MFG recently hosted an insightful roundtable discussion in New York City featuring consumer investors, and media experts, exploring the evolving landscape of consumer investments, the role of media capital, and the impact of brand advertising on growth strategies.

Key Takeaways

• ‍The Consumer Investment Landscape

Consumer brands face unique funding challenges, as venture capital increasingly prioritizes B2B SaaS and AI. Media capital is filling this gap, providing startups with essential marketing resources to scale efficiently.

• ‍The Role of Media Capital in Consumer Investing

Structured media investment vehicles are gaining traction, with major media companies leveraging unsold ad inventory to support high-potential brands. This approach enables startups to access media exposure, accelerating market penetration and valuation growth.

• ‍Measuring Impact and Addressing Challenges

One of the key takeaways was the need to measure the impact of media investments effectively. Ongoing concerns about the return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost of customer acquisition were discussed, with investors emphasizing that successful campaigns must demonstrate a clear correlation between media exposure and business growth.

• ‍Case Studies and Emerging Trends

Media-for-equity deals are expanding, with TV advertising remaining the dominant channel. Successful investments, such as MFG’s recent $5 million deal LA GOLF, demonstrate how aligning media partners with suitable brands drives measurable impact.

The conversation also touched on the importance of sector focus, with food & beverage, healthcare, e-commerce, and femtech emerging as the most media-investable categories. As consumer brands increasingly recognize the limitations of digital-only strategies, TV and out-of-home advertising are regaining prominence as powerful brand-building tools.

• ‍The Future of Media Capital

The U.S. is emerging as a global leader in media capital investments, expected to surpass European markets by 2030. With 92% of fund managers planning to increase or maintain their allocations in 2025, media capital is becoming an integral part of corporate venture strategies.

MFG’s vision is to standardize the media capital model, creating a global platform where brands can seamlessly scale across multiple markets with media-backed funding. The roundtable concluded with a call to action for investors, media executives, and founders to collaborate in shaping the next phase of consumer brand growth through strategic media investments.

Key Industry Stats

The statistics shared during the event are part of the upcoming State of Media Capital Report, which will be released on March 5th. Now in its third edition, the report has become the most comprehensive and trusted source of media capital insights.

• Over 1,000 brands have raised media capital in the last two decades. Majority of the deals have been completed in the last ten years where 446 international brands signed at least one media capital deal (530 deals).‍

• Faster Path to Mass-Market Reach: Brands scaling with TV achieve penetration 5 years earlier than traditional models.

• 94% of brands that raised media capital between 2014-2020 are still active and have secured follow-on funding.

• 43 companies IPO-ed after raising media capital, achieving this status 12 months faster than typical B2C companies.

• 34 unicorns have emerged through media capital investments.

• Series A brands account for 31.65% of all media capital investments.

• TV ads dominate media capital deals, but influencer marketing is gaining traction.

• E-Commerce, Healthcare, Food & Beverage, and FinTech attract the most deals.

• 92% of fund managers plan to increase or maintain media capital in 2025.

• 69% of fund managers report financial gains, with 21% achieving over 3x MoM.

• Challenges yet remain: 73% of fund managers cite a lack of startup awareness about media capital.

Join the Conversation

The discussion will continue at MFG’s upcoming industry event on March 5, where the latest research findings and investment opportunities will be unveiled.

Register here to shape the conversation together.