Bidstack
Bidstack is a London-based in-game advertising platform, founded in 2015, that delivers Dynamic Ad Placements into video games via a lightweight SDK and real-time campaign management platform, serving game developers, advertisers, and sports rights holders globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Bidstack does
Bidstack is a London-based in-game advertising platform, founded in 2015, that enables brands to place advertising inside video games through non-disruptive Dynamic Ad Placements. The company serves three primary customer segments: video game developers and publishers (Game Creators) seeking monetization solutions that preserve player experience, brand advertisers seeking access to gaming audiences, and sports rights holders (leagues, teams, athletes) seeking to monetize their intellectual property within licensed sports video games. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on advertising placements, platform and campaign management fees, and marketplace commissions on virtual sports sponsorship deals; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
The core technology stack comprises three ad placement types — Environmental Ad Placements that replace object textures within game environments, Interactive Tiles placed in menus and loading screens, and Interstitials offering rewarded video ads — supported by a lightweight Software Development Kit (SDK) with no measurable impact on game build size, RAM, or CPU usage, and a browser-based campaign management and reporting platform that allows real-time upload, removal, and swapping of creative assets without requiring developer support. A contextual targeting capability uses real-time signals including time of day, device type, in-game events, geographic location, weather conditions, and cultural events to deliver campaigns without relying on first- or third-party personal identifiers. The Virtual Sports Sponsorship product extends the platform with a permission management system for rights holders to control and monetize their virtual IP.
Bidstack operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales to game developers and publishers with channel partnerships across four regions — Venatus covering NAM and EMEA, Aleph Holding covering LATAM, and Adways covering APAC — plus programmatic buying integration through The Trade Desk and a self-serve campaign management platform. The platform is GDPR-compliant, supports IAB-standard ad sizes, and cites engagement metrics including 12x attention lift over traditional digital channels (per Lumen Research) and 95-97% outperformance on engagement norms for in-game formats. As of October 2022 the company had raised $42 million across nine funding rounds, with a $6 million investment from cybersecurity firm Irdeto as the most recent disclosed lead.
Bidstack firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bidstack
- Legal name
- Bidstack Limited
- Website
- https://bidstack.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bidstack is a London-based in-game advertising platform, founded in 2015, that delivers Dynamic Ad Placements into video games via a lightweight SDK and real-time campaign management platform, serving game developers, advertisers, and sports rights holders globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bidstack industry classification
Industry- Product category
- In-Game Advertising Technology
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- In-Game Advertising & AdTech (networks, mediation, measurement) (MPAFAJAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Demand-Side Platforms (DSP) (BPAMALAB), Offerwalls, Rewards & Performance Monetization (UA-linked payouts) (MPAFAJAI)
Keywords
Where Bidstack is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bidstack business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising Placements: Bidstack generates revenue by enabling brands to serve dynamic advertisements within video games through its platform. Game creators receive a share of ad revenues while Bidstack takes a transaction fee or platform commission from the advertising transaction.
- Platform Services: Provides campaign management and reporting platform to advertisers and game creators, enabling targeted campaigns and real-time analytics. Revenue derived from platform access and campaign management fees.
- Virtual Sports Sponsorship: Connects licensed spaces in sports video games to brand deals, enabling sports rights holders to monetize their virtual IP through regional sponsorship opportunities with brands.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
Bidstack product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bidstack provides Dynamic Ad Placements for video games, offering environmental, interactive tile, and interstitial ad formats that integrate non-disruptively around gameplay. The company delivers this through a lightweight developer SDK and a browser-based campaign management platform that enables advertisers to buy and manage in-game ad inventory programmatically and at scale.
Product overview
Bidstack offers a unified Dynamic Ad Placements platform for in-game advertising across video games. The core offering consists of three distinct ad placement types: Environmental Ad Placements (non-interruptive ads that blend into gameplay), Interactive Tiles (in-menu interactive messaging), and Interstitials (rewarded video ads). The platform includes a browser-based campaign management system (Bidstack Platform) for targeting, analytics, and real-time reporting, plus a lightweight SDK for game developers. Virtual Sports Sponsorship extends the platform specifically for sports rights holders to manage and monetize their IP in licensed sports video games with permission-based controls and regional targeting capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dynamic Ad Placements
Quantifiable outcome
- Contextually targeted campaigns in video games drive 12 times more attention than traditional digital channels (Lumen Research)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bidstack
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bidstack technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
Bidstack partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- VenatuscoreGlobal advertising platform specializing in gaming and entertainment media, covering NAM & EMEA regions. Venatus serves as a channel partner helping distribute Bidstack's Dynamic Ad Placements to advertisers in these markets.
- Aleph HoldingcoreDigital media enabler connecting brands with gaming audiences in LATAM region. Aleph operates as a distribution partner for Bidstack's advertising solutions in Latin American markets.
- AdwayscoreDigital marketing agency offering app development and advertising services in APAC region. Adways serves as Bidstack's channel partner for the Asia-Pacific market.
- The Trade DeskmajorProgrammatic media buying platform integration enabling advertisers to transact across private marketplace deals and access Bidstack's gaming inventory programmatically. Advertisers can connect Dynamic Ad Placements to media-buying marketplaces through this partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bidstack competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Reddit (Gaming/Ads): Reddit runs contextual native ad placements adjacent to gaming communities, often competing for the same brand budgets seeking engaged gaming audiences.
- Roblox (advertising): Roblox has built an in-platform immersive advertising network for branded experiences, representing a walled-garden incumbent competing for game-environment ad budgets that Bidstack targets.
- Bidstack partners' overlapping DSPs (e.g., The Trade Desk): The Trade Desk is a major DSP that enables PMP access to Bidstack inventory while also powering competing in-game inventory from Anzu and others — a partner-channel double-edged sword.
Direct peers
- Frameplay: Frameplay provides intrinsic in-game advertising using a 3D engine-level approach to embed brand content into game environments, competing directly with Bidstack's Environmental placements.
- Anzu: Anzu is an in-game advertising platform offering programmatic, blended native ad placements across PC, console, and mobile games — the closest direct competitor to Bidstack's Dynamic Ad Placements.
- Adverty: Adverty delivers in-game and metaverse ad-tech with programmatic integrations, directly competing for advertiser demand and game-developer supply against Bidstack.
- AdInMo: AdInMo offers an in-game advertising SDK for non-intrusive ad placements across mobile and casual PC games, overlapping with Bidstack's SDK-driven Dynamic Ad Placements model.
Regional players
- Venatus Media: Venatus is a gaming-focused advertising sales house serving NAM and EMEA; it is both a Bidstack channel partner and a partial competitor in monetizing gaming audiences.
Emerging players
- Gadsme: Gadsme is an in-game advertising network focused on casual and mobile gaming, addressing a similar pain point (developer monetization without disrupting UX) but with a different distribution and format mix.
- Player X / Player Network: Player XP / Mpire is a programmatic in-game and esports advertising platform with similar advertiser tooling, competing for the same brand budgets Bidstack targets via The Trade Desk.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bidstack social profiles
Digital presenceBidstack compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Bidstack financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bidstack leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Bidstack funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bidstack M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bidstack
What does Bidstack do?
Bidstack provides Dynamic Ad Placements for video games, offering environmental, interactive tile, and interstitial ad formats that integrate non-disruptively around gameplay. The company delivers this through a lightweight developer SDK and a browser-based campaign management platform that enables advertisers to buy and manage in-game ad inventory programmatically and at scale.
Is Bidstack a public or private company?
Bidstack is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Bidstack founded?
Bidstack was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bidstack based?
Bidstack is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bidstack make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising Placements are the primary driver. The others are platform Services and virtual Sports Sponsorship.
Who are Bidstack's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Reddit (Gaming/Ads), Roblox (advertising) and Bidstack partners' overlapping DSPs (e.g., The Trade Desk). Direct peers are Frameplay, Anzu, Adverty and AdInMo. Venatus Media is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Gadsme and Player X / Player Network.
Does Bidstack have an API?
Yes. Bidstack offers an API for game creators to integrate Dynamic Ad Placements. The API enables real-time control of ad placements, upload and swap creative files and textures, connect to media-buying marketplaces, and manage data feeds. The platform supports API connections for analytics, reporting, and revenue tracking across games.
What industry is Bidstack in?
Bidstack's product category is In-Game Advertising Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAJAH, In-Game Advertising & AdTech (networks, mediation, measurement), with a secondary code of BPAMALAB, Demand-Side Platforms (DSP). Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7310.