Romanian Footprints AI, a company in the retail-media market, has attracted a €2.3 million investment in a funding round led by Catalyst Romania.
👯 Founders: Dan Marc (CEO & Co-founder), Paul Gheorghiu (Head of Partnerships & Co-founder)
📅 Founding year: 2017
🏭 Industry: Retail Media, AI, Digital Advertising
💥 Problem: Limited and fragmented retail media solutions in CEE, making it difficult for brands to target consumers efficiently.
📣 Solution: An AI-powered retail media and data insights platform that integrates online and offline data for precise targeting and campaign optimization.
👥 Customers: Retailers, brands, and advertising agencies in CEE and globally.
🌱 Stage: Growth/Expansion
💰 Investment amount: €2.3 million
🚀 Funded by: Catalyst Romania (€1.5 million), SeedBlink (€100,000), and other private investors, including previous backers.
👁️🗨️ Investor’s perspective: “Retail media represents one of the biggest transformations in digital advertising globally, and Footprints AI is at the forefront of this sector. We chose to support Footprints AI due to the company’s ability to provide a scalable and integrated solution that addresses real market needs and generates measurable results. The platform and the team behind it have exceeded our expectations, and according to the latest data, the company’s revenue increased sixfold in 2024 compared to the previous year,” said Marius Ghenea, Managing Partner at Catalyst Romania.
💡 It will be spent on: International expansion, AI-driven platform development, automation, scalability, and data security enhancements.
💬 In their own words: “Scalability and omnichannel integration represent the future of retail media. We focus on providing a simple yet powerful system capable of delivering efficient campaigns and maximizing market potential.” – Paul Gheorghiu, Co-founder.
💪 Their specialty: AI-driven retail media solutions that transform consumer shopping behavior data into media audiences for targeted advertising.
🔑 Business model: SaaS platform for retailers and brands, offering analytics, automation, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
👩🏫 Market: Retail media market in CEE, with potential expansion globally. Estimated to reach €500 million annually by 2030.
📊 Traction: Revenue grew sixfold in 2024; currently analyzing and leveraging data from 25M+ consumers monthly; partnerships with major retailers like Carrefour, Altex, Profi, and Wolt.
⚡ Competitors: Other global retail media platforms, but Footprints AI differentiates itself through AI integration and omnichannel capabilities in a fragmented CEE market.
