What I've Been Building: Adwave
We just launched Adwave. It’s an AI platform that helps small businesses create and air TV commercials in minutes, with campaigns starting at $50. That number isn’t a typo. Fifty dollars to get your business on NBC, Hulu, ESPN, and over 100 premium channels.
Why this matters to me
I’ve spent most of my career building technology for businesses of all sizes. What’s always frustrated me is watching small businesses, the local restaurants, dentists, real estate agents, auto shops, get priced out of the most effective advertising medium ever created.
TV advertising has historically required $10,000 to $100,000+ just for production. Then you need relationships with media buyers, weeks of lead time, and specialized knowledge most small business owners don’t have time to acquire. The result? TV has been a walled garden for big brands with big budgets.
That never made sense to me. There are nearly 35 million small businesses in the United States. They employ almost half of American workers. They’re the backbone of local economies everywhere. Why should they be locked out of the medium that still commands the most attention and trust?
The convergence that made this possible
Two things happened at the same time that made Adwave possible.
First, AI reached a point where we could generate broadcast-quality video from a business’s website in minutes. Not templates. Not slideshow ads. Real commercials that look and feel like what national brands run. A business owner enters their website URL, and our AI creates a polished, professional TV spot. They can edit it, tweak the messaging, and launch, all in about the time it takes to make a cup of coffee.
Second, connected TV changed everything about how advertising gets bought and sold. Streaming now represents over 43% of all TV viewing time in the US. Nearly three-quarters of TV time is ad-supported. More importantly, CTV introduced programmatic buying—meaning you can target specific audiences, geographies, and demographics without committing to massive upfront buys.
When you combine AI-generated creative with programmatic CTV distribution, you remove the two biggest barriers that kept small businesses off TV: production costs and media buying complexity.
There is no future where SMBs aren’t on TV
I’m not building this because I think small businesses might become a meaningful segment of TV advertising. I’m building it because I’m certain they will be.
The opportunity is huge because the gap between TV’s reach and small business participation is so wide. Local businesses have always understood that TV advertising works. They just couldn’t afford it. Now they can.
We’re already seeing it. A dental practice increased client volume 150% within five weeks of their first Adwave campaign. A Harley-Davidson dealership grew revenue 50% after running ads with us. A restaurant started seeing new faces walk through the door saying they “saw them on TV.”
These aren’t Fortune 500 companies with agency support. They’re regular businesses that got access to a channel that was previously closed to them.
If you’re interested, check out adwave.com.
Adwave officially launched in May 2025. Read the announcement →