V+ Publicidad: D-OOH Advertising Platform
Founded startup and built IoT ad platform from scratch—hardware, software, and infrastructure
The Market Opportunity
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is a $30B+ market, but traditional billboards are static, expensive, and hard to measure.
The insight: Cars spend hours in traffic. Those rear windows are premium advertising real estate going unused.
The challenge: Build a platform that turns private vehicles into mobile billboards—but make it easy enough that drivers actually want to participate.
The Company
Founded V+ Publicidad in Santiago, Chile (2019-2021) as co-founder and sole technical lead.
Business model:
- Drivers install our IoT display devices on rear windows
- Platform serves targeted ads based on location, time, and traffic patterns
- Drivers earn passive income per impression
- Advertisers get mobile, measurable, geo-targeted campaigns
My role: Founder & Principal Engineer. Built the entire technical stack from IoT firmware to cloud infrastructure.
Think Uber meets Waze Ads—but I built all the technology myself.
Hardware: IoT Displays
The hardest part wasn't software—it was building reliable IoT devices that could survive Chilean traffic for 8+ hours daily.
Technical challenges:
- Power management - Operate all day without draining car battery
- Brightness - Visible in Santiago sunlight (intense)
- Durability - Withstand heat, vibration, theft attempts
- Connectivity - 4G connection while moving through tunnels
- Updates - Remote firmware deployment to devices in the field
Stack:
- Android-based displays - Custom ROM for advertising
- Device firmware - C for low-level control, Python for logic, Java for Android layer
- Real-time sync - WebSocket connection to ad server
- Offline mode - Cache ads for connectivity gaps
Result: Devices that "just worked" for drivers. Install once, earn forever.
Software: Three Platforms
Built three complete applications as sole developer:
1. Web Platform (Vue.js / Nuxt.js) For advertisers and agencies:
- Campaign creation with geo-targeting
- Real-time analytics dashboard
- Billing and payment processing
- Ad creative upload and approval workflow
- Map visualization of active vehicles
2. Mobile App (React Native) For drivers:
- Onboarding and KYC verification
- Device pairing via Bluetooth
- Real-time earnings tracking
- Payment withdrawals
- Support system
3. Admin Portal (Vue.js) Internal ops tools:
- Device management and diagnostics
- Driver approval workflow
- Ad content moderation
- Financial reporting
Infrastructure: Real-Time at Scale
The challenge: Serve different ads to hundreds of moving vehicles simultaneously based on their current location.
Architecture:
- AWS Elastic Beanstalk - Web application hosting
- AWS Lambda - Serverless ad matching algorithm
- AuroraDB (PostgreSQL) - Relational data (users, campaigns, transactions)
- DynamoDB - Real-time device state and location
- S3 + CloudFront - Ad creative CDN for fast delivery
- Route 53 - DNS and traffic management
- WebSockets - Real-time device communication
Performance requirements:
- Sub-second ad delivery to moving devices
- Handle 1000+ concurrent device connections
- Geo-query optimization for location-based targeting
- 99.9% uptime for driver earnings
Result: System handled peak traffic hours without issues. Drivers never missed ad revenue due to tech failures.
What Made This Hard
Hardware + Software integration: Most startups are software-only. We had to solve device manufacturing, supply chain, installation logistics, AND build the platform.
Real-time at scale: Serving ads to moving vehicles with sub-second latency while they pass through tunnels, change lanes, and experience variable connectivity.
Multi-sided marketplace: Had to build and balance three experiences: advertisers (create campaigns), drivers (earn money), and admins (ops tools).
Regulatory uncertainty: D-OOH advertising in Chile had no clear regulations. Had to navigate municipal permits, transit authority approvals, and advertising standards boards.
Results
Technical achievements:
- Built IoT devices from scratch that operated reliably in field conditions
- Deployed real-time ad serving platform handling 1000+ concurrent devices
- Developed three production applications as sole technical lead
- Integrated hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure into cohesive system
Business outcomes:
- Launched in Santiago with initial driver fleet
- Secured paying advertisers for pilot campaigns
- Validated technical feasibility of mobile D-OOH concept
- Gained deep expertise in IoT, real-time systems, and startup operations
What I learned: Founding a hardware+software startup is 10x harder than pure software. But the competitive moat is also 10x stronger—nobody can clone IoT devices as easily as they can clone apps.
Build With Me
Building IoT systems, real-time platforms, or hardware-software integrated products? I've done it from scratch as a founder.
I understand:
- Hardware constraints and firmware development
- Real-time systems at scale
- Multi-sided marketplace dynamics
- Full-stack development as sole technical lead
- Founder/CTO experience
Let's talk about your next ambitious project.