Revolutionizing Real-World Advertising: An Interview with Anvara’s Co-Founders Nick Khalili and Andrei Stenmark
The advertising landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, with marketers increasingly looking beyond digital platforms to engage consumers in meaningful, memorable ways. Enter Anvara, a cutting-edge marketplace co-founded by Nick Khalili and Andrei Stenmark, that is simplifying and modernizing real-world advertising. In this exclusive interview, the co-founders share insights into the platform’s origins, functionality, and potential to revolutionize how brands connect with audiences.
The Inspiration Behind Anvara
Andrei Stenmark: “The inspiration came from our frustration with the outdated process of buying and selling real-world advertising. We faced this frustration ourselves. When I was looking for ways to grow my last business, WAFL (exited Summer ’23), I wanted to leverage real-world ads. I found that the process was outdated, inefficient, and impossible given how busy I was. Marketers love the impact of sponsorships, events, and experiential campaigns, and spend in these areas is growing rapidly, but the process to secure these opportunities has always been slow, tedious, and expensive. We wanted to create a platform that simplifies and modernizes everything—letting advertisers browse, book, and measure premium ad spaces like they’re shopping on Amazon or booking an Airbnb.”
How Anvara Works
Nick Khalili explains the core of Anvara’s functionality: “Anvara is a marketplace that connects brands and agencies with premium real-world ad opportunities. Think NFL sponsorships, Rolling Loud brand activations, or even local coffee shop takeovers. Advertisers can explore options, make offers, sign contracts, and track ROI—all within the platform. What sets us apart is the combination of simplicity, accessibility, and cutting-edge attribution technology, which helps marketers understand the real impact of their campaigns.”
Democratizing Advertising
Anvara’s accessibility is a key feature. “Brands and agencies can use Anvara to shop for ad space—with no strings attached,” says Stenmark. “It’s free to access for advertisers. There’s a lot of premium media on the platform, so we are approval-only to make sure only legitimate buyers can access. There is no specific budget necessary, but some listings have minimum spend requirements.”
The timing of Anvara’s launch is no coincidence. Khalili notes, “Digital ROI has been declining, and marketers are turning to real-world experiences for better consumer trust and recall. However, the existing process for securing these opportunities is inefficient. We’re at a point where brands need streamlined solutions to make real-world advertising as measurable and accessible as digital. Anvara bridges that gap.”
Anvara’s platform offers a wide array of advertising opportunities, catering to diverse campaign goals. Stenmark highlights examples: “We have everything from experiential stunts, like the Game of Thrones dragon projection, to single-game sponsorships with sports teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and the Saint Louis Blues. We also have the best available out-of-home listings like billboards, subway ads, and bus wraps in major cities. We’ve even tapped into local hotspots like coffee shops and cafes, offering branding on coffee sleeves, napkins, deli bags, and water bottles. These are places where consumers are already engaged, making the ads feel organic and impactful.”
Artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in Anvara’s strategy. Khalili explains, “AI is at the core of our vision. We’re building tools to recommend the best ad opportunities based on a brand’s campaign goals. For example, if you want to target Gen Z college students in California who are into fashion, our AI can pinpoint the perfect placements and streamline the entire process, from discovery to execution. This combines the targeting precision of digital with the emotional resonance of real-world mediums.”
One of the longstanding challenges in real-world advertising has been measuring its impact. Anvara addresses this head-on. Khalili shares, “We’ve partnered with advanced measurement platforms like Placer.AI to offer insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, and social media spillover—when people share your ad online because it’s cool or unique. These tools give advertisers actionable data to understand the true impact of their campaigns.”
Early Feedback
The response from early users has been overwhelmingly positive. Stenmark recalls, “Mitch Modell, former CEO of Modell Sporting Goods, said he wishes Anvara existed when his company was spending tens of millions on sponsorships annually. Alden Reiman from The Reiman Agency called it a game-changer for making sponsorships more accessible to brands with smaller budgets. This validation shows us that we’re solving real pain points.”
The journey for Anvara is just beginning. Khalili reveals, “We’ve already onboarded hundreds of buyers, including Delta and Publicis, and some sellers have already sold out right after launch. We’re also focused on scaling our unique ad mediums and refining our AI capabilities. Our ultimate goal is to make extraordinary advertising accessible to every brand and reduce the time and money it takes to put a powerful campaign together.”
For brands eager to explore the possibilities of real-world advertising, Anvara’s process is straightforward. Stenmark concludes, “It’s simple—visit anvara.com to apply and explore the possibilities. Whether you’re a local business or a global brand, we’re here to help you make a lasting impact with real-world advertising.”
Anvara’s innovative approach promises to transform how brands engage with consumers in the physical world, offering unprecedented opportunities to make advertising not just visible, but truly unforgettable.
