Clutch VC leads pre-seed investment for new retail media platform Advisar created by Walmart veteran
Advisar, an AI powered decisioning layer for retail suppliers, has raised a $750 million pre-seed round led by Clutch VC, with participation from Venture Center Arkansas Fund, The Validation Fund at Winrock International, Rekall Capital, and White River Capital Advisors, along with angel investors Michael Paladino, Co-Founder of RevUnit, and Jeff Amerine, General Partner at Cadron Capital. The funding will be used for product development and go to market efforts.
Founded by Christina Johnson, former Chief of Staff to the GM of Walmart Connect, Advisar aims to bring clarity and insight to the world of retail media analytics, giving suppliers a clear view of how investment in this space connects to business results. Currently in beta, it lays claim to significant early adoption of its solution among key partners. It is set to become generally available during the autumn.
“Advisar helps suppliers treat retail media like an investment they actively manage, rather than a line item they simply accept,” says Johnson. “What suppliers need is the same standard of measurement they hold every other marketing investment to, so they know what's working, what's not, and where to optimise for efficiency and impact.”
“Every fast growing marketing channel eventually gets an independent measurement layer, and retail media is at that point now. Christina's experience across marketing, customer strategy, and retail media innovation at Walmart positions Advisar to deliver what suppliers have been asking for: attribution insights on retail media investments, integrated alongside all their other sales and marketing metrics,” says Rajiv Bala, General Partner at Clutch VC.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Retail media will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
