Ogury Raises $50 Million USD to Lead Adtech into The Era of Digital Integrity
This investment validates Ogury's vision of a trusted digital advertising ecosystem driven by users' informed choices
Dec 05, 2019, 07:30 ET
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ogury, the creator of the first digital marketing engine driven by user choice, announced today it raised $50 million USD, enabling the company to accelerate its product innovation and customer growth in the U.S. and other key markets in Europe and APAC. GDPR compliant and CCPA prepared, Ogury intends to lead the advertising market shift from purely data-driven to consumer-choice first.
Digital technology and mobile devices have become an integral part of everyday life, and consumers are empowered by choice. As the internet matures and new privacy regulations are put in place, a monumental shift in digital marketing is occurring. Organizations need to understand and engage consumers on mobile, maximize revenue from digital marketing spend, and monetize mobile assets - all while building user trust.
Today, digital advertising is failing to meet consumers' expectations. In fact, according to Ogury research, which surveyed over 287,000 consumers, 52 percent of consumers agree intrusive or irrelevant messages gives them poor opinions of apps or websites hosting those types of messages. This shows that more data isn't necessarily the answer, user choice is. Organizations who understand and adapt their marketing practices accordingly will be the ones who earn consumer trust, reap the business rewards and thrive in the trusted digital economy.
Ogury has created the first marketing engine driven by user choice. It has been uniquely designed to address three key elements, integrated all in one place: 1. First-party, informed and traceable user consent, 2. Unique and legitimately actionable insights on the consumers and their mobile journey, and 3. Brand safe and fraud free activation of data and media. This different approach will radically change the direction and future of the entire ad tech market. This will change the direction and future of the entire adtech market. In today's digital economy, providing consumers with control over their digital marketing experience is not only the right thing to do, it's imperative for business in a regulated environment.
Thomas Pasquet, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Ogury, said, "We have been GDPR compliant by design since Ogury's launch in 2014 and are CCPA prepared. While many adtech companies have been negatively impacted by the regulations, our market-leading technology solutions have always been based on user informed consent." Pasquet continued, "We've created a model that has disrupted the advertising technology industry, as such, we flourished under GDPR. We have partnered with our brand, publisher and agency clients to deliver choice-driven advertising that adheres to GDPR and what we know about CCPA. We are in a tremendous position to change the future of marketing and advertising in this Fifth Industrial Revolution, which we believe history will designate as the The Era of Digital Integrity."
Ogury knows that in order for the adtech industry to align with expectations, consumers need transparency and control over how, when, why and which data is collected and used. Freedom of choice over the way they 'pay' for content; by sharing data and receiving ads or with money. And the ability to update preferences and change their mind at any point. When it comes to ad content, consumers want brand experiences tailored to their preferences, behaviors and needs.
Due to its efforts, Ogury is rewarded by new investments which will accelerate growth in the US, a key market for the company since its 2016 US launch. The investment is also destined to fuel product innovation and strengthen Ogury's presence in established markets.
These new funding endeavors have been led by Idinvest Partners, with additional funds coming from various banks. Previous financing for the company was led by ACG, CoVent Partners, Ventech and existing investor Idinvest Partners.
"The digital advertising world is going through its most challenging time given all the new regulations," said Benoist Grossmann, Managing Partner, Idinvest Partners. "Ogury's consumer consent-driven model was ahead of the curve and they are in a vastly unique position to lead the next phase of its evolution. It's often stated that money follows opportunity; we invested in Ogury for that reason, coupled with its stellar track record of growth and innovation."
Ogury's business thrived before and after GDPR in Europe; the company saw the opportunity in the US and entered the market before early indication of potential US regulation. As the US has followed Europe's early move to enforce companies to become more stringent on consumer data privacy collection, management, storage and use, Ogury is uniquely able to provide brands, publishers and agencies the technology and solutions to adhere to all privacy regulations and build consumer trust.
Since launching in 2014, Ogury has grown rapidly, reaching $100 million in global revenue in 2018 and has seen an average annual growth rate of 120 percent. For the last two years, the US has represented more than 50 percent of the company's total net revenue. Profitable since year one, Ogury currently employs more than 400 people in 18 offices across the US, Europe and APAC and works with more than 3,500 publishers and over 1,500 top brands globally.
About Ogury
Founded in 2014, Ogury is the creator of the first marketing engine driven by user choice. Ogury Marketing Engine systematically offers users clear options and respects the choice they make throughout their mobile journey. It ensures compliance with the changing landscape of data protection and privacy laws. Unlike generic marketing platforms, Ogury Marketing Engine is fueled by its own consented mobile user journey data across brands, apps, websites and powered by purpose-built algorithms and attractive ad formats. With the relentless support of our 400 employees, across 10 countries, 1500+ brand customers and 3500+ publisher partners use our technology to enjoy unmatched levels of sustained user engagement and ad revenue from their mobile assets.
About Idinvest Partners
Idinvest Partners is a leading European mid-market private equity firm. With €8bn under management, the firm has developed several areas of expertise including innovative startup venture capital transactions; mid-market private debt, i.e. single-tranche, senior and subordinated debt; primary and secondary investment and private equity advisory services. Founded in 1997, Idinvest Partners used to belong to the Allianz Group until 2010, when it branched out as an independent firm. In January 2018, Idinvest Partners became a subsidiary of Eurazeo, a leading global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of €17.7bn in assets under management, including nearly €11.6bn from investment partners, invested in nearly 400 companies.
SOURCE Ogury LTD
