Sonder

What Sonder does

Sonder is an independent owned media solutions provider founded in 2015 by Jonathan Hopkins and Angus Frazer, headquartered in Sydney, Australia with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. The company helps enterprise organizations across retail, finance, travel, telecommunications, hospitality, and other sectors measure, manage, and monetize their owned media assets—which span more than 500 formats across digital, physical, in-store, email, social, print, and loyalty channels. Sonder has cumulatively unlocked over $12B in verified owned media value across 14 sectors and 22 countries, with clients including American Express, Mastercard, 7-Eleven, Virgin, Harrods, Shell, Sephora, and Commonwealth Bank.

Sonder's core product is Media Management Software (MMS), an AI-powered platform that replaces spreadsheet-based media operations with systematic campaign management, compliance tracking, and dynamic inventory optimization. The platform incorporates patented fulfillment verification technology. Supporting the MMS is the proprietary Owned Media Index (OMX), a benchmarking database with over 2,500 CPMs across a $12B+ rate pool that underpins Sonder's rate card verification and valuation services, plus a RatecardPRO add-on module for customizing digital media rates. The technology is complemented by professional services: Audit & Valuation (asset assessment), Rate Card Benchmarking & Verification (pricing integrity), and Consulting & Enablement (strategic guidance and roadmap development).

Sonder operates a consultative enterprise sales motion, typically beginning engagements with an independent audit and valuation, then layering in MMS software deployment, rate card development, and ongoing consulting under multi-year contracts. Revenue is generated through four streams: project-based audit and valuation, recurring MMS subscriptions, rate card benchmarking and verification services, and consulting and enablement. The company positions itself as the independent authority on owned media through its annual Global Reports on Owned Media, co-produced with analyst Andrew Lipsman and the CMO Council, with the 2026 report sizing the global market at $573B. Sonder is privately held, founder-led, and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Sonder

Legal name

Sonder Communications, LLC

Website

https://sondermedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sonder is an independent owned media solutions provider that helps enterprises across retail, finance, travel, and telecom measure, manage, and monetize owned media assets through its AI-powered MMS platform, proprietary benchmarking data, and consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Management (DAM) for Media/Creative (MPAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content Retrieval, Distribution & Reuse Workflows (Interoperability/APIs) (MPAHAGAK), Media Asset Management (MAM) Platforms (MPAHAGAA)

Keywords

• Owned media valuation
• Media management software
• Retail media networks
• Rate card benchmarking
• Media commercialization consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney, New South Wales

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Audit & Valuation Services: Sonder conducts industry-standard, data-backed valuations of owned media assets for clients. This is the entry point service, establishing trust and demonstrating value before upselling to MMS software and ongoing engagements. Engagements are project-based but often lead to long-term retainer relationships.
2. Media Management Software (MMS) Subscription: AI-powered MMS platform provided on a subscription basis, enabling clients to manage media campaigns, track compliance, and optimize inventory. Revenue is recurring from software licensing.
3. Rate Card Benchmarking & Verification: Independent verification service benchmarking client rates against billions in verified media value, generating defensible, market-fit pricing for clients. Can be standalone or bundled with MMS.
4. Consulting & Enablement: Strategic guidance and knowledge transfer services to help organizations build commercialization roadmaps, align stakeholders, and build internal capabilities for owned media management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sonder provides AI-powered owned media solutions combining its proprietary Media Management Software (MMS) platform with independent audit and valuation services, rate card benchmarking and verification via the Owned Media Index (OMX), and strategic consulting. The MMS replaces spreadsheets with AI-driven campaign management, compliance tracking, and inventory optimization across in-store displays, email placements, digital screens, and other owned channels.

Product overview

Sonder is an independent owned media solutions provider offering a unified platform combining technology, data, and strategic expertise. The core product is the AI-powered Media Management Software (MMS), which serves as the central platform for media operations. Supporting the MMS are specialized tools including RatecardPRO for rate management and benchmarked pricing. These are complemented by professional services: Audit & Valuation for asset assessment, Rate Card Benchmarking & Verification for pricing integrity, and Consulting & Enablement for strategic guidance. Together, these components help organizations measure, manage, and monetize their owned media channels across retail, finance, travel, telco, and other sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MMS (Media Management Software): AI-powered Media Management Software for maximum visibility and control over owned media assets
• RatecardPRO
• OMX (Owned Media Index)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $12B in owned media value unlocked across 500+ media formats
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Andrew LipsmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent retail media analyst (formerly of EMARKETER) and founding advisor/strategist at Colosseum. Co-authors Sonder's annual global owned media market report, contributing market sizing, sector analysis, and industry expertise.
• CMO CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for Sonder's annual global owned media market reports. Conducted global CMO surveys with Sonder to gather insights on marketer strategies around owned media leverage, publishing findings in the 2026 Global Report.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Criteo: Criteo is a global commerce media platform serving retailers and brands with retargeting, retail media and audience monetisation. It overlaps directly with Sonder in retail/commerce media monetization and operates a broader, more capital-intensive SaaS platform.
• Quotient Technology (Neptune Retail Solutions): Quotient/Neptune operates retailer-driven digital promotions and media platforms, monetizing first-party retailer data. Comparable to Sonder in enabling owned media commercialization for retailers, but focused on digital couponing and promotions rather than valuation consulting.
• Catalina Marketing: Catalina operates retail media networks for grocers and CPG brands, monetizing shopper data and in-store/owned media channels. Directly comparable to Sonder in commercializing retailer-owned media but with a much larger, US-centric footprint.
• Kantar: Kantar provides media measurement, audience insights, and advertising effectiveness research including media valuation benchmarks. It is a direct analog to Sonder's audit/valuation and benchmarking services but as a much larger, established research and analytics business.

Others

• LiveRamp: LiveRamp provides data connectivity and identity resolution infrastructure that underpins retail media and audience monetization. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, but its data collaboration products intersect with the workflows Sonder enables inside MMS.

Emerging players

• Profitero: Profitero is a digital commerce analytics platform that benchmarks content, pricing and share of voice for brands across retailers. It is a partial overlap with Sonder's OMX benchmarking approach, focused on ecommerce performance rather than owned media commercialization.
• Tinuiti: Tinuiti is a digital marketing agency with strong retail media and commerce media practices serving major US brands and retailers. It overlaps with Sonder's commerce media enablement and consulting services but as a media buying agency rather than an independent valuation authority.

Broad incumbents

• GroupM (WPP): GroupM is WPP's media investment group operating agencies like Essence and Mindshare with growing retail and commerce media practices. It competes for the same enterprise marketing budgets as Sonder but as part of a much larger media planning/buying portfolio.
• Publicis Groupe (Starcom / Publicis Commerce): Publicis operates Starcom, Publicis Commerce, and Epsilon-anchored commerce media offerings for global brands. Comparable to Sonder as a broader incumbent addressing retail media strategy, valuation and activation at scale.
• Nielsen (NielsenIQ): Nielsen and NielsenIQ provide audience measurement, media ratings and retail analytics that intersect with Sonder's valuation and benchmarking offerings. Much larger scale and broader portfolio, but similar role in helping quantify media value.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonder-communications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Sonder