Firm launches platform that navigates Web ads: service by Rubicon Project targets sites across networks.FRANK Addante Life and Work Frank Addante (born 1976) is a serial entrepreneur, early Internet pioneer and well-known blogger. Addante has a successful entrepreneurial track record, having started 5 companies, resulting in one IPO and two acquisitions. , co-founder and chief executive of the Rubicon Project, likens his startup to a Nasdaq for online advertising. The company, which was officially launched last week, makes sense of the hundreds of ad networks out there for Web publishers by offering a platform that can place ads on multiple networks at the same time. This includes Google AdSense A targeted advertising program that allows Web sites to monetize their content via Google ads. Google delivers text, image and video ads to the site pages based on the keywords embedded in the site's pages, which have been modified with JavaScript code to accept the ads. , Yahoo Publisher Network and Advertising.com--groups of Web sites that offer their combined traffic to advertisers. With the launch, the Rubicon Project is offering use of its ad server--computer software that places and tracks ads on Interact pages--for free. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We're going to give you tools to do what we do here," Addante said. "But the hope is that you turn on the 'automatic optimization' option that will help you make even more money." The premium service is what Rubicon Project hopes will bring in revenue. The automatic optimization is proprietary technology that allows publishers to log on and access advertising networks most compatible with the demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. of their online content. Instead of getting checks from multiple networks, users can limit their contact to the Rubicon Project. which pays them. For example, if a Web site garners traffic evenly, divided between female and male users. the software automatically matches a mix of ad networks that will best monetize Monetize 1. To convert into money. 2. To convert from securities into currency that can be used to purchase goods and services. Notes: For example, you'll often hear Internet marketers talk about "monetizing website visitors. that traffic. such as Martha's Circle and Sports Ad Network. If some online traffic comes from Mexico, the Web site might be paired with an ad network called HispanoClick. The company's software allows users to optimize ad placement by gender, age, ethnicity and geography. "The online advertising market is as dynamic as the stock market, but not nearly as mature. It's like the stock market without the Nasdaq," Addante said. "We serve as that kind of hub for ad networks and Web sites." Last year, much of the $21 billion advertisers spent online was funneled through online ad networks. There were 15 such networks seven years ago. Today, there are 300. The company has already distributed more than 12 billion ads across 800 Web sites and 60 top advertising networks during its beta phase. Rubicon Project has 40 employees and is located in West L.A. It has raised $21 million in venture funding so far from investors including Clearstone Venture Partners Clearstone Venture Partners is an early stage venture capital firm focused on IT investing with offices in Santa Monica, CA, Menlo Park, CA, and Mumbai, India. Founded in 1997, as Idealab Capital Partners, Clearstone is responsible for the early-stage funding of many successful , Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. and University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Berkeley. Four founders--Addante, Craig Roah, Duc Chau and Julie Mattern--reunited to launch the company, after their previous company, AdMonitor Ad`mon´i`tor n. 1. Admonisher; monitor. Conscience is at most times a very faithful and prudent admonitor. - Shenstone. , was sold to DoubleClick in 2001. DoubleClick was acquired by Google for $3.1 billion last year. Staff reporter Booyeon Lee can be reached at blee@labusinessjournal.com or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 230. |
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