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portl media
Techstars '18Toronto, CA · Founded 2016 · 6 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Portl Media operates an out-of-home (OOH) advertising network of small-format digital screens placed in storefront windows, on neighbourhood streets, and on select large-format hero walls. It lets brands and agencies browse and buy inventory by area, foot traffic, and demographics, and handles specs, playout scheduling, and real-time reporting.
Also known as Portl Media
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Portl Media is a Toronto, Ontario-based media and advertising technology company. Its current offering is a street-level digital out-of-home (OOH) network built from small-format screens placed in storefront windows, along neighbourhood corridors and in locations the company describes as too tight for larger networks, plus a smaller number of large-format "hero wall" placements in key locations. Advertisers browse inventory by neighbourhood, street or coverage density and can filter by foot traffic, demographics and visibility; Portl Media then manages creative specs, playout scheduling and real-time reporting across the campaign. Buyers can run street-only campaigns, add a hero wall, or pilot a single site before scaling.
The company addresses three constituencies. Advertisers and agencies buy campaigns on the network. Existing screen-network owners can connect their own systems or use Portl Media's stack to monetize inventory, with the company stating there are no platform fees and that partners receive a revenue share and dashboard access. Property owners with street-facing windows or walls can list a location for a small-footprint installation and receive monthly income from advertiser demand Portl Media brings.
Earlier company descriptions position Portl Media differently: as an interactive media and entertainment platform delivering content, advertising and commerce through tablets installed in rideshare vehicles, using geo-location data supplied via rideshare company APIs. That version of the platform tracked usage, collected historic ride and location data, and served incentives intended to drive rider action.
Business model
Portl Media sells advertising inventory on physical digital screens it aggregates across storefronts, neighbourhood corridors and hero walls. Supply comes from two partner types: independent screen-network owners who connect existing systems or adopt Portl Media's stack in exchange for a revenue share with no platform fees, and property owners who host small-footprint installations in street-facing windows or walls in return for monthly payments. Portl Media handles specs, playout scheduling and reporting for advertisers on top of this inventory.
Revenue is generated from advertisers and agencies buying placements across the screen network, with supply-side economics based on revenue sharing with network owners and monthly payments to property owners hosting screens.
Traction
A company profile reported that 88% of riders voluntarily engaged with the in-vehicle platform for approximately 7.5 minutes, and described the product as full product ready. The current website states the network is used by established brands and agencies.
Latest developments
Portl Media's website presents the company as a street-level OOH network offering storefront screens, neighbourhood networks and hero walls, with partner programs for screen-network owners and property owners.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Portl Media is a small, seed-stage company operating in digital out-of-home advertising, positioning itself in street-level inventory segments that larger OOH networks do not cover.
Portl Media focuses on small-format, eye-level inventory in storefronts, neighbourhood corridors and constrained spaces that it says larger OOH networks do not list, using window screens or flush wall units rather than standalone structures, and combines this with self-service-style inventory browsing filtered by foot traffic, demographics and visibility.
Technology
The platform provides inventory browsing and filtering by neighbourhood, street, coverage density, foot traffic, demographics and visibility, plus playout scheduling and real-time campaign reporting. Third-party network owners can integrate their existing screen systems or run on Portl Media's stack with dashboard access. In its rideshare-tablet configuration, the platform ingested geo-location data through rideshare company APIs and collected historic ride and location data to track usage and deliver targeted content and incentives.
Go-to-market
The company markets directly through its website with distinct paths for advertisers ("view inventory"/"learn more"), network owners ("connect network") and property owners ("list a location"), and states it works with established brands and agencies. Advertisers can pilot a single site before scaling to broader coverage.
Brands and media agencies seeking street-level out-of-home placements in specific neighbourhoods, as well as the supply-side partners the company recruits: owners of existing digital screen networks and owners of street-facing retail windows and walls.
Geography
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with associated locations including Scarborough and North York in the Toronto area and other Ontario and Quebec locations listed on a job board profile.
History
Portl Media was founded in November 2016 and is incorporated as a C-corp based in Toronto, Ontario. It was initially described as a network of content, advertising and commerce-enabled tablets in rideshare vehicles that used rideshare geo-location APIs to target riders during idle time. The company later operated as a street-level digital out-of-home network of storefront screens, neighbourhood networks and hero walls. It is listed as a seed-stage portfolio company of Dash40 Ventures and appears on the Techstars job board.
Compiled by commissioned research from 9 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
▸Research sources · 9
primary sources listed
- portl mediaportlmedia.com · web
9 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does portl media do?
- Toronto-based Portl Media runs a street-level digital out-of-home network of storefront, neighbourhood and hero-wall screens.
- Who are portl media's investors?
- portl media's investors include Techstars.
- Where is portl media headquartered?
- portl media is headquartered in Toronto, CA.