Shinka raises €1.9M seed to bring real-time auctions to digital billboards

What's the deal? ShinkaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Dublin-based adtech startup, has raised €1.9 million (£1.58 million) in a seed round to build a mediation layer for digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. The round was led by a group of Irish angel investors, with backing from Enterprise Ireland.

What's the endgame? Shinka acts as a real-time auctioneer for digital billboard and screen owners. Its software opens ad slots to multiple automated buyers at once, letting the highest bidder win instantly and maximising revenue for media companies. It also gives advertisers real-time reporting and bidding transparency.

Why now? The company says it is targeting a "market at a tipping point," as digital formats are expected to account for 49% of worldwide out-of-home ad revenue in 2026. Founded in 2024 by former Google video strategy executive Kieran Greene, Shinka is betting on the sector's shift to programmatic buying.

Where's the money going? The funding will grow Shinka's team, deepen integrations with demand partners, and fund expansion into the US and Asia-Pacific.

"OOH has gone digital, but it's still traded on legacy technology and manual bookings," said Greene, founder and chief executive officer. "Shinka has been built so any media owner can plug in and let the technology do the work."

What could go wrong? The round is small and early. The announcement alone does not establish traction or set Shinka apart from other adtech platforms chasing the same programmatic shift.

The signal: DOOH is moving toward programmatic auctions while many screen networks still rely on older systems and manual bookings. Shinka's round is a focused infrastructure bet on closing that gap.

Read more: signlink.co.uk

Image credit: Elvert Barnes