Companies to Watch
The priorities are clear for brands — deliver stellar customer experience without compromising on privacy. Marketing teams need to align with changing customer expectations and prioritise both objectives. The predominantly digital landscape in which brands operate offer opportunities and challenges to deliver on both counts. Martechvibe explores emerging technology companies that have tapped into the […]
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The priorities are clear for brands — deliver stellar customer experience without compromising on privacy. Marketing teams need to align with changing customer expectations and prioritise both objectives.
The predominantly digital landscape in which brands operate offer opportunities and challenges to deliver on both counts.
Martechvibe explores emerging technology companies that have tapped into the needs of brands, advertisers and publishers to offer solutions that help protect privacy, warn against fraud and measure success metrics.
Prizeout
Founded: 2019
Founders: David Metz
Segment: Ad-tech/ Digital Cashout Marketplace
Prizeout is a performance-based ad-tech company that connects customers withdrawing money with brands looking to capture their spends. For the customer, it offers faster access to their funds with the added value of exclusive gift cards. The company collaborates with the gaming, gig-economy, payroll and finance industries to turn withdrawals into a growth solution for eCommerce and retail.
The dual definitions for what the company does owe to the fact that it follows multiple business models. Through exclusive partnerships, Prizeout offers users access to bonus offers on popular brands that they already interact with or help discover new products through a curation engine. Earlier this year, they expanded operations to include cryptocurrencies. This move means that customers can turn digital funds into a diverse portfolio of branded currency. This may include their favourite sneaker retailer or a crypto exchange of choice. It offers users a bonus value attached on top of what they have already earned. Current clients include HomeAdvisor, Paddy Power Betfair, Jackpocket, and Coinbase.
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Voicify
Founded: 2017
Founders: Jeff McMahon, Nick Laidlaw, Robert Naughton
Segment: Voice Experience Platform
Voicify works as a voice experience platform that provides brands with the ability to create engaging voice applications in one location that easily deploys to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, chatbots and other such devices.
The software can integrate with systems like CRM, PIM and CMS so companies can create customisable content through voice experiences. Its primary users are companies looking to get started in voice without hiring teams with technical knowledge. Conditional logic available within Voicify ranges from simple session information (first time versus returning) to specific user data (like transaction history). The platform uses Voice User Experience via Spark templates which allows templatisation of conversation flows so they can be reused using a simpler UI.
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Podcorn
Founded: 2019
Founders: Agnes Kozera, David Kierzkowski
Segment: Podcast Influencer Marketplace
Podcorn is a platform that connects brands and podcasters for advertising and sponsorship opportunities. It offers brands the chance to create immersive content in native formats to authentically reach engaged audiences. The marketplace connects advertisers to podcast creators through workspaces where they can craft the ideal relationship and explore deeper formats, including reviews, unboxings, guest interviews, panels and topical discussions, which provide true listener value.
While the platform provides brands with self-serve options, it offers a full-service feature that unlocks more managed support and consultations to help them accelerate, curate and manage their podcast campaigns. Podcorn was acquired by Entercom Communications for $14.6M in March.
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InfoSum
Founded: 2016
Founders: Nick Halstead
Segment: Data Collaboration Platform
The London-based startup calls itself a “decentralised data ecosystem” that facilitates secure data sharing between organisations. It allows advertisers to share data securely with vendors and partners. In the current landscape where brands are prioritising customer experiences without compromising on customer privacy, the solution that InfoSum offers solves a genuine gap in the industry. No surprise that the company secured a $65 million Series B funding round led by Chrysalis Investments.
Using patented, privacy-first technology, it connects customer records between and amongst companies, without moving or sharing data. Clients include financial services, CTV, retail, healthcare, gaming, and entertainment.
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Scalarr
Founded: 2016
Founders: Inna Ushakova, Yuriy Yashunin
Segment: Mobile Ad Fraud Detection
The company’s machine learning platform is built to detect ad fraud using three core products to integrate with mobile platforms. These products track ad performance, autoblock fraud, and identify opportunities. AutoBlock detects fraud before the advertiser bids on an ad while DeepView is used by ad tech platforms including ad exchanges, demand-side platforms and supply-side platforms.
By applying to both unsupervised and semi-supervised machine learning algorithms, the model analyses hundreds of features and variables which it claims helps significantly reduce the number of false positive and false-negative errors. Its unique self-learning engine helps stay ahead of fraudsters in response to modified attack techniques without frequently updating the rules.
The company claims it saved its clients $22 million in ad fraud refunds in 2020.
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