Tampa ad company acquired by Texas investors

A Tampa-based ad firm known for its mobile ads on cars and delivery robots has been sold to Texas-based investor T72 Club Inc., the companies say in a Monday news release.

Nickelytics, a Tampa startup, is a digital platform that launches "hyper-local" advertising as simply as posting online ads, says Judah Longgrear, CEO of the ad firm.

Nickelytics uses "out-of-home advertisements" through premium mobile assets, such as cars and trucks, as well as autonomous delivery robots and e-scooters to help marketers reach customers regardless of location. The asset owners receive a stream of revenue by partnering with marketers, says Nickelytics.

And as Nickelytics uses analytics, Longgrear told the Business Observer, companies can see the return on their ad spend, using Nickelytics' "attribution and digital retargeting capabilities." 

Longgrear says mobile ads are effective and tend to be remembered or observed longer than conventional ad platforms.

Longgrear declined to specify terms of the deal except to say it was "north of seven figures."

T72, based in Dallas, says it seeks to acquire organizations "with a unique value proposition, high-profit margins, and an annual recurring revenue exceeding $1 million." T72 officials say Nickelytics has a "groundbreaking advertising platform aimed at mobility services" and that its approach to recruiting mobile ads is "transformative."

Longgrear and his team of about 20 employees and contractors will remain, Longgrear says.

T72 officials say the firm has more than $5 billion in investments and more than 150 acquisitions.