Aletheia Marketing & Media and MediaMint Join Mercurius Media Capital as Limited Partners, Transforming Services-for-Equity for Startups

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mercurius Media Capital (MMC), the first U.S.-based media-for-equity venture fund, today announced that Aletheia Marketing & Media and MediaMint have joined the fund as Limited Partners. Their addition strengthens MMC’s ability to support startups beyond providing media capital, giving founders hands-on marketing, creative, and operational expertise and offering access to the resources and infrastructure needed to scale efficiently.

Services-for-Equity: A New Approach to Startup Growth

Traditional services-for-equity arrangements allow startups to exchange a portion of equity for one essential service, such as media, web design, marketing, or operations, instead of cash payments. MMC’s new partners advance this model by integrating several capabilities into its investment structure, aligning media capital, capability, and execution under one platform.

Through this partnership, MMC’s current and future portfolio companies, ranging from Series A disruptors to post-launch DTC innovators, gain access to premium media exposure alongside best-in-class marketing science, AI-driven content, RevOps automation, creative production, and scalable operations from the outset. This helps startups scale efficiently, conserve cash, and compete with established industry players.

“Our Limited Partners aren’t just financial supporters; they’re hands-on value creators. Aletheia and MediaMint joining the MMC family represents a powerful step forward in how we help startups scale,” said Piyush Puri, the Founding Partner of MMC. “By combining media capital with the expertise of industry leaders, we’re giving founders both the reach and the resources to build enduring brands.”

Strategic Partners Driving Measurable Growth

As part of MMC’s expanded model, Aletheia Marketing & Media and MediaMint bring specialized expertise that strengthens the fund’s ability to deliver measurable growth for its portfolio companies.

Aletheia Marketing & Media, the leading values-driven marketing intelligence company in the U.S., pushes the boundaries of brand growth and performance. Aletheia engineers every stage of the funnel with precision – amplifying brand awareness at the top and maximizing conversions at the bottom. Its proprietary AI, cutting-edge SaaS platforms, and patented technology redefine audience development, creating values-driven personas that reveal untapped market opportunities. With deep expertise in media strategy, planning, and execution, Aletheia equips brands with an innovative, future-ready approach that drives measurable success.

MediaMint is an AI-powered growth services company that blends human expertise and agentic AI to drive scalable growth for media, entertainment, and technology companies across marketing, media, and revenue operations. Leveraging deep domain expertise gained through working with 150+ leading publishers and platforms, MediaMint’s Services-as-a-Software model delivers accountability for results and guaranteed efficiency gains.

“Aletheia’s partnership with Mercurius Media Capital reflects our belief that the smartest growth happens when capital aligns with insight,” said Chris Schembri, CEO of Aletheia. “By integrating our values-driven audience strategy and performance media expertise into the fund’s DNA, we are accelerating the potential of emerging brands—not just as marketers, but as co-investors in their success.”

“Joining Mercurius Media Capital represents a natural extension of our mission to make AI-powered media services accessible to every company,” said Rajeev Butani, MediaMint’s CEO and Chairman. “Our model blends human expertise with agentic AI to deliver measurable outcomes across media, revenue, and marketing operations. Together with MMC’s media-for-equity model, we are providing founders with access to both capital and capability; helping them scale efficiently and compete with speed and precision.”

*The views expressed are those of the quoted individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMC.

About Mercurius Media Capital

Mercurius Media Capital (MMC) is pioneering a new category in venture capital: media as growth capital. As the first U.S.-based media-for-equity venture fund, MMC provides high-growth consumer companies with premium advertising inventory in exchange for equity, enabling them to scale brand awareness and customer acquisition without sacrificing cash reserves.

Co-founded by Satyan Gajwani and Piyush Puri, who bring over fifteen years of experience and a $3 billion track record in media investments through The Times of India Group, MMC was launched in December 2023 with around $140 million in committed capital. The firm partners with leading media platforms, including Sinclair Broadcast Group, TelevisaUnivision, and Atmosphere TV, to deliver nationwide reach across television, digital, and out-of-home channels.

MMC has deployed nearly $30 million across its portfolio, empowering startups to compete with established players by combining capital efficiency, advertising expertise, and strategic operational support under one platform.

*For Accredited Investors Only.