Swivel has raised $11.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Swivel's investors include First Round Capital, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Hack VC, Tribeca Venture Partners, Archetype, Divergent Capital, Electric Capital, Friále, Gotham Gal Ventures, L37 Ventures, Max Ventures, Paradigm.
Swivel is an advertising technology company that builds a no-code AI workflow automation platform for ad operations, specializing in agentic orchestration to automate campaign management and decision-making.[1][2][3] It serves buyers and sellers in the ad tech industry, particularly on the sell side of TV and streaming, by solving the problem of manual effort in complex, fragmented ad workflows—optimizing strategies continuously without coding, reducing overhead, and providing explainable actions under full operator control.[1][2] Founded in 2023 and headquartered in New York, Swivel (formerly PilotDesk) has raised $9M total, including a $5.8M Series A in late 2025 led by Tribeca Venture Partners and Ardent Venture Partners, with its Mosaic Score rising +111 points in the past 30 days, signaling strong growth momentum.[1]
Swivel was founded in 2023 by Rich Lin, Danielle Rosen, and Matt Dearborn in New York City, initially operating as PilotDesk before rebranding to emphasize its agentic AI capabilities.[1][3] The founders launched amid rising demand for AI-driven automation in ad tech, transitioning from manual campaign tools to a platform that executes seller-defined logic across workflows, platforms, and channels.[1][2] Early traction came quickly, culminating in a Series A round just one month prior to late 2025, building on seed funding to reach $9M total raised and positioning it as a leader in sell-side ad operations for TV and streaming.[1][3]
Swivel stands out in ad tech through these key strengths:
(Note: A separate company at getswivel.io offers payment software for financial institutions, but context confirms this Swivel is the ad tech firm.[4])
Swivel rides the agentic AI trend—autonomous systems that act on intent in real-time—ushering in a new era for ad operations, especially sell-side TV and streaming amid fragmentation from CTV growth and programmatic shifts.[2][3] Timing aligns with 2025's AI maturation, where ad tech demands continuous execution over manual tweaks, fueled by market forces like rising ad spend (projected $1T+ globally) and complexity from privacy regulations and signal loss.[1] It influences the ecosystem by reducing operational silos, enabling publishers to monetize efficiently, and setting a standard for explainable AI in high-stakes advertising, potentially accelerating adoption in connected TV.
Swivel is poised to dominate agentic ad ops with its recent rebrand, expanded platform, and funding fueling hires and integrations.[3] Next steps likely include deeper sell-side penetration in streaming, partnerships with DSPs/SSPs, and AI enhancements for predictive monetization amid 2026's AI agent proliferation. As ad tech consolidates around automation, Swivel's no-code edge could evolve it into a category leader, amplifying its role in turning ad complexity into scalable revenue—echoing its mission to automate strategies without sacrificing control.[1][2]
Swivel has raised $11.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Series A in April 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2025 | $6.0M Series A | First Round Capital, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Hack VC, Tribeca Venture Partners | |
| Jul 1, 2018 | $5.0M Seed | Archetype, Divergent Capital, Electric Capital, First Round Capital, Friále, Gotham Gal Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Hack VC, L37 Ventures, Max Ventures, Paradigm, Pareto Holdings, Polychain Capital, Scalar Capital, SV Angel, The Hit Forge, Andrew Keys, Kelvin Beachum Jr. |
