FlyteDesk

Market position

flytedesk describes itself as the technology powering college media, aggregating campus inventory for national advertisers in a market where brands spend more than $70 billion annually to reach college students. Local tech press has covered it as a Boulder adtech startup that connects advertisers with 18-to-24-year-olds through a network of university newspapers, clubs and other ad placement partners, reaching millions of students in the US.

flytedesk positions itself as a technology platform rather than an agency or media owner: it does not own inventory or impose advertising policies on campuses, instead supporting existing college media operators. It emphasizes origins within student media, a platform configurable to the differing practices of individual campuses, and student-sourced insight rather than third-party youth expertise. Coverage of its 2017 pitch competition win described a tech-forward approach to aggregating a large supply of campus ad placements.

Technology

A cloud-based ad management platform on which advertisers select target audiences, upload creative and run ("flight") campaigns, and on which campus publishers manage their products, inventory and campaigns. The platform is described as adaptable to varied campus structures and stakeholders, and includes audience-building and insights tools for brands. A rebuilt version of the platform aimed at more efficient execution at scale was announced in 2017.

Go-to-market

The company sells to two sides: college media operators and institutions, who adopt the platform to manage and monetize campus inventory, and national brands and agencies, who buy campus media through flytedesk. Website calls to action center on booking a call or demo and submitting RFPs, supported by teams for publisher development, campus partnerships, demand, brand partnerships and campaign fulfillment, plus a resource hub, blog and campus programming.

College and university media operators — student newspapers, clubs and other campus media stakeholders and higher-education institutions — and national brands seeking to reach 18-to-24-year-old college students; also political and advocacy advertisers.

Geography

United States; the company is based in Boulder, Colorado, reaches students across US campuses, and lists remote full-time roles.

History

The company started in 2012 and originated at a college newspaper. It went through the Techstars Boulder and BoomTown accelerator programs. In 2017 its CEO reported growth from $2 million in gross revenue in fiscal 2016 to a projected $20 million for 2017, with a 12-person team expected to reach 25-30 by the end of that academic year, and the company won the $100,000 Rise of the Rest pitch competition in Colorado. The platform is now described as serving more than 2,300 campuses, with products spanning print, email newsletters, out-of-home networks, influencer placements, campus sponsorships and political/advocacy campaigns.