Two Gen Z founders want to change the OOH ad marketplace for their generation

Founder Andrei Stenmark said he views Anvara as offering “guerilla marketing” at scale on everyday products and places that people are already exposed to — and it’s a way to stand out from the competition on social media and in other forms of digital ads. Everything from shipping boxes to paper towels, from sports stadium signage to branded ride shares are available and measurable on the platform. Stenmark said it works much like other ad marketplaces for commerce media or connected TV.

“[If you want to] target 18 to 22 year olds in New York City who are interested in basketball, our platform will go through all the different listings that are available — based on their impressions of the data we have there, and automatically connect them together to find the most ideal ones for your target audience,” Stenmark explained.

Anvara aspires to become the “Airbnb for cool ads,” co-founder Nick Khalili said, adding that today many Gen Z young adults are “so overly stimulated by their phones.”

It can become hard for competing calls to action to get people’s attention on social feeds — but “not at the Yankee Stadium … or your favorite coffee shop,” Stenmark said.

By placing ads in these less media-saturated spaces, Anvara’s co-founders said they believe the platform can help advertisers capture Gen Z’s attention more effectively with eye-catching products and experiential marketing. Anvara will also use data and AI to identify campaigns and track foot traffic, demographics and online engagement.

For brands, using a platform to select for them from available ad options and track returns in real-time cuts down on planning time and costs, explained Mitch Modell, former CEO of Modell’s Sporting Goods and current advisor to Anvara. Modell said his company was the largest retailer in the country buying millions of dollars annually in ad spending, and working with professional sports teams including the Jets, Giants and Knicks.

“Back then, there was no simple way to gauge sponsorship value or measure ROI, and it took our team months to plan,” Modell said. “With Anvara, I can do it in minutes. They provide a clear view of all options and track returns in real-time.”

Currently in pre-launch, the organizations on Anvara’s waitlist range from sports teams including the San Jose Sharks and Houston Astros, to coffee shops, to brands like Delta and Geico, and even media agencies including Spark Foundry. The platform’s founders said there are around 75 sports teams on board and some 100 to 125 advertisers interested in the inventory once the platform goes live next month.

Anvara’s launch is coming at an appropriate time in the OOH market. Programmatic digital OOH spend is expected to reach $1 billion this year, with outdoor still the largest venue category, accounting for 60% of the spending, according to PlaceExchange. The number of programmatic OOH screens also grew by 17% in the first half of 2024, driven by entertainment, retail, transit and health locations.

OOH media company Kevani focuses specifically on digital billboards and other advertising destinations in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York City — 95% of its inventory is digital. Kevani’s clients include Google, Pepsi and Spotify. Founder Kevin Bartanian, who is also on the innovations committee of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, argues that OOH ads provide a non-forced experience that Gen Z consumers are more receptive to, as they have the flexibility to engage with the content when they want to do so in these settings.

“[Gen Z] has fatigue, and they’re looking for authentic, real-world experiences,” Bartanian said. “We don’t want to have one message that’s the same there in every market. We want to have an L.A.-specific message, or even a one mile-radius relevant message to what’s going on locally in that area. Those are the things that really resonate with them.”