Dutch digital outdoor startup Beyond Outdoor raises €1.3M of funding

Beyond Outdoor, a Dutch startup in digital outdoor advertising has raised €1.3 million for the realisation of two digital advertising poles at two prime locations along the busiest traffic arteries in the Netherlands.  

Founder Danny Tournier was able to raise €900,000 through a crowdfunding campaign via the Colling Crowdfund platform. The remaining €400,000 was invested by the shareholders themselves. The financial injection follows two prior tranches of €3.5 million in total. With this last funding round, the company strengthens its position as leader of the digital revolution in ‘Digital Out of Home’.

Innovation and real-time data

Founded in 2015, Beyond Outdoor offers digital outdoor advertising, or ‘Digital Out of Home’, and now the company plans to grow to 15 digital advertising poles at prime locations along the motorways in the Netherlands.

Beyond Outdoor distinguishes itself both nationally and internationally by innovation in the area of real-time data. The company is the only market player that uses real-time data on all its poles, for example on the number and types of vehicles that are passing. With the use of mobile data, the origin and destination – completely anonymised and aggregated – can also be tracked.

The company even plans to determine the type and brand of the cars, based on visual characteristics, in the near future. Additionally, very specific weather conditions can be a variable based on which an advertiser purchases at Beyond Outdoor. Danny Tournier: “Real-time data is the base for the future of Digital Out of Home. The more information can be accessed on the spot, the more customised work we can deliver.”

Expand the market

Founder Danny Tournier is determined to expand the niche market of ‘outdoor advertising’: “We want to make outdoor advertising an interesting solution for as many parties as possible. Thanks to digitisation, the possibilities are endless. Furthermore, we have broadened the range of purchase options in such a way that we also know how to attract and keep smaller advertisers. This will ensure that Digital Out of Home becomes a logical and significant part of campaigns.

Investment of nearly €5 million

 Over the past three years, a total amount of nearly €5 million was invested in Beyond Outdoor. Mid-2015, Beyond Outdoor managed to raise the first funding of €1.5 million with Rabobank and investors for the development of the first three locations. A year later, another €2 million was raised with the bank and investors to secure new locations and the required liquidity.

Now, in 2018, Beyond Outdoor again raised over €1.3 million for the financing of two new advertising poles and the required hardware and software. In addition to an additional investment from the shareholders for the amount of €417,000, Tournier raised €900,000 via the Collin Crowdfund platform. In just twenty days, 529 investors made an average investment of €1,701 in the company. They receive an annual interest of 8% in exchange for a five-year loan.

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