapidly creates alternate versions of existing native email-ad creatives, leveraging insights from millions of B2B email advertisements delivered annually. Generally available.
- SmartBrief AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting solution that helps B2B advertisers optimize campaign performance and reach verified, in-market audiences with precision. Builds on SmartBrief's existing auto-optimization and Ad Network infrastructure, processing subscriber engagement and first-party audience data.
- AI Impact SmartBrief Newsletter Twice-weekly AI-focused newsletter produced by SmartBrief to help senior executives and professionals navigate the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence. Targeted at audiences served by SmartBrief's 250+ trade and professional association partners.
Companies that use Future B2B
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles4 records
Future B2B technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Future B2B partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Future B2B competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Informa Markets: Global B2B events, media, and intelligence conglomerate operating hundreds of B2B brands across technology, healthcare, and professional verticals, with overlapping audiences and significantly larger scale than Future B2B. After the 2024 TechTarget acquisition, Informa is now the single most important B2B tech media competitor to Future B2B.
- RELX (Elsevier): Diversified B2B information and analytics conglomerate (Elsevier, LexisNexis, Risk Solutions, Scientific, Technical & Medical) operating at vastly larger scale than Future B2B, with overlapping professional-audience media, advertising, and data-monetization capabilities across scientific, legal, and risk verticals.
Emerging players
- 6sense: AI-driven B2B intent data and revenue platform that competes with Future B2B's Aperture Intent and AI-Powered Behavioral Targeting capabilities, targeting the same B2B advertisers with predictive buyer-intent signals for account-based marketing and lead generation.
- Demandbase: B2B go-to-market platform offering account-based marketing, advertising, and intent data products that overlap with Future B2B's Aperture Intent and SmartBrief Ad Network for B2B advertisers targeting enterprise IT and business decision makers.
Direct peers
- TechTarget (Informa Tech): Operates a portfolio of B2B technology media brands and a major intent-data and lead-generation platform (Priority Engine, BrightTALK), serving IT decision makers with advertising, lead-gen, and content syndication services that directly overlap Future B2B's ITPro, ActualTech Media, and SmartBrief Ad Network offerings. Acquired by Informa in 2024, dramatically scaling the combined competitor.
- Questex: Private B2B media and events company operating brands in technology, healthcare, and hospitality with a business model (events, lead generation, custom content, advertising) that closely mirrors Future B2B's five service lines, and overlapping audiences in pro AV, IT, and digital industries.
- ZoomInfo: Public B2B go-to-market platform combining intent data, contact data, and advertising/lead-gen products (ZoomInfo Marketing, ZoomInfo Sales) that compete directly with Future B2B's Aperture Intent, SmartBrief Ad Network, and ActualTech Media CPL lead-gen offerings for the same advertiser and IT-buyer audience.
- Spiceworks Ziff Davis: Operates B2B tech media brands (Spiceworks, eWeek, Mashable, RetailMeNot, Techopedia, DemandMedia) and an IT community of millions of professionals, with advertising, lead-gen, and content syndication revenue models that are directly comparable to Future B2B's ITPro, SmartBrief, and ActualTech Media stack.
- Emerald (Emerald Holding): B2B media and events operator across multiple verticals (marketing, technology, healthcare, retail) with events, content, and advertising revenue lines closely aligned to Future B2B's Events, Custom Content, and Advertising service offerings for similar professional audiences.
- Foundry (IDG Communications): Spun out of IDG, Foundry operates B2B technology media brands (CIO, CSO, Computerworld, InfoWorld, Network World, PCWorld) and runs demand-generation services that closely mirror Future B2B's ITPro and ActualTech Media lead-gen and content syndication offerings for the same IT decision-maker audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Future B2B social profiles
Digital presenceFuture B2B financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Future B2B leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Future B2B subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries15 records
Future B2B funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Future B2B 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 Future B2B
What does Future B2B do?
Future B2B provides B2B marketing services—including advertising, lead generation, custom content, events, and audience activation—delivered through a portfolio of 15+ owned-and-operated media brands (SmartBrief, ActualTech Media, ITPro, AV Technology, TV Tech, etc.) that together reach 7M+ senior executives and professionals, deliver 1.2B newsletters per year, and host 513+ B2B webinars annually. The company also operates proprietary AI-powered advertising tools (Ad Genie, Behavioral Targeting, Aperture Intent) and the Future-owned Vanilla publishing platform.
Is Future B2B a public or private company?
Future B2B is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Future B2B founded?
Future B2B was founded in 2024. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Future B2B based?
Future B2B is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Future B2B make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are lead Generation, custom Content, events (Live, Virtual, Award Events), appointment Setting and content Syndication.
Who are Future B2B's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Informa Markets and RELX (Elsevier). Emerging players are 6sense and Demandbase. Direct peers are TechTarget (Informa Tech), Questex, ZoomInfo, Spiceworks Ziff Davis, Emerald (Emerald Holding) and Foundry (IDG Communications).
Does Future B2B have an API?
No public API is recorded for Future B2B.
What industry is Future B2B in?
Future B2B's product category is B2B Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAADAC, Technology & B2B PR. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.