Metup

What Metup does

MetUp srl is a privately held Italian technology holding company founded in 2013 in Rome, operating full-stack programmatic advertising technology under a dual platform model. The core AdTech offering comprises MetUp DSP, a self-serve and managed demand-side platform for advertisers to programmatically purchase premium digital inventory across In-app, Native, Video, RichMedia and Display formats, and e-Volution SSP, an AI-powered supply-side platform for publishers to monetize website, app and Connected TV inventory through Header Bidding, Prebid, RTB cooperations and Google MCM programmatic integrations. The technology stack is built entirely in-house and is differentiated by proprietary AI/ML capabilities, including an Adaptive ML Engine for yield optimization, a dynamic floor pricing engine that adjusts in real-time based on demand and audience signals, and exclusive LSA (Latent Semantic Analysis) technology acquired in 2018 that powers the Epeex native advertising platform and enables sub-6ms semantic content correlation. Infrastructure is designed to process billions of bid requests per day with sub-50ms ad decisioning latency, with full compliance across GDPR, CCPA, TCF, ISO 9001:2015 and Google Ad Manager Certified External Vendor standards.

MetUp generates revenue through three streams: subscription/recurring DSP service fees and media buying margins on advertiser spend, transaction-based revenue share and technology fees on publisher inventory processed through the SSP, and transaction fees on Epeex native advertising placements sold via reservation and programmatic. Go-to-market combines self-serve platform onboarding for SMB and individual buyers (with payments via Stripe, PayPal, and Wire Transfer), inside sales with specialist advisors who contact prospects within 24 working hours, and dedicated enterprise field sales for large advertisers and publishers requiring managed services, custom integrations, and multi-year contracts.

Beyond the AdTech core, MetUp operates as a holding company with a diversified portfolio of subsidiaries spanning publishing (Velvet Network, JWS Media), AI development for fundraising (Capital Scout) and veterinary medicine (ZoeSoma), cybersecurity training (Cysea), experimental consumer apps (SailLog maritime, Sanya Balance wellness), semantic content technology (Clevernode), video player SDKs (MVStackStudio), and a patented shoppable CTV solution (ShoppableVid). The company is founder-controlled under CEO Shahram Bahadori Ghouchani with a leadership team of 4 executives, operates from Rome and Turin, and has disclosed no external funding rounds, with all growth funded organically.

Name

Metup

Legal name

MetUp srl

Website

https://metup.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MetUp is an Italian AdTech holding company operating a proprietary full-stack programmatic advertising platform (DSP and SSP) for advertisers and publishers, leveraging proprietary AI/ML and semantic LSA technology, complemented by a diversified portfolio of AI, publishing, and cybersecurity subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roma

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Demand Side Platform (DSP) Services: Programmatic media buying platform providing advertisers automated, centralized ad buying using advanced targeting and multi-channel reach. Revenue from media buying fees and transaction margins on advertising spend processed through the platform.
2. Supply Side Platform (SSP) Services: AI-powered yield optimization platform for publishers monetizing website, app and CTV inventory. Revenue from revenue share arrangements and technology fees on publisher inventory transactions.
3. Epeex Native Advertising: Native video advertising platform with semantic targeting capabilities. Revenue from both reservation (direct booking) and programmatic ad placements for publishers and advertisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MetUp is an Italian technology holding company that develops and operates a full-stack programmatic advertising technology platform, providing its own Demand Side Platform (MetUp DSP) for advertisers and Supply Side Platform (e-Volution.ai SSP) for publishers. The platform enables automated digital ad buying and selling across web, mobile, app, native, video, and connected TV inventory using proprietary AI-powered yield optimization with sub-50ms decisioning latency.

Product overview

MetUp is a technology holding company offering a full-stack AdTech platform for programmatic advertising. The core product portfolio centers on two complementary platforms: e-Volution SSP (Supply Side Platform) for publishers to monetize digital inventory across Web, Mobile, App, Native, Rich Media, Video VAST, and CTV; and MetUp DSP (Demand Side Platform) for advertisers to programmatically purchase premium ad inventory with advanced targeting. These are complemented by CortexTech for meta-mediation, and Epeex for native/video mobile advertising. Beyond AdTech, MetUp holds subsidiaries across Publishing (Velvet Network, JWS Media), AI Development (Capital Scout, ZoeSoma), Cyber Security (Cysea), and Experimental App Development (Clevernode, MVStackStudio, SailLog, Sanya Balance, ShoppableVid).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Volution.ai: Supply Side Platform (SSP) with AI-powered algorithms for publisher monetization
• MetUp DSP
• CortexTech
• Epeex

Products and services

• MetUp DSP Self-Serve and Managed Demand Side Platform for advertisers enabling programmatic purchase of digital advertising inventory with advanced targeting, multi-format support (In-app, Native, Video, RichMedia, Display), and direct access to premium publishers globally.
• e-Volution.ai SSP AI-powered Supply Side Platform for publishers enabling programmatic monetization of website, app, and connected TV inventory with real-time bidding optimization, dynamic floor pricing, and sub-50ms ad decisioning.
• Epeex Native advertising and mobile video platform using Latent Semantic Index technology for semantic content correlation and contextual video bumper advertising across publisher networks.
• CortexTech Meta-mediation advertising platform with Meta-DSP and Meta-SSP capabilities providing advanced contextual intelligence and real-time traffic-shaping algorithms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average revenue uplift within first 3 months for publishers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationMetUp is a certified Google Ad Manager external vendor. Both DSP and SSP products integrate with Google Authorized Buyer, Google Ad Exchange (ADX), and are listed in Google's official third-party vendor directory.
• MagnitecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration partnership for programmatic advertising supply and demand exchange.
• ComcastcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for CTV and streaming advertising inventory access and monetization.
• FreewheelcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration for programmatic TV and video advertising exchange.
• Warner Bros DiscoverycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for premium video and streaming advertising inventory access.
• Microsoft AdvertisingcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology integration for programmatic advertising exchange and demand supply.
• GEDIcoreTechnology or IntegrationItalian media group partnership for programmatic advertising with major Italian publishers.
• ItaliaOnlinecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with leading Italian internet company for programmatic advertising inventory.
• HumancoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for ad fraud detection and brand safety. Human Security technology provides 100% impression scanning to detect and block sophisticated bots and invalid traffic.
• IABcoreTechnology or IntegrationMembership and standards compliance with Interactive Advertising Bureau for programmatic advertising standards.
• PrebidcoreTechnology or IntegrationFull Prebid integration for header bidding wrapper technology in both DSP and SSP platforms.
• Smart (Adserver)coreTechnology or IntegrationSmart Adserver partnership for Epeex video advertising delivery and serving.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adform: Adform operates a full-stack DSP + SSP (and ad server) for programmatic advertising across display, video, native, and CTV, with strong European heritage. Directly comparable to MetUp because both sell a self-serve and managed programmatic stack to advertisers and publishers, and Adform is even listed as a MetUp partner/customer.
• Equativ (Smart Adserver): Equativ combines a Supply Side Platform with an ad server (formerly Smart Adserver) and is an explicit partner of MetUp for video ad serving. Comparable as a European SSP+ad-server focused on premium publishers with multi-format and CTV support.
• Improve Digital: Improve Digital is a European SSP serving premium publishers with header bidding and programmatic video. Listed as a MetUp partner, it competes head-to-head on publisher yield optimization in EMEA.

Broad incumbents

• Magnite: Magnite is the largest independent SSP, dominant in CTV and premium video, and is a core integration partner of MetUp. It is a much larger broad incumbent operating across the same SSP and CTV inventory layer.
• Pubmatic: Pubmatic is a large public SSP with header bidding, omnichannel and CTV capabilities. Comparable as a full-stack sell-side platform competing for the same publisher inventory that MetUp targets.
• Index Exchange: Index Exchange is a major global SSP focused on header bidding and premium publisher inventory. Operates in the same header bidding / Prebid ecosystem as MetUp's e-Volution SSP.
• OpenX: OpenX is an established independent SSP with header bidding, CTV and identity solutions. Competes with e-Volution for publisher inventory, especially across web and app supply.
• The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is the leading independent DSP and a dominant demand-side counterpart to MetUp DSP. Comparable buyer-side stack but at vastly larger scale; competes for the same advertiser budgets.
• Criteo: Criteo is a publicly traded European ad-tech company running a DSP/retargeting platform with commerce media and supply-side offerings. Overlaps with MetUp on the demand-side stack and Italian/EMEA publisher relationships.

Emerging players

• Algorix: Algorix is an APAC-headquartered omnichannel DSP/SSP that appears on MetUp's partner roster. It is a smaller, emerging cross-channel programmatic platform with comparable technology offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MetUpAgency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metup

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Metup