Smartly
Cross-channel advertising software for creative, media and measurement.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- Smartly.io Solutions Oy
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- Elielinaukio 2G, Helsinki, Finland
- Company size
- 501–1,000
- Market role
- AdTech Vendor
- Official website
- smartly.io
What Smartly does
Smartly operates a B2B advertising software model. It provides a proprietary platform that centralises campaign creation, media execution, optimisation and reporting across multiple advertising environments, then monetises that workflow through enterprise contracts. The company creates value by reducing manual campaign work, improving creative throughput, unifying reporting, and helping advertisers and agencies manage multi-platform media from a single interface. It also extends the model with managed services for customers that want outsourced execution.
Category differentiation
Smartly is an enterprise advertising software provider, not a consumer app or a media owner. It should be distinguished from pure DSPs or walled gardens because it acts as a cross-platform orchestration layer and also offers creative and measurement tools.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
Smartly is a Finnish private software company that sells an advertising platform used by enterprise advertisers and agencies to plan, create, run and measure digital campaigns across multiple channels. Its product suite combines creative orchestration, media activation, workflow automation and measurement in a single operating layer, with integrations into social platforms and external DSPs rather than owning consumer media inventory itself. The company makes money primarily from enterprise software fees tied to platform usage and managed advertising spend, alongside managed services and premium product layers. Its buyers are business customers such as global brands, agency trading teams, creative teams, performance marketers and marketing analysts that need centralised control across fragmented ad ecosystems.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
Smartly expanded its unified advertising platform by integrating LinkedIn Ads to enhance B2B AI-driven creative personalisation and video production. The company hosted its flagship ADVANCE summit in New York City, featuring CEO Laura Desmond, a performance by Timbaland, and industry discussions criticising legacy FTE agency pricing models. Additionally, former Smartly employees launched the AI CRM startup Zero following a $10.3 million seed funding round.
Business model & monetisation
The company uses a SaaS-led monetisation model, typically structured around enterprise contracts and fees linked to advertising spend managed through the platform, often with minimum commitments. Additional revenue comes from premium capabilities such as creative orchestration and measurement, plus managed services where Smartly specialists handle campaign setup, optimisation and operational execution on behalf of clients.
- Platform fees tied to managed advertising spend
- Percentage Take-Rate
- Enterprise software subscriptions and platform access
- Software Subscription
- Managed services for campaign execution and optimisation
- Service Fee
- Premium measurement and creative capabilities
- Software Subscription
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Products & market categories
Technology
Service
Competitors & alternatives
- KNOREX
Cross-channel DSP and advertising automation platform for enterprises and agencies.
- DaVinci Commerce
Commerce media software for creative, activation and attribution workflows.
- Adsmurai
Hybrid MarTech platform and digital marketing services company.
- Mediaocean
Omnichannel advertising workflow and ad serving software provider.
- Tec-Do
AI marketing software and overseas advertising services for brands.
Side-by-side comparisons
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
Horizon CEO Bob Lord Criticizes Holdcos’ FTE Pricing Models
Agency Model · Recorded impact score: 2/5
At Smartly's Advance event in Lower Manhattan, Horizon Media Holdings president Bob Lord publicly criticized traditional full-time equivalent (FTE)-based pricing models used by major agency holding companies. He argued that such models, along with principal-based buying, are outdated and hinder client business growth. Lord emphasized the need for 'composable architectures' and monetizing technology investments rather than relying on legacy headcount-based pricing. He predicted that within five years, clients will stop paying for FTE-based models. His comments highlight a growing industry debate about agency compensation structures as technology and AI reshape the agency landscape.
- Horizon Media Holdings president Bob Lord criticized FTE-based pricing models at Smartly's Advance event.
- Lord called FTE models and principal-based buying 'the old system'.
Smartly adds LinkedIn Ads to unified platform for B2B marketers
Platform · Recorded impact score: 3/5
Smartly, the AI-powered advertising technology company, announced a new integration bringing LinkedIn Ads into its unified advertising platform. This collaboration aims to help B2B marketers personalize creative for professional audiences, accelerate video production, and use audience and performance intelligence to continuously improve advertising outcomes. By combining LinkedIn's professional audience insights with Smartly's AI-powered creative and performance intelligence, marketers can create more relevant creative across the B2B buying journey. The integration also enables scaling video production for LinkedIn through AI-powered automation and turning performance signals into actionable insights.
- Smartly announced a new integration bringing LinkedIn Ads into its unified advertising platform.
- The integration is designed to help B2B marketers personalize creative for professional audiences.
Timbaland to Headline Smartly’s Advance in New York City on September 29
Recorded impact score: 3/5
September 2, 2026 ### TIMBALAND TO HEADLINE SMARTLY’S ADVANCE IN NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 29
Smartly ADVANCE Returns to New York Sept. 29
Experiential & Event Marketing · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Smartly announced that its flagship conference ADVANCE will return to New York City on September 29, 2026, at Spring Studios, convening more than 750 senior marketing, agency and technology leaders. The agenda will include speakers from across the marketing ecosystem — including Accenture Song, DoorDash, Google, Meta, NBCUniversal, The New York Times, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, WPP and YouTube — and opening remarks from Smartly CEO Laura Desmond. The event features two tracks, Creative AI and Commerce AI, and partners such as Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Roku, Snapchat and TikTok. NBA Champion Josh Hart and Matthew Hillman (CEO, PATH Talent) will appear in a closing conversation. Registration is open and qualified attendees may be eligible for complimentary admission.
- Smartly's ADVANCE conference returns to New York City on September 29, 2026 at Spring Studios.
- The event will convene more than 750 senior marketing and advertising leaders from brands, agencies and technology platforms.
Careers & open positions
Open positions indexed from verified career portals and applicant tracking systems.
| Position | Department | Location | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
| VP, Strategic Communications & Commercial Marketing(VP) | Marketing | New York, New York, United States | |
| VP, Marketing Strategy & Operational Excellence(VP) | Marketing | New York, New York, United States | |
| Early Interest - Senior Fullstack Engineer(Unspecified) | Research & Development | Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland | |
| Smartly Launchpad 2027 (Software Engineer)(Unspecified) | Research & Development | Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland | |
| Revenue Operations Intern(Intern) | People | Chicago |
Explore company relationships
Questions about Smartly
What is Smartly?
Smartly is a B2B advertising software company that combines creative production, media execution and measurement in one platform for enterprise marketers and agencies.
Who uses Smartly?
Its users are enterprise advertisers, global brands, agency teams, media buyers, creative teams and analysts running multi-channel digital campaigns.
How does Smartly make money?
It earns revenue from enterprise software contracts, fees linked to advertising spend managed through the platform, and managed service engagements.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
18 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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