Kayzen
Kayzen is a Berlin-based mobile-first DSP providing programmatic advertising infrastructure for apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce, and brands, delivered via self-serve, managed service, and white-label channels across 400k+ apps and 1.6B+ daily users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kayzen does
Kayzen (legally Realtime Technologies GmbH) is a Berlin-headquartered mobile-first demand-side platform (DSP) founded in January 2019 by ad tech veterans Tim Koschella (CEO), Puneet Gupta (CPO), and Servesh Jain (CTO). The company enables programmatic advertising for five core customer segments — apps, agencies and networks, media buyers, eCommerce businesses, and brands — delivered through a self-serve SaaS console (console.kayzen.io), managed-service options, and a white-label/OEM channel that lets agencies resell the platform under their own brand. Kayzen monetizes via recurring platform/DSP fees, managed services, and technology licensing/royalties, with publicly undisclosed pricing.
The platform is built on a modular architecture that integrates with 400k+ apps and 20+ ad exchanges (including Google AdX, InMobi, Chartboost, Smaato, Yandex, Digital Turbine, BidSwitch) to reach 1.6B+ unique daily users across Banners, Native, and Full-Screen formats. Core technical capabilities include real-time bidding (RTB), ML-based bidding models optimized for CPM/CPC/CPI/CPA, Bring Your Own Algorithm (BYOA) and Bring Your Own Supply (BYOS) extensibility, fraud and IVT detection with a dynamic auto-blacklist, a public REST API (api.docs.kayzen.io), and the kAI Suite for AI-powered campaign intelligence and inventory validation. Differentiated product surface includes the Video+ format, the School of Programmatic certification program, the annual Mobile Programmatic Inventory Index research report, and integrations with major MMPs (Adjust, AppsFlyer, Kochava, Singular, Branch, justtrack) and creative partners (Playable Factory).
Kayzen is GDPR and CCPA compliant (data processing agreements reference Article 28 GDPR with encryption, 2FA, SSO, and AWS role-based access), operates from offices in Berlin (HQ, Ackerstraße 29), London, and Bengaluru, and employs a team of 70+ across 10+ locations and 20+ nationalities. Named customers include TextNow, Playstudios, Dentsu (Co-op campaign), Latana Brand Tracking, and Impact Brands. The company is venture-backed, having raised a disclosed $4M round in January 2020 led by InReach Ventures with Lifeline Ventures participation, alongside an undisclosed subsequent round.
Kayzen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kayzen
- Legal name
- Realtime Technologies GmbH
- Website
- https://kayzen.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Kayzen is a Berlin-based mobile-first DSP providing programmatic advertising infrastructure for apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce, and brands, delivered via self-serve, managed service, and white-label channels across 400k+ apps and 1.6B+ daily users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kayzen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Programmatic Advertising Technology
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Demand-Side Platforms (DSP) (BPAMALAB)
Keywords
Where Kayzen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Kayzen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- DSP Platform Fees: Kayzen operates as a mobile DSP, charging advertisers for access to the platform and inventory. The platform enables programmatic media buying with transparency on fees and spending
- Managed Services: Provision of managed account services upon customer instructions with specified goals, targets, and budget ranges. Includes optimization assistance and campaign suggestions
- Technology Licensing (White-label): White-label programmatic solutions allowing agencies and networks to offer mobile programmatic under their own brand
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Kayzen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kayzen operates a mobile-first Demand-Side Platform (DSP) that enables apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce businesses, and brands to run programmatic customer acquisition, retargeting, and brand performance campaigns through a self-serve interface or managed services. The platform is built on a modular architecture with real-time bidding, ML-driven optimization models, transparent reporting on bids and eCPMs, white-label capabilities for agencies, and an AI-powered intelligence layer (kAI Suite) for inventory validation.
Product overview
Kayzen is a mobile-first DSP platform for programmatic advertising, built as a modular SaaS platform with the core Kayzen DSP at its center. The platform is organized into three layers: a self-serve DSP (Kayzen DSP) offering transparent campaign management with real-time bidding and granular audience targeting for customer acquisition, retargeting, and brand performance; an AI-powered intelligence suite (kAI Suite) including the kAI Explorer tool for inventory validation; and a video ad format (Video+). Supporting infrastructure includes the Developer Hub (API and documentation), Help Centre (self-service support and integration guides), and School of Programmatic (certification and training). Kayzen serves apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce brands, and corporate brands through both self-serve and managed service delivery models.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kayzen DSP Mobile-first demand-side platform that enables apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce businesses, and brands to run programmatic customer acquisition, retargeting, and brand performance campaigns via a self-serve UI and managed service options. Includes real-time bidding, ML-driven bidding models for CPM, CPC, CPI, and CPA, real-time data dashboards with full transparency on bids, wins, impressions, eCPMs, and spend, modular architecture supporting BYOA and BYOS, and integrations with 20+ ad exchanges.
- kAI Suite AI-powered intelligence layer within the Kayzen DSP ecosystem that helps programmatic teams validate in-app inventory opportunities and explore signals across markets, ad formats, and 20+ dimensions to benchmark CPMs and compare conditions before committing budget.
