Lecture: Markitecture Interview with Tim Vanderhoek

Introduction

• Host: Ari Papero
• Guest: Tim Vanderhoek, Co-founder & CEO of Viant
• Company: Public ad tech company, founded August 1999.
• Founders: Tim Vanderhoek, his brothers Chris and Russ

Overview of Viant

• Known for its demand-side platform (DSP) called Adelphic.
• Ticker Symbol: DSP
• Initially focused on mobile DSP for in-app advertising.
• Expanded to all channels, with a focus on connected television (CTV).

Differentiation

• Viant brands itself as a "people-based DSP".
• Moves away from cookies/digital identifiers to people-based data.
• Uses a patented household identification method.
  • Aggregates data to a household level, based on physical addresses.

DSP Market Strategy

• Customers: Primarily mid-market agencies and direct clients.
  • Some business with holding companies but mostly independent agencies.
• Service Model: Mostly self-service (about 75% of users)
  • Self-directed activities by users with minimal direct company involvement.

Historical Context

• Originally an ad network known as Specific Media.
• Transitioned to a self-service DSP through Adelphic acquisition.
• Competes with companies like Centro, Simplify, and Yahoo.

Focus and Operations

• Focuses operations exclusively in the U.S.
• Investment and regulatory efforts concentrated in the U.S. market.

Connected Television (CTV)

• Challenge: Traditional digital identifiers like cookies fail in CTV.
• Solution: Use people-based data for multi-channel integration.
  • Tried hashed email with limited success; only 20% of users registered.
  • Focused on household-level identification instead for better results.