Meet the AI startups redefining advertising and brand strategy

Artificial intelligence is transforming advertising and marketing at unprecedented speed, with startups developing tools from AI agents to generative video platforms. Many of these companies are raising millions from venture capital as they look to streamline marketing workflows, create AI-driven ads, and even optimize brand visibility in AI-powered search results.

Business Insider has shared pitch decks from 17 media and adtech startups that have impressed investors and secured funding. Among them:

1. Vibe: Adtech for streaming TV ads, $50M (Series B)

2. Hedra: Generative AI video tools for marketers, $32M (Series A)

3. Fluency: AI agents automating campaigns across platforms, $40M (Series A)

4. Limy: Helps brands boost visibility to AI agents, $10M (Seed)

5. AdsGency: Automates advertising across platforms, $12M (Seed)

Other startups in the list focus on influencer marketing, AI personas for brand testing, lifecycle marketing, and agentic AI tools for performance campaigns. Some explore new frontiers like generative engine optimization, simulating AI search and chatbot responses for brands.

Industry giants like WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom are investing heavily in AI to stay competitive, with Boston Consulting Group reporting that 71% of CMOs plan to spend at least $10M annually on generative AI over the next three years.

These startups illustrate how AI is reshaping creative, data, and strategy functions in advertising, while offering investors opportunities to back the next generation of marketing technology.