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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
Digital media tech ecosystem operating Canela.TV, a free AVOD streaming service for US Hispanic audiences, connecting brands.
Canela Media is a digital media company that operates Canela.TV, a free ad-supported video-on-demand streaming service targeting the United States Hispanic and Latin American populations. The platform provides over 9,000 hours of bilingual streaming content from more than 80 providers, featuring live channels and a daily news broadcast. This digital media ecosystem reaches a global audience of over 55 million monthly active users and recorded nearly 2 million application downloads during its first year of operation. Content is distributed across major connected television platforms, including Roku, Samsung+, and Apple TV, allowing brands to deliver targeted advertising to multicultural demographics. The enterprise has received financial backing from institutional investors such as BBG Ventures and Reinventure Capital to support its continued commercial expansion. Canela Media was founded in 2019 by Isabel Rafferty Zavala.
Canela Media has raised $77.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Canela Media has raised $77.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Canela Media has raised $77.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $42.0M Debt / Series A in February 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2022 | $42M Debt Financing | Rodrigo Garcia, Richard Wolpert, Angeles Investors | Gregory Baker, Alumni Ventures, BBG Ventures, BMO Capital Partners, Link Ventures, Mighty Capital, Portfolia, Powerhouse Capital, Reinventure Capital, Samsung Next, TEGNA | Announced |
| Feb 1, 2022 | $32M Series A | — | Backstage Capital, BAM Ventures, BBG Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Inspired Capital, Kapor Capital, Motley Fool Ventures, NEW Voices Fund, Supply Change Capital, Volition Capital, Mark Cuban, Ollen Douglass | Announced |
| Oct 1, 2020 | $3M Seed | BBG Ventures, Julianne Zimmerman | Backstage Capital, BAM Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Inspired Capital, Kapor Capital, Motley Fool Ventures, NEW Voices Fund, Supply Change Capital, Volition Capital, Mark Cuban, Ollen Douglass, Alumni Ventures, Angeles Investors, Mighty Capital, Portfolia | Announced |
Canela Media is a technology-driven media company that builds a free AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) streaming platform, Canela.TV, delivering culturally relevant Spanish-language content including movies, TV shows, originals, music, news, sports, and kids programming to the U.S. Hispanic audience.[1][2][3][4][5] It serves multicultural viewers—primarily over 68 million unique monthly users across its platforms, social channels, and ad solutions—while solving the gap in accessible, bilingual Hispanic-focused streaming by aggregating 9,000+ hours from 80+ providers without subscription fees.[1][2][4][5] The company also offers Canela Audience Solutions (CAS), a proprietary data tool for precise advertiser targeting of U.S. Hispanics across OTT platforms, reaching 76 million unique devices.[2][5] Growth is strong, with Canela.TV up 53% year-over-year as of November 2025, Club Canela loyalty program at 100,000 users, and expansions into AI-powered microcontent (Canelitas) and data-as-a-service.[1][5]
Canela Media was founded in 2019 (with Canela.TV launching in 2020) by Isabel Rafferty Zavala (CEO) and her husband Michael Rafferty (COO), a female- and minority-owned company headquartered in New York.[1][2][3][4] The idea emerged to address the underserved U.S. Hispanic market—nearly one-fifth of the population—where major streamers bury Spanish content or overlook bilingual needs.[4] Early traction came from rapid platform rollouts on Roku, Samsung+, Apple TV, and others, plus scaling to 180+ premium Spanish-language sites and an influencer database.[2][4] Pivotal moments include the 2025 app revamp with new ad units like AI contextual ads and virtual placements, the April launch of Club Canela rewards, and November debut of Canelitas microcontent, all fueling 53% YoY growth amid AI and data investments.[1][5] Philippe Guelton joined as global president in January 2025, bringing ad expertise to evolve it beyond media into a tech-data hybrid.[1]
Canela Media rides the AVOD and multicultural streaming boom, capitalizing on U.S. Hispanics' (22+ million uniques) rising digital consumption amid cord-cutting and fragmented OTT markets.[1][2][4] Timing aligns with AI/data personalization trends, where independents like Canela differentiate via niche targeting over giants' buried content, plus microcontent fits TikTok-era short-form demand.[1][5] Market forces favor it: Latinos as 19% of U.S. population yet underserved, ad dollars shifting to precise multicultural buys, and tech investments (AI, data-as-a-service) positioning it as a "media-tech" hybrid influencing Hispanic ad ecosystems with 55-68 million reach.[1][2][4][5] It shapes the landscape by proving scalable, culturally attuned platforms can challenge incumbents, boosting minority-led innovation in streaming.
Canela Media's pivot to AI, data-as-a-service, and microcontent will accelerate its evolution from AVOD streamer to full tech ecosystem, targeting sustained growth beyond 2025's 53% surge.[1] Trends like loyalty programs, contextual AI ads, and Hispanic scale (76M devices) position it to capture more ad spend in a $100B+ multicultural market. Influence may expand via partnerships and Canelitas, potentially rivaling bigger players if data products gain traction—watch for global Hispanic pushes. This tech-media blend underscores Canela's edge in connecting brands with America's fastest-growing demographic.[1][2][5]
Canela Media has raised $77.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Canela Media's investors include Rodrigo Garcia, Richard Wolpert, Gregory Baker, Alumni Ventures, BBG Ventures, BMO Capital Partners, Link Ventures, Mighty Capital, Portfolia, Powerhouse Capital, Reinventure Capital, Samsung Next.