What is Smartly?
Founded in 2013 by Kristo Ovaska and Tuomo Riekki, Smartly.io provides a sophisticated platform designed to help brands launch, automate, and optimize advertising campaigns across multiple digital channels. By focusing on the intersection of creative production and media buying, the company enables marketers to streamline complex workflows and improve return on ad spend. As a leader in the ad-tech space, Smartly.io has evolved from a niche Facebook-focused tool into a comprehensive enterprise software solution, catering to the needs of global brands that require high-performance, data-driven advertising automation to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly fragmented media environment.
How much funding has Smartly raised?
Smartly has raised a total of $246.3M across 4 funding rounds:
Series A
$2.8M
Unspecified
$500K
Private Equity
$20M
Private Equity
$223M
Series A (2015): $2.8M with participation from Lifeline Ventures
Unspecified (2017): $500K, investors not publicly disclosed
Private Equity (2017): $20M supported by Highland Europe
Private Equity (2019): $223M featuring Providence Equity Partners
Key Investors in Smartly
Providence Equity Partners
A specialist private equity firm focusing on growth-oriented companies in media, communications, education, and technology, with over $40 billion invested since inception.
Highland Europe
A growth-stage investment firm providing capital to product-led software and consumer companies, emphasizing founder-centric values and long-term scaling strategies.
Lifeline Ventures
A sector-agnostic early-stage investor that supports resilient founders from the inception of their journey, acting as a trusted ally for long-term growth.
What's next for Smartly?
With the infusion of capital from its latest financing round, Smartly.io is well-positioned to accelerate its product development roadmap and deepen its penetration into key international markets. The company's strategic focus is expected to center on enhancing its machine learning capabilities to further automate creative optimization and cross-platform media management. By leveraging this major enterprise-level funding, Smartly.io aims to solidify its role as an essential infrastructure partner for global marketing teams, ensuring that its technology remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving digital advertising ecosystem.
See full Smartly company page
