What IPONWEB does

IPONWEB is a London-headquartered AdTech infrastructure company that builds customized programmatic media trading platforms for enterprise clients across the open advertising ecosystem. Founded in 2001, the company operates three core products: BidSwitch, a media trading marketplace connecting approximately 130 demand partners and close to 150 supply partners; BidCore, a customizable self-service Demand-Side Platform (DSP) supporting mid- and upper-funnel campaigns including video and CTV; and TheMediaGrid, an advanced Supply-Side Platform (SSP) enabling curated inventory distribution and first-party data activation in the post-third-party cookie environment.

The company's technology stack addresses the structural shift away from third-party identifiers, positioning first-party data interoperability and measurement as core differentiators. IPONWEB serves three primary enterprise segments — media owners/publishers seeking inventory monetization, agencies requiring bespoke platform deployments, and marketers/brands running full-funnel programmatic campaigns. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and marketplace commissions on media spend processed through BidCore, TheMediaGrid, and BidSwitch, with pricing not publicly disclosed.

In December 2021, Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO) entered exclusive negotiations to acquire IPONWEB for $380 million ($305M cash + $75M in CRTO treasury shares), a transaction expected to add over $100M in annual Revenue ex-TAC and intended to close in Q1 2022 subject to regulatory approval. Post-acquisition, IPONWEB operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Criteo, with founder Dr. Boris Mouzykantskii (CEO and Chief Scientist) joining Criteo's leadership. The company had 501–1,000 employees at the time of the announcement and served a global client base with European roots.

Name

IPONWEB

Legal name

IPONWEB

Website

https://iponweb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Programmatic Advertising Technology

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Ad Networks & Exchanges (Programmatic RTB) (BPAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Programmatic Display & Video (DSP/RTB) (BPAFACAC)

Keywords

• Programmatic advertising
• Media trading platform
• Adtech infrastructure
• Demand-side platform
• Supply-side platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Programmatic Advertising Technology: IPONWEB generates revenue through its DSP and SSP platforms that facilitate programmatic media trading between marketers (demand side) and media owners (supply side), likely through transaction fees or take rates on media spend processed through its platforms.
2. Media Trading Marketplace: BidSwitch operates as a media trading marketplace connecting demand and supply partners, generating revenue from the volume of transactions facilitated through its platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

IPONWEB builds and operates enterprise AdTech infrastructure for programmatic advertising, including a customizable self-service Demand-Side Platform (BidCore), an advanced Supply-Side Platform (TheMediaGrid), and a media trading marketplace (BidSwitch) that connects approximately 130 demand partners and close to 150 supply partners to enable first-party data activation, interoperability, and measurement across the open internet.

Product overview

IPONWEB was a market-leading AdTech company with world-class media trading capabilities, providing enterprise solutions for media owners, agencies, and marketers for over 20 years. The company's product portfolio consisted of three main offerings: BidSwitch (media trading marketplace), BidCore (Demand-Side Platform), and MediaGrid (Supply-Side Platform). Together, these products provided end-to-end media trading infrastructure connecting demand and supply partners across the advertising ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BidSwitch: Media trading marketplace connecting 130 demand-side and close to 150 supply-side partners, enabling first-party data activation in the post third-party cookie world.
• BidCore
• The MediaGrid

Products and services

• BidSwitch
• BidCore
• TheMediaGrid

Quantifiable outcome

• Expected to add over $100 million in annual Revenue ex-TAC

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CriteocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2021Criteo entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire IPONWEB for $380 million in a combination of cash and CRTO treasury shares. The acquisition was intended to accelerate Criteo's Commerce Media Platform strategy and position the company as an industry leader in the post-third-party cookie and identifier world. The transaction was expected to close in Q1 2022, subject to regulatory approvals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is the largest independent DSP for programmatic advertising, competing head-to-head with IPONWEB's BidCore in mid- and upper-funnel campaign execution, including video and CTV, serving advertisers and agencies globally.
• Magnite: Magnite is the largest independent SSP following the merger of Rubicon Project and Telaria, directly comparable to IPONWEB's TheMediaGrid on the supply side, particularly in CTV and video inventory monetization.
• PubMatic: PubMatic operates a supply-side platform and header bidding wrapper serving publishers and media buyers globally, making it a direct competitor to TheMediaGrid and adjacent to BidSwitch on the supply side of programmatic.
• Index Exchange: Index Exchange is a global ad exchange and SSP operating a marketplace connecting supply and demand in programmatic, directly comparable to IPONWEB's BidSwitch marketplace and TheMediaGrid SSP.
• OpenX: OpenX operates an omnichannel ad exchange and SSP with focus on premium publisher inventory, comparable to IPONWEB's BidSwitch and TheMediaGrid in connecting demand and supply for programmatic media trading.
• MediaMath: MediaMath operates a DSP for omnichannel programmatic campaign management, directly comparable to IPONWEB's BidCore, targeting enterprise marketers and agencies with similar self-service campaign execution capabilities.
• Adform: Adform provides an integrated DSP and SSP stack for programmatic advertising, similar to IPONWEB's combined BidCore/TheMediaGrid offering, serving agencies, marketers, and publishers across Europe and globally.

Broad incumbents

• Google Ad Manager: Google Ad Manager (formerly DoubleClick) is the dominant ad server and SSP/exchange, representing the largest competitive incumbent against IPONWEB's TheMediaGrid and BidSwitch with vastly greater scale, demand, and identity infrastructure.
• Amazon Publisher Services: Amazon Publisher Services operates the Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM) and header bidding infrastructure, providing a scaled SSP/exchange competing against IPONWEB's TheMediaGrid and BidSwitch with unique Amazon demand and identity assets.

Emerging players

• LiveRamp: LiveRamp provides data collaboration, identity resolution, and audience activation infrastructure, overlapping with IPONWEB's first-party data activation capabilities within BidSwitch and serving a shared customer base of marketers and media owners navigating the post-cookie world.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/69134

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about IPONWEB