Cohort 3 Reflects Market Acceleration and Client Priorities as Marketing Technology Shifts From Insight to Action
NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Media today unveiled 11 companies named to the third cohort of HorizonOS Labs, the agency's structured innovation accelerator. With more than 50 partners having gone through the program, Horizon serves as a curator of emerging technology, simplifying the often time-consuming process of identifying, testing and scaling solutions so clients can build bespoke operating platforms around their unique business challenges. The program is designed to distinguish viable innovation from vendor promises through a transparent, client-centric process focused on real-world application.
"The market is moving faster than annual technology reviews can accommodate," said John Koenigsberg, EVP and Head of Platform Partnerships at Horizon Media Holdings. "One clear shift emerged from Cohort 3: the vast majority of partners are focused on growth, closing the loop between surfacing, modeling and finding – and actually driving action. What makes these capabilities valuable isn't any one of them alone, but what happens when they connect with each other and with what a brand already knows."
Cohort 3 is organized around three Growth Frontiers. They include:
Each frontier unifies what was once fragmented: paid, owned and consumer insight; media and creative; and human strategy and intelligent workflows. The 11 Cohort 3 partners, chosen from more than 600 RFI submissions, reflect Horizon's commitment to an open ecosystem where clients can access best fit technologies without vendor lock-in or proprietary constraints.
The 11 were selected on what they can do: how readily they connect to the systems a client already operates, their willingness to work alongside other companies in the cohort, and concrete evidence that the work drives business outcomes.
"AI is changing the rules for how brands grow," said Bob Lord, President of Horizon Media Holdings. "The brands that will drive growth aren't looking for a better way to buy media. They're solving for customer value by building an operating platform that brings their data, customers, technology and people together around the problems that matter most to their business. There's no off-the-shelf answer to that. Horizon is committed to bringing the open ecosystem together to build the right capabilities for each customer."
The Cohort 3 Partners — Grouped by Growth Frontier — Include:
Unlocking Growth from the Customers You Already Know
Creative Supply at the Speed of Everything Else
Winning Customers When Machines Shape Discovery
The Cohort 3 partners will be showcased at an in-person event in New York on October 1, where they will present to Horizon clients and engage in discussions around potential pilot deployments. Following the showcase, partners will be matched with interested client brands to scope and advance specific pilots, with client participation helping determine which opportunities move forward.
Looking ahead, HorizonOS Labs will open its next RFI process in early 2027.
About Horizon Media Holdings
Horizon Media Holdings is the privately-held parent company of Horizon Media, the largest U.S. media agency and the largest independent globally, with additional portfolio companies including – Horizon Next (full-service marketing); Horizon Commerce (commerce and digital experiences); Horizon Business (consulting, media and creative); One Horizon (full-service advertising); HS&E (sports and experiential); and Blue Hour Studios (influencer agency). Horizon Media Holdings has a 50/50 partnership with Havas Media Network in the performance-driven agency network, Horizon Global. Horizon Holdings drives enterprise-level innovation, fosters collaboration across its portfolio, and explores new growth opportunities and technology solutions to help its clients navigate the shifting marketing challenges of today and tomorrow.
SOURCE Horizon Media
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