Top 20 VC Investors in AdTech

• 8 min read
Top 20 VC Investors in AdTech

The media that people consume tends to evolve every few years and so, and because of this, the methods of advertising also have to change in order to adapt. As a result, agencies that deal with ad-tech are very much needed nowadays.

However, starting an ad-tech startup can be challenging at times, and in order to succeed, you would need an investor’s help. To help you in this matter, here are 20 venture capital firms that are willing to invest in ad-tech startups.

Top 20 VC Investors in AdTech

MathCapital

MathCapital is an early-stage venture capital firm that specializes in the digital transformation of marketing and media. This firm was founded in 2018 by Eric Franchi, Joe Zawadski, Peter Piazza, and Dan Bisgeier, and the team focuses on finding and investing in startups that address marketing and the media’s largest opportunities.

Aside from providing financial assistance, MathCapital also aims to support their chosen startups in every facet of the startup journey, so they will also provide them with strategic guidance, reliable resources, and access to a world-class network.

Currently, MathCapital’s portfolio consists of 40 companies, including Aesthetic, Amino, Boostr, Gravy Analytics, Improvado, Liftlab, Marpipe, and Memorandum.

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Greycroft

Greycroft is a seed-to-growth venture capital firm that aims to redefine the Internet economy. Founded in 2006, the company believes that venture capital is a long-term business, so even after the seed stage, they are still willing to invest up to $15 million over multiple rounds.

Greycroft’s chosen startups benefit from active, hands-on assistance from the firm’s team and partners. The startups will also gain access to an extensive community of media and technology connections to help them gain visibility, build strategic partnerships, and successfully exit.

Bowery Capital

Bowery Capital is an early-stage venture capital that is focused exclusively on startups that are looking to modernize business through technology. In particular, the firm prefers startups that help build the next generation of B2B market leaders.

Once chosen, the startups will receive assistance from Bowery Capital’s team as to how to set up the optimal sales, marketing, and CS tech stacks for your product. The firm’s team will also guide the startups on increasing their sales velocity by instructing them on designing or executing proof of concept programs, negotiation tactics, and deal working.

Some of the companies in Bowery Capital’s portfolio include Alchemy, ActionIQ, Centricity, Cerby, ChannelEyes, Drawbridge Networks, Metricly, and Worklytics.

Luminar Ventures

Luminar Ventures is a seed-stage investor from Sweden that aims to provide financing and active operational support to Nordic technology companies that are looking to transform major industries with digital technologies and innovations.

Luminar’s fund is currently at $60 million, and they are aiming to lead larger seed rounds of $2–3 million, but they are willing to invest pre-seed in promising startups.

Throughout the years, Luminar Ventures has invested in several startups. A few examples include Albacross, Mindler, Hemma, Normative, Debricked, Teemyco, Movesta, CodeScene, Turbotic, and New Glue.

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SV Angel

SV Angel is a seed fund based in San Francisco that supports software-focused startups spanning the consumer and enterprise. Founded by Ron Conway, the firm has advised countless companies over the last 25 years, such as Facebook, Google, PayPal, Dropbox, Airbnb, Pinterest, and many more.

In terms of ad-tech companies, SV Angel has invested in Adara Media, AddThis, AdReady, Anchor Intelligence, AppNexus, Booshaka, Factual, Inadco, Luminate, TrialPay, Yext, and many more.

First Round Capital

First Round Capital is a seed-stage venture firm that is dedicated to building a vibrant community of technology entrepreneurs and companies. First Round is not particular with what industry a startup is involved in, but their investments do tend to cluster around enterprise, consumer, hardware, fintech, and healthcare. They are willing to look for other companies in other areas as well.

Throughout the years, First Round Capital has invested in about 19 ad-tech companies, such as 33Across, Adaptly, Aggregate Knowledge, AppNexus, Curalate, DoubleVerify, Flurry, OpenX, PerformLine, and Solve Media.

DFJ Growth

DFJ Growth is a venture capital firm focused on investing in startups that deal with enterprise, consumer, and disruptive technologies. This firm was founded in 1959 by William Henry Draper Jr., who was the co-founder of the first Silicon Valley venture capital firm, so the team has been supporting entrepreneurs for about four decades now.

A few ad-tech companies in DFJ’s portfolio are 4INFO, ContextWeb, CTS Media, Flurry, isocket, JiWire, PubMatic, PulsePoint, RichRelevance, ShareThis, TrialPay, and Virool.

Founder Collective

Founder Collective is a seed-stage venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs who are building technology companies. The firm doesn’t adhere to only one industry; instead, they support technology-driven companies across a broad range of industries, so long as they have compelling business concepts.

Founder Collective has invested in several ad-tech companies over the past few years. Some of these investments are BoostCTR, Convertro, Factual, SHIFT, Integral Ad Science, Magnetic, Metamarkets, Moat, and The Trade Desk.

Battery Ventures

Battery Ventures is a firm that has been investing in technology companies since 1983. With offices in the United States and Europe, Battery practices a collaborative and research-focused style of investing, and they also regularly make early-, growth-, and buyout investments in the tech sector.

In particular, Battery specializes in the following areas: application software, infrastructure software, consumer, and industrial tech. Some ad-tech companies that Battery has invested in are BlueKai, BoostCTR, Kontagent, LiveIntent, Lotame, Mass Relevance, Tealium, and TrialPay.

New Enterprise Associates

New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is a global venture capital firm that aims to help founders build great companies that improve people’s lifestyles. As such, they tend to prefer startups that are involved in the technology and healthcare industries.

NEA invests during all stages of a company’s growth — from seeding innovations in emerging markets to funding early-stage companies in high-growth markets to fueling the growth of market leaders. The firm also supports startups no matter where they are located in the world.

NEA’s portfolio includes several ad-tech companies, namely AddThis, Compass Labs, Curalate, GumGum, Influitive, SAY Media, Silk, and Videology.

Floodgate

As a veture capital firm, Floodgate