A dull hockey game and a bar full of disengaged screens sparked something for Noah Palansky. The TVs were on, but nobody was watching. Ads looped endlessly. And no one behind the bar could be bothered to switch the channel.
That moment planted the seed for what would become Taiv, a YC-backed startup that has raised $16.5 million and is now live in over 2,000 venues across North America.
Palansky, Taiv’s CEO and co-founder, launched the company during the pandemic. Without much of a plan beyond solving a real, everyday annoyance, he and his team built a system that uses AI to control what’s shown on screens in bars, restaurants, and retail locations automatically and in real time.
The software kicks in during lulls, skipping commercials or dead airtime and swapping in trivia, highlights, or even branded content. It runs with under 50 milliseconds of latency on basic hardware, making it plug-and-play for venues. Businesses don’t pay for it. Instead, they earn a cut of ad revenue. Taiv turns something passive and costly into a new revenue stream.
“We’re expanding from 13 markets to over 20 by end of year and have already nearly doubled the size of our team from 30 to 58,” Palansky told Refresh Miami. “This funding will be used for significant expansion and product development, with a strong focus on hiring engineers and salespeople.”
The company has now raised $16.5 million across two oversubscribed rounds: a $6 million seed round made up entirely of equity, followed by a $10.5 million Series A consisting of $7.55 million in equity and $2.75 million in venture debt. The Series A was led by Copenhagen/Coconut Grove-based IDC Ventures and included Emerging Ventures, Gaingels, RBCx, Y Combinator, and FJ Labs.
In Palansky’s view, investors were drawn not just to the model, but to the traction. Taiv’s platform is now used by global brands like Pepsi, BMW, Starbucks, and Budweiser. And over the past three years, revenue has grown 5,334% as the company serves upwards of 2,000 locations.
Taiv’s roots stretch into South Florida. “Miami was our first market and has always played a key role in our story,” said Palansky. “We had no ties to Miami prior to Taiv, but moved there during the pandemic to launch the company and fell in love with the city. Now, it’s only one of many markets, but it’s a place we have a soft spot for.”
According to Palansky, much of Taiv’s early momentum is owed to Miami, a testing ground that proved the model could work in the real world.
Now with over 50 employees and a growing footprint, Taiv is out to reshape the in-venue entertainment business and rewrite what those screens are actually worth.
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