Navistone

NaviStone operates a patented, hosted marketing technology platform that identifies and activates first-party audiences for enterprise business-to-consumer brands. The platform combines identity resolution and digital intent analytics — modeling website browsing behavior — with multi-channel activation, and reports outcomes through closed-loop, incremental measurement. Its core offering is what the company calls Digitally Powered Mail: online intent signals are converted into personalized direct mail postcards delivered within 24 hours, used both for retargeting site visitors (including visitors the brand cannot otherwise identify) and for look-a-like prospecting.

The company organizes its solutions around three use cases: prospecting to reach new and underutilized audiences, retention to re-engage existing customers the brand is not currently contacting, and efficiency improvement to reduce marketing cost by raising the productivity of existing campaigns. Client engagements follow a four-step process of discovery, opportunity identification through the platform, proof-of-concept design and activation, and measurement of incremental results. Alongside the platform, NaviStone provides strategic and tactical support to client marketing teams.

Privacy is positioned as a design constraint of the product: NaviStone states its products adhere to GDPR and CCPA standards, that a patented double-blind system prevents any single party from holding both personally identifiable information and behavioral data, and that client first-party data is neither sold nor shared.

Founding story

NaviStone was founded in 2016 in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine district. According to CincyTech partner Doug Groh, the venture firm worked with the founding team on the business plan from the outset and concluded the company needed outside capital rather than a bootstrapped path; CincyTech provided seed capital and took an engaged board role.

Business model

NaviStone licenses a hosted technology platform to brands and pairs it with services support, activating audiences through personalized media and direct mail campaigns whose incremental results are measured and reported back to the client.

Traction

The company reports a team of more than 50 people, a client base weighted toward retail brands including Sleep Number, campaign response rates of approximately 5%, and claims of up to 70% improvement in return on marketing spend. It has been named a Fast 55 Growth Company in 2024 and 2025 and listed among Cincinnati's 150 Largest Private Companies in 2025 and 2026.

Latest developments

A February 2024 profile by its seed investor CincyTech described NaviStone's intent-based direct mail approach, its 5% response rates and its privacy-first design. The company's own materials cite 2025 and 2026 recognitions including Top Workplaces 2026 and inclusion among Cincinnati's 150 Largest Private Companies.