Chptr announced that it raised $5.5 million in Series A funding led by CityRock, with participation from Tribute Technology and strategic partnerships with iHeartMedia, Sinclair, and Hearst. The financing will support the company’s mission of building a new distribution layer for timely, community-focused stories across television, radio, and digital channels.
Founded in 2020, Chptr is developing infrastructure designed to deliver hyperlocal, time-sensitive content to audiences through trusted local media outlets. The company said its technology enables stories to move from creation to distribution in less than 24 hours, reaching viewers and listeners through direct integrations with major media networks.
The company is launching a subscription-based model that will allow small and medium-sized businesses to engage local communities through TV, radio, and digital channels. Chptr is currently active in 132 U.S. television markets, covering a majority of American households, and has already delivered thousands of localized broadcasts across major metropolitan areas. Through its partnership with iHeartMedia, the company’s distribution network now extends to radio.
Chptr’s platform converts community-based information into ready-to-air segments that can be distributed almost immediately across multiple channels. The company said its AI approach is designed to be human-centered, using artificial intelligence for formatting, production, and distribution while ensuring that all content is reviewed by humans before broadcast.
The company’s early traction has centered on memorial announcements, working with funeral homes to distribute structured and time-sensitive information. Chptr believes this category demonstrates the scalability of its broader platform for local content distribution. The company also highlighted its integration with Tribute Technology, which serves more than 9,000 funeral homes across North America.
Proceeds from the Series A financing will be used to expand into the remaining U.S. markets, deepen integrations across broadcast and audio networks, and introduce additional categories of local content beyond memorial announcements.
Headquartered in New York, Chptr partners with funeral homes and media companies nationwide through its Broadcast, Social, and Video offerings, helping families create and distribute memorial tributes while simplifying workflows for funeral directors.
KEY QUOTES:
“Chtpr is solving not just one, but many very important challenges, and our team is honored to invest in this vision. Anyone who has lost a loved one knows how frustrating, expensive, distracting, and analogue the process of memorializing our departed family in obituaries, death notices, and digital formats, at a very vulnerable and tragic time for a family. At the same time, the local news, broadcast and print, are all looking for revenue streams and for ways to connect authentically with viewers and readers. Chptr bridges these gaps, updating the memorialization process, and doing so with business sense and with heart.”
Oliver B. Libby, Managing Partner And Co-Founder, H/L Ventures And CityRock Venture Partners
“Memorials are the starting point, not the end state. What we’ve built is a system for distributing real, human stories that matter in a specific place, at a specific moment in time. Media companies are investing because they see this as the future of local, timely, trusted, and deeply connected to the communities they serve.”
Rehan Choudhry, Founder And CEO, Chptr
“Radio connects people during defining moments. By supporting Chptr, we’re ensuring remembrance and celebration reaches communities where they already listen.”
David Ellis, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Venture Capital, And Emerging Initiatives, iHeartMedia
