Brand Engagement Network, an enterprise-grade conversational AI company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker BNAI, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cataneo GmbH, a Munich-based provider of mission-critical media and advertising infrastructure software, in a debt-free transaction valued at approximately $19.5 million. Payment will be made in a combination of cash and equity, with Cataneo co-founder Christian Unterseer joining BEN’s Board of Directors upon closing. The transaction is expected to close on June 30, 2026.
Cataneo’s MYDAS platform powers advertising sales, scheduling, traffic, and monetization for major global media organizations, managing more than €6 billion in annual advertising inventory across more than 1,000 media brands and 200-plus channels worldwide. The platform has been in operation for more than 20 years and is used by leading U.S. film studios and global broadcasters across linear, digital, and streaming platforms.
The combination is expected to bring BEN’s conversational AI, protected by U.S. Patent No. 12,581,163, directly into live media systems, advancing the industry from static inventory sales toward customizable one-to-one brand-to-audience engagement. Together, the companies aim to establish a new standard for AI-powered media monetization at scale.
KEY QUOTES:
“The era of traditional ad inventory sales is evolving. The combination of Cataneo’s proven, fully automated global cloud infrastructure and our patented AI technology positions us to help deliver a more advanced conversational AI engagement layer across the entire media ecosystem.”
Tyler Luck, Chief Executive Officer, Brand Engagement Network
“When we launched nearly 25 years ago, our goal was to create the industry’s first cloud service. Now, through this strategic combination with BEN, we are leading again by harnessing AI to transform ad sales and content monetization and to create what we believe will be a new industry standard.”
Christian Unterseer, Co-Founder, Cataneo
“Our platform has powered media companies’ core operations for over two decades, delivering unmatched reliability. The next natural step is to integrate BEN’s AI to unlock exciting new capabilities for our customers and to expand into new markets and channels.”
Renato Rocha Pinto, Chief Executive Officer, Cataneo
