Podean Agency Announces Acquisition of Ad Advance
This acquisition reinforces Podean’s global position, adding substantial retail media and DSP sophistication as well as Ad Advance’s technology suite, Streamline.
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Podean, agency and recipient of Amazon’s coveted “Global Expansion Award”, has acquired Ad Advance, a retail media agency in full-funnel strategy and performance across Amazon, Walmart, and emerging commerce channels.
This acquisition reinforces Podean’s global position, adding substantial retail media and DSP sophistication as well as Ad Advance’s technology suite, Streamline. Through analytics and proprietary technology, Ad Advance helps brands transform data into measurable growth. They are headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.
The combined business will have 260 staff based across 17 countries on 5 continents.
Together, Podean and Ad Advance work with over 330 brands globally, including household names such as Mattel, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Danone, De’Longhi, SharkNinja, Revolution Beauty, Colgate-Palmolive, Luxottica, Spectrum Brands, Shure, New Balance, OluKai, AB InBev, Skechers, Fruit of the Loom, HexClad Cookware, Intake
Breathing, Kate Farms, and Authentic Brands Group brands, including Eddie Bauer, Nautica, Reebok, and Lucky Brand.
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The integrated offering, spanning more than 100 marketplaces globally on more than 40 Retail Media Networks, including Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Target, Instacart, eBay, Shopee, Noon, Lazada, Tesco, Macy’s, Shein, Temu, and Mercado Libre, will drive accelerated growth and sales and create an unfair advantage for their clients.
Mark Power, who founded Podean in 2019, commented, “The acquisition of Ad Advance accelerates our vision to be the leading independent agency servicing brands on marketplaces around the world and further strengthens our media operations and technology offering.”
Joe Shelerud, Co-Founder and CEO of Ad Advance, added, “Podean’s global platform, creative expertise, and social commerce capabilities complement Ad Advance’s strengths in retail media and technology.”
“Together, we’re building a more complete global offering that helps brands expand internationally with greater speed and impact.”
Ryan Craver, a Podean Co-Founder and their Chief Strategy and Analytics Officer, added, “We’re excited to be adding Ad Advance’s Streamline technology to Purvey.AI, our machine‑learning‑driven offering. Combined with our global team, this technology platform will deliver a truly differentiated end-to-end marketplaces offering.”
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Matt Wiklund, Co-Founder and CTO of Ad Advance, said, “We’re thrilled to be joining forces with Podean. Their larger footprint will be a significant addition to our client base. We’re also looking forward to being able to invest further in our joint technology and product offering.”
Travis Johnson, Podean’s CEO, concluded, “This is the next step in our creation of something unique and at scale in the market. Ad Advance is the perfect complement to Podean’s current global offering. We’re excited to join forces and leverage our combined capabilities as one team of marketplace and retail media network experts.”
Ad Advance’s two founders, Matt Wiklund and Joe Shelerud, will join Podean’s leadership team and take on product leadership.
The strategic purchase of Ad Advance by Podean from Permanent Equity was facilitated through Mountaingate Capital, Podean’s private equity partner.
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