- Video+
Quantifiable outcome
- 3x better performance compared to other platforms (reported by Latana Brand Tracking)
Companies that use Kayzen
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kayzen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability6 records
Feature1 record
Kayzen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- AdjustcoreMobile Measurement Partner (MMP) integration for tracking, attribution, and campaign measurement
- AppsFlyercoreMobile Measurement Partner (MMP) integration with click signing for enhanced tracking security and fraud prevention
- KochavacoreMobile Measurement Partner (MMP) integration for campaign tracking and attribution
- SingularcoreMobile Measurement Partner (MMP) integration for cross-channel attribution and analytics
- Google AdXcoreGoogle's authorized programmatic marketplace for accessing premium mobile ad inventory
- InMobicoreSupply partner providing access to mobile app inventory and programmatic ad space
- BranchnotableCross-platform linking and attribution platform integrated for measurement
- BidSwitchcoreProgrammatic supply and demand platform providing access to multiple exchanges
- ChartboostcoreMobile game advertising platform and exchange for in-app ad inventory
- SmaatocoreMobile advertising exchange providing access to global mobile inventory
- Digital TurbinenotableMobile delivery and monetization platform integrated for supply access
- JustTracknotableMarketing analytics and attribution platform integrated for campaign measurement
- AdsolutnotableAd tech partner integrated for programmatic advertising capabilities
- YandexnotableRussian tech company providing access to Yandex inventory and programmatic capabilities
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kayzen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- MediaMath: Legacy omnichannel DSP offering programmatic buying across display, video, mobile, and connected TV. Competes in the broader DSP market with Kayzen, though with less mobile-specialized positioning.
Direct peers
- AppLovin: Mobile-focused ad tech platform combining a DSP (SparkLabs / AXON) with mediation and creative tools. Competes head-on with Kayzen in mobile in-app bidding, audience targeting, and optimization for app developers.
- Liftoff: Mobile-focused DSP specializing in user acquisition and retargeting for apps and games. Closely comparable to Kayzen's core customer base (app developers) and product positioning around mobile programmatic transparency.
- Chartboost: Mobile gaming ad exchange and programmatic monetization platform. Listed as a Kayzen supply partner but also a competitor in the mobile-app programmatic marketplace.
- Unity Ads: Mobile gaming-focused ad network and DSP built into the Unity engine, reaching a large portion of the gaming apps market Kayzen serves via Playstudios and similar customers.
- The Trade Desk: The largest independent DSP, offering programmatic media buying across display, video, audio, and connected TV. Directly competes with Kayzen for advertiser and agency spend on mobile in-app inventory, with overlapping enterprise customer base.
- SmartHub (Digital Turbine): Mobile ad tech platform with DSP and SSP capabilities focused on app developers and carriers. Overlaps with Kayzen on mobile in-app supply access and demand-side bidding capabilities.
- Moloco: ML-driven programmatic DSP for mobile apps and eCommerce, operating both a DSP platform and a retail media business. Comparable in its ML-first approach to bidding and audience optimization.
Emerging players
- AdRoll: Mid-market programmatic and retargeting platform with self-serve tools. Comparable as a self-serve DSP alternative for smaller advertisers but with broader cross-channel rather than mobile-first focus.
- StackAdapt: Self-serve programmatic DSP with native, display, video, and connected TV inventory. Comparable self-serve PLG-style DSP motion serving mid-market agencies and brands, though less mobile-specialized than Kayzen.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kayzen social profiles
Digital presenceKayzen compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Kayzen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kayzen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kayzen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kayzen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kayzen
What does Kayzen do?
Kayzen operates a mobile-first Demand-Side Platform (DSP) that enables apps, agencies, media buyers, eCommerce businesses, and brands to run programmatic customer acquisition, retargeting, and brand performance campaigns through a self-serve interface or managed services. The platform is built on a modular architecture with real-time bidding, ML-driven optimization models, transparent reporting on bids and eCPMs, white-label capabilities for agencies, and an AI-powered intelligence layer (kAI Suite) for inventory validation.
Is Kayzen a public or private company?
Kayzen is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kayzen founded?
Kayzen was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Kayzen based?
Kayzen is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Kayzen make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. DSP Platform Fees are the primary driver. The others are managed Services and technology Licensing (White-label).
Who are Kayzen's main competitors?
MediaMath is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are AppLovin, Liftoff, Chartboost, Unity Ads, The Trade Desk, SmartHub (Digital Turbine) and Moloco. Emerging players are AdRoll and StackAdapt.
Does Kayzen have an API?
Yes. Kayzen offers a public REST API enabling developers to build custom integrations, automate campaign management, pull real-time data into reporting dashboards, push data into the platform, and access programmatic advertising features including audience management, reporting, and creative tracking. The API is documented at api.docs.kayzen.io and developers.kayzen.io. A dedicated Developer Hub (https://api.docs.kayzen.io/) provides API reference, authentication details, and integration guides. The platform also supports white-label reporting API access under a client's own branding. Developer documentation is at api.docs.kayzen.io.
What industry is Kayzen in?
Kayzen's product category is Programmatic Advertising Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMALAB, Demand-Side Platforms (DSP). Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.