Bidstack

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.

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

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

• In-game advertising
• Dynamic ad placements
• Programmatic advertising
• Campaign management platform
• Virtual sports sponsorship

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VenatuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal 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 HoldingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital 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.
• AdwayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital 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 DeskmajorTechnology or IntegrationProgrammatic 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

Broad 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bidstack
• Xx.com/_bidstack

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bidstack