ORBITAL ADVERTISING SL

Their core work

Orbital Advertising is a Madrid-based digital marketing technology company that builds AI-powered tools for search engine marketing and online advertising. Their core work involves applying machine learning and natural language processing to improve how ads are matched to user intent — specifically through semantic targeting in search engines. They develop proprietary algorithms that analyze language patterns to increase the precision and efficiency of digital advertising campaigns. Their commercial focus is helping businesses reach the right audiences through smarter, automated ad targeting rather than keyword guessing.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Orbital Advertising began their H2020 journey in 2018 with a feasibility-stage project (PTC) on machine learning for digital marketing — a broad proof-of-concept with no detailed keywords recorded. By 2020 they had refined that direction significantly, launching a full Phase 2 SME instrument project (OA) with a specific focus on NLP and semantic targeting in search advertising. The trajectory is clear: from general ML-in-marketing exploration to a specialized, productized application targeting the search engine marketing industry with proprietary semantic algorithms.

They are moving toward a fully productized AI advertising platform, with increasing technical specificity — from broad ML to applied NLP — suggesting a company building a commercial SaaS or API product for the ad-tech market.

How they like to work

Orbital Advertising has acted exclusively as project coordinator in both of their H2020 projects, indicating they drive their own R&D agenda rather than joining other teams' initiatives. They have no recorded consortium partners, which is typical of SME Instrument projects designed for solo innovators developing proprietary technology. Working with them likely means engaging directly with a founder-led team that controls the IP and product roadmap.

Orbital Advertising has no recorded consortium partnerships in their H2020 portfolio — both projects were executed as solo coordinators under the SME Instrument scheme, which does not require external partners. Their collaborative network within EU-funded research appears limited or non-existent based on available data.

What sets them apart

Orbital Advertising occupies a narrow but commercially relevant niche: they are one of very few EU-funded SMEs building proprietary NLP technology specifically for search engine marketing rather than general-purpose language AI. While most ad-tech players rely on platform-native tools from Google or Meta, this company is developing independent semantic targeting algorithms — a differentiator for advertisers seeking platform-agnostic solutions. For a consortium needing applied NLP expertise with a direct commercial use case in digital advertising, they offer a validated, grant-tested technology asset.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OA
  The largest project by far at EUR 1.5M, this Phase 2 SME Instrument award validates Orbital Advertising's core AI/NLP targeting technology as commercially viable — a high bar given the European Commission's competitive evaluation process.
• PTC
  This Phase 1 feasibility study (EUR 50,000) served as the stepping stone that led directly to the larger OA project, demonstrating a deliberate two-stage R&D strategy typical of companies building toward a scalable product.