How the Uzbek startup GEOMOTIVE is changing the outdoor advertising market

Botir Arifjanov, London — CEO of GEOMOTIVE, LinkedIn

How it all started

I am a serial entrepreneur, and before GEOMOTIVE all my projects were in the B2C sector. Every time we launched outdoor advertising for our products, I encountered the same conflict with the marketing team: why are we doing this? What is the effectiveness? How can it be measured?

The answers were always vague: "Everyone does it", "Competitors are there too", "There is no other way". One of the most absurd arguments was "This is the best location that is left". This always annoyed me because I am used to data, numbers, funnels, return on investment, and outdoor advertising was a black box.

The idea for GEOMOTIVE was born out of this years-long frustration. When I met my partner Alexey Khainovsky, who has extensive experience in AdTech and analytics, we realized that it was possible and necessary to create a product that:

— makes outdoor advertising transparent
— shows results and return on investment
— allows campaigns to be launched and managed as conveniently as digital campaigns

Thus, GEOMOTIVE was born — a B2B marketplace and analytics platform that is transforming the outdoor advertising market, starting with DOOH, and in the future expanding to other channels such as Connected TV, Digital, and in-app advertising.

Startup launch

Since Alexey and I are both from Uzbekistan, we decided to start there in a test mode. We invested our own funds, without external investors, and began by creating a minimal viable product.

When the MVP was ready, I leveraged my entrepreneurial experience and personal network — arranging meetings and showing companies how I would use the tool if I were in their position. Often, sales happened literally through personal trust and understanding of the client’s pain points.

Gradually, we started moving beyond personal connections — entering the market: advertising agencies, structure owners, large outdoor players. Within a few months, the first major clients appeared in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

From the very beginning, we understood that this was a global product and wanted to scale further. Therefore, when the regional model was validated, we moved our HQ to London, and GEOMOTIVE became a British company.

Regarding the team — Alexey recruited people with experience in AdTech and DevOps. On the business side, we began hiring locally — in the countries where we launched. This allowed us to form a decentralized but highly coordinated team.

Target audience

GEOMOTIVE is not one but two complementary products, each addressing a specific need in the outdoor advertising ecosystem:

1. METER — Analytics Platform: DMP + Geoanalytics
   METER is a Data Management Platform, DMP, which:
   — analyzes audience behavior and movement in real time
   — considers demographics, interests, income, and geo-profiling
   — helps plan effective marketing campaigns by region, city, or even specific streets.

METER is used by:

1. Brand marketers, to understand where their advertising is actually effective
2. Agencies, to justify location choices and demonstrate effectiveness to clients
3. Screen owners, to argue for pricing and improve their advertising networks

2. DSP Marketplace — Advertising Placement Platform
DSP, Demand Side Platform, is the "second step" after analytics. It allows users to:

— launch outdoor campaigns as easily as digital banners — by time, geography, and audience
— receive real-time data and optimize campaigns on the go

To operate, we aggregate advertising surfaces and effectively perform the function of a Supply Side Platform.

DSP is used by:

1. Large brands seeking transparency and control
2. Small and medium businesses, which gain access to outdoor advertising without intermediaries
3. Agencies, which save time and receive complete analytics

Currently, over 106,000 advertising surfaces are available for analytics, over 3,000 screens are connected to the platform via a partner network, and more than 600 digital screens are directly managed through our DSP.

Clients include both local and international agencies, large networks, brands, and surface owners across Central Asia, MENA, and the UK.

Incubation Programs

We did not participate in classic accelerators or incubators such as Y Combinator or 500 Global. Instead, from the beginning, we financed GEOMOTIVE ourselves, investing our own funds and building a minimum viable product that we tested in Uzbekistan.

Although we did not go through accelerator programs, we actively participated in international startup events to build our reputation and enter new markets:

1. In 2024, GEOMOTIVE represented Uzbekistan at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, one of the largest global startup forums. This confirmed the global potential of our product and opened doors for further contacts.
2. In spring 2025, we participated in a major event in Saudi Arabia — LEAP 2025, which was part of our strategy to enter the MENA market.
3. Immediately after, we participated in Web Summit Qatar, further expanding our Middle East network.
4. This year, as part of Astana Hub and IT Park Uzbekistan, GEOMOTIVE represents Uzbekistan at London Tech Week 2025 with its own booth.

For us, participation in such forums is not only PR but also a way to build strategic connections with agencies, brands, and surface owners in the region.

After the bootstrap stage, we attracted an angel investor — a female entrepreneur from Cyprus with experience in successful exits. Then we conducted a Pre-seed round, in which our first institutional investor, Aloqa Ventures, joined.

Currently, we are actively negotiating with several funds for the next round and hope to share good news soon. All official deals are under NDA, and we do not disclose details until they are fully closed.

Challenges

Although the advertising industry seems dynamic, in reality it is quite closed and conservative. Entry is not through the front door. Often, one must find "back doors": through personal contacts, unconventional approaches, and proving value in each specific case.

Initially, we were not always welcomed openly, especially by advertising agencies, which feared that we were coming to replace them. After a series of meetings, we demonstrated that we are not competitors, but a supportive tool: we help agencies justify proposals to brands, provide data for tenders and media planning.

After that, attitudes shifted — from caution to respect and partnership.

Case Study: Screen Integration in Uzbekistan

When we began aggregating screens in Uzbekistan, structure owners refused for various reasons: "Screens are outdated", "No technical possibility to connect", "It is too expensive".

In response, we created the GEOMOTIVE Box — a compact device that connects to any screen, enabling remote content management and advertising launch via our platform.

However, this did not solve everything: owners did not want to purchase equipment. We offered long-term installment plans, which created budget pressure.

Eventually, our developers found a technologically elegant solution: we began integrating directly with the boards already installed in most screens. We simply reflash them, and the screen works with our platform without additional devices.

Conclusion

When entering a B2B market — especially in traditional, manual industries — you will encounter excuses, skepticism, and refusals. But this is not a dead end. It is an invitation to be resourceful, flexible, and economically rational.

Problems are entry points if you have the desire to dive in, adapt, and offer solutions beneficial to both parties.

Achievements

GEOMOTIVE is a startup that has literally burst onto the outdoor advertising and geoanalytics market.

1. In a short time, we became a leader in Central Asia and began rapid expansion into Turkey, MENA, and the Asian region
2. What started as a single platform is now divided into two independent products — METER and DSP Marketplace, each with its own team, strategy, and corporate structure
3. Sales are actively conducted through the Turkey office, with expansion planned for Dubai and Saudi Arabia
4. Our technologies have attracted international brands, ready to use our data for decision-making in dozens of countries for outdoor advertising campaigns
5. We have learned to aggregate and analyze data remotely, without physical presence in the country. For example, we can assess the advertising market in Jordan, identify effective locations, and connect local operators — without visiting in person. This is possible due to the flexible platform architecture and strong analytics
6. Our most valuable achievement is the team, which believes in the product, deeply understands the industry, works with full dedication, and quickly adapts to the challenges of new markets

Plans

Our main focus is the Middle East. We are actively expanding our presence in multiple countries in the region, strengthening positions in Turkey, taking initial steps in Eastern Europe, and preparing channels for expansion into South Asia — including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and several other countries.

In 2025, we continue to strengthen both of our key products:

METER:

— expanding the depth and accuracy of geoanalytics
— adding new metrics and visualizations for clients

DSP Marketplace:

— adding omnichannel targeting, which will allow clients to launch outdoor advertising, retarget the same audience on social media, and manage the entire funnel from one platform

We are already testing the first prototype that will allow advertising on OTT platforms, Smart TV, and other connected TV channels. Initial launches are in pilot mode, with large-scale deployment planned in several countries by the end of the year.