About Canela Media
Canela Media is a Media & Entertainment company based in New York (United States) founded in 2019 by Michael Joseph Rafferty and Isabel Rafferty Zavala. Digital media group. Canela Media has raised $35 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including BMO Harris Bank, Acrew Capital and Angeles Investors. The company has 68 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Isabel Rafferty Zavala. Canela Media offers products and services including Canela.tv, Audience Solutions, Innovation Lab, and Canela Studios. Its focus areas include Internet First Media and Digital Media Groups. Its competitors include Penske Media Corporation, Group Nine Media and Ziff Davis; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Canela Media was established in 2019 in New York, United States, as a digital media group. News websites such as El Mundo, Telva, and Marca are managed under its operations. A video-on-demand streaming platform is also owned and run by the company, focusing on content distribution in the media sector. Leadership is provided by co-founders serving as CEO and COO.
- Headquarters New York, United States
- Employees 68
- Founders Michael Joseph Rafferty, Isabel Rafferty Zavala
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Phoneβ’β’β’β’ β’β’β’β’
- Website canelamedia.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram
- Total Equity Funding$35M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$32M (USD), Series A
Feb 2022
- InvestorsBMO Harris Bank
& 11 more
- Employee Count68
Products & Services of Canela Media
Canela Media offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Canela.tv, Audience Solutions, Innovation Lab, and Canela Studios.
Free service for Spanish language video content and originals.
Proprietary tools for targeted advertising and audience engagement.
Creates breakthrough solutions for media and partnerships.
In-house production for brand content and executions.
Funding Insights of Canela Media
Canela Media has successfully raised a total of $35M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $32 million completed in February 2022. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $35M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series A β $32M
- First Round $3M
(Oct 2020)
- Investors Count 12
All 2 funding rounds of Canela Media with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | $32M | Series A | β | Acrew Capital, Angeles Investors | |
| Oct 2020 | $3M | Seed | β | BBG Ventures, Reinventure Capital |
12 investors in total: 12 institutional.
Investors in Canela Media
Canela Media has secured backing from 12 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include BMO Harris Bank, Acrew Capital and Angeles Investors.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage startups are funded by Acrew Capital venture firm. | acrewcapital.com | Palo Alto, United States | ||
| angelesinvestors.com | ||||
Link Ventures is focused on investing in AI startups. | linkventures.com | Cambridge, USA | ||
Fund management services are provided to corporate venture funds. | touchdownvc.com | Los Angeles, United States | ||
Venture capital fund investing in early-stage tech startups | samsungnext.com | Berlin, Germany | ||
Venture capital funding is provided by Mighty Capital to innovators. | mighty.capital | San Francisco, United States | ||
Growth stage focused VC firm investing in geographies such as the US | reinventurecapital.com | Boston, United States | ||
Early-stage investments are directed toward female-founded startups by BBG Ventures. | bbgventures.com | New York, United States | ||
Venture capital investing and portfolio management services for accredited investors. | av.vc | |||
Media and tech sectors are invested in by Powerhouse Capital. | powerhouse.vc | Los Angeles, United States |
Investor details for Canela Media
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Canela Media
24 people are tracked at Canela Media (18 in leadership, 6 in team); the tracked headcount is 68.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Michael Joseph Rafferty | Co-Founder & COO | Leadership |
Isabel Rafferty Zavala | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Felipe Osorio | VP, Sports | Leadership |
Michelle Rodriguez Cortes | Marketing Director | Leadership |
Matthew Tretin | VP, Engineering | Leadership |
Paula Baldwin | VP Of Brand Partnerships | Leadership |
Brendan Berg | Director Of Engineering | Leadership |
Julieta Lamalfa | CFO | Leadership |
Melanie S. | Vice President Human Resources | Leadership |
Melissa Santana Green | Vp, Sales And Data Solutions | Leadership |
Suyash Gandhi | Vice President Of Data | Leadership |
Chechu Lasheras | Chief Strategy Officer (cso) | Leadership |
Mel Ruiz Marc | Senior Director Of Sales, East | Leadership |
Karsten Amlie | Senior Vice President, Content Distribution And General Counsel | Leadership |
Veronica Monge | Director, Media Strategy | Leadership |
Alexis Gabriel | Director, Canela Studios | Leadership |
Michael Bardaro | Vp, Data Products | Leadership |
Marina Linck | Vp, Strategy & Client Services | Leadership |
Maria Paz Bustamante | Marketing Manager - Brand Partnership | Team |
Elena Mendiola Illescas | Senior Marketing Manager | Team |
4 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Canela Media
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
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- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Canela Media
3 dated milestones of Canela Media across 3 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Canela Media is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $3.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $32.0M.
Competitors of Canela Media
Canela Media has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include Penske Media Corporation, Group Nine Media and Ziff Davis.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pmc.com | 2003 | Los Angeles, United States | $235M | 1,018 | Content on digital media corporations is published across multiple platforms. | |
| groupninemedia.com | 1999 | New York, United States | $675M | 535 | Digital-first media network | |
| ziffdavis.com | 1927 | New York, United States | 1,430 | Digital-media company in the technology, gaming, entertainment, and men’s lifestyle |
Detailed competitors of Canela Media
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in DTC Media Innovators
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Canela Media (DTC Media Innovators) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-category news is delivered through an app-based platform. | 2016 | Arlington, Virginia, United States | USD 30 M | 356 | ||
Online platform publishing content focusing on investment | 2011 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 60.4 M | |||
Subscription-based sports media is delivered to local premium audiences. | 2016 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 134.42 M |
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Related news about Canela Media
Complete news archive for Canela Media
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
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- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
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Frequently Asked Questions about Canela Media
Canela Media was founded in 2019 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Canela Media is headquartered in New York, United States. It is registered at New York, New York, United States.
Isabel Rafferty Zavala is the CEO of Canela Media, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Canela Media is a funded company, having raised a total of $35M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $3M, raised on Oct 2020.
Canela Media has 68 employees.
Canela Media was established in 2019 in New York, United States, as a digital media group. News websites such as El Mundo, Telva, and Marca are managed under its operations. A video-on-demand streaming platform is also owned and run by the company, focusing on content distribution in the media sector. Leadership is provided by co-founders serving as CEO and COO.
Canela Media's top competitors include Ziff Davis, Penske Media Corporation and Group Nine Media.
Canela Media offers Canela.tv, Audience Solutions, Innovation Lab, and Canela Studios.
Canela Media has 12 investors. Key investors include BMO Harris Bank, Acrew Capital, Angeles Investors, Link Ventures, and Touchdown Ventures.

