Firstlead
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Firstlead firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Firstlead
- Legal name
- Firstlead GmbH
- Website
- https://adcell.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Firstlead industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affiliate Marketing Network
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affiliate & Partner Marketing (Performance Partnerships) (BPAFACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Affiliate Marketing & Partner Networks (BPAMALAI), Affiliate Marketing & Partner Program Management (MPAAACAD)
Keywords
Where Firstlead is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Firstlead business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Network Commission from Advertiser Sales: ADCELL earns commissions based on sales generated through the affiliate network. Advertisers pay for successful transactions (sales, leads) achieved through publisher referrals. The network operates on a performance-only basis with no setup fees or monthly charges for publishers.
- Publisher Network Access Fees: No setup fee for partner programs and no monthly network fees for publishers; agency accounts are free. Revenue is generated solely through successful performance transactions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Free for Publishers - No setup or monthly fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Free for Advertisers - No setup or monthly fees |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Free for Agencies - No setup or monthly fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Firstlead product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Firstlead GmbH operates ADCELL, a performance-based affiliate marketing network that connects publishers (websites, influencers, coupon/cashback sites, SEM/SEO operators) with advertisers (online shops and brands) across the DACH region. The platform provides tracking, reporting, commission management, and partner program facilitation for 64,000+ publishers and 2,386 partner programs spanning 23 categories, earning revenue solely through commissions on successful transactions with no setup or monthly fees.
Product overview
Firstlead GmbH operates ADCELL, a unified affiliate marketing network platform that connects publishers (affiliates) with advertisers (partner program operators) for performance-based marketing. The core ADCELL Platform serves as the central hub, complemented by a suite of tools including the Mobile App for iOS/Android, the Affiliate-Dashboard for real-time statistics, 3rd Party Tracking for cross-network tracking, CSV-Mapper for product feed management, Publisher Arena for competitive benchmarking, and a Seasonal Calendar for campaign planning. The platform also offers a public API for developer integrations. Users access over 2,386 partner programs across diverse categories including fashion, shoes, accessories, and lifestyle products. ADCELL operates on a 100% performance-based model with no setup fees for publishers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ADCELL Affiliate Marketing Platform Core affiliate marketing network platform that connects publishers (affiliates such as websites, influencers, coupon/cashback sites, SEM/SEO specialists) with advertisers (online shops and brands) for performance-based marketing. Provides tracking, reporting, and commission management across 2,386+ partner programs in 23 categories, with 64,000+ active publishers.
- ADCELL Mobile App Official mobile application for Android and iOS enabling publishers, advertisers, and agencies to access account statistics in real time, monitor campaigns, and manage affiliate activity on mobile devices.
- ADCELL API Public REST API enabling developers to programmatically access affiliate marketing data, manage partner programs, perform automated tracking and reporting, and integrate ADCELL functionality into third-party applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.95% platform availability
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Firstlead
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Firstlead technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Firstlead partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BVDW (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft)coreADCELL is a member of BVDW, the German Digital Economy Association, which strengthens its position in the digital economy and demonstrates commitment to industry standards.
- IAB EuropecoreADCELL maintains approved status in the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework, enabling standardized consent management for data privacy compliance across the platform.
- HändlerbundminorPartnership with Händlerbund (Merchant Association) provides legal compliance support and resources for the affiliate network.
- DeloitteminorADCELL was recognized in the Deloitte Fast 50 2023 for Technology, Media, and Telecommunications, demonstrating technological excellence and growth.
- OMR (Online Marketing Rockstars)coreADCELL maintains OMR Leader and OMR Top Rated status, participating in OMR events and being recognized in their Top 100 Tools list.
- PerformixxcoreADCELL has won the Performixx Award (2nd place 2025, 1st place 2024) as Best Network and Tracking, recognizing excellence in affiliate marketing.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Firstlead competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Belboon: Germany-based affiliate network focused on the DACH market, providing a directly comparable offering of advertiser-partner programs, publisher matchmaking and performance-based commission tracking.
- PerformanceHorizon (now Partnerize): Affiliate and partner marketing platform providing tracking, reporting and partner management tools with comparable functionality and customer overlap in European e-commerce.
- CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction): One of the largest global affiliate networks; overlaps directly with ADCELL in the DACH market by connecting advertisers with publisher partners and providing tracking, reporting and commission management on a performance basis.
- Tradedoubler: European-headquartered affiliate and performance marketing network with a strong DACH operation, offering similar publisher-advertiser matchmaking, tracking technology and performance-based pricing to ADCELL.
- Awin: Global affiliate marketing network headquartered in Europe with a strong DACH presence, directly competing with ADCELL for advertisers and publishers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland across similar partner programs and tracking infrastructure.
- Webgains: European affiliate marketing network offering publishers and advertisers similar functionality — partner programs, tracking, performance pricing — across DACH and broader European markets.
- Rakuten Advertising: Global affiliate network owned by Rakuten; competes directly with ADCELL for the same pool of European advertisers and publishers with comparable performance-based tracking and reporting tools.
Regional players
- Effiliation: France-based affiliate network with European footprint offering similar performance-based advertiser-publisher network services to ADCELL but primarily operating in different national markets.
- Daisycon: Benelux-headquartered affiliate network with growing DACH activity; offers comparable advertiser-publisher network services, tracking technology and performance-based pricing to a similar SMB and mid-market customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon Associates: Massive global affiliate program operated by Amazon; competes indirectly for publisher mindshare and advertiser benchmark on commission rates, though structurally distinct (closed vs. open network).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Firstlead social profiles
Digital presenceFirstlead compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Firstlead financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Firstlead leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Firstlead funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Firstlead 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 Firstlead
What does Firstlead do?
Firstlead GmbH operates ADCELL, a performance-based affiliate marketing network that connects publishers (websites, influencers, coupon/cashback sites, SEM/SEO operators) with advertisers (online shops and brands) across the DACH region. The platform provides tracking, reporting, commission management, and partner program facilitation for 64,000+ publishers and 2,386 partner programs spanning 23 categories, earning revenue solely through commissions on successful transactions with no setup or monthly fees.
Is Firstlead a public or private company?
Firstlead is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Firstlead founded?
Firstlead was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Firstlead based?
Firstlead is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Firstlead make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Network Commission from Advertiser Sales are the primary driver. The others are publisher Network Access Fees.
Who are Firstlead's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Belboon, PerformanceHorizon (now Partnerize), CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction), Tradedoubler, Awin, Webgains and Rakuten Advertising. Regional players are Effiliation and Daisycon. Amazon Associates is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Firstlead have an API?
Yes. ADCELL provides a public API for developers to access affiliate marketing data and functionality. The API documentation is available at https://www.adcell.de/api/v2. Publishers and advertisers can use the API for automated tracking, reporting, and program management. Developer documentation is at www.adcell.de/api/v2.
What industry is Firstlead in?
Firstlead's product category is Affiliate Marketing Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFACAE, Affiliate & Partner Marketing (Performance Partnerships), with a secondary code of BPAMALAI, Affiliate Marketing & Partner Networks. Its NAICS code is 541830 and its SIC code is 7310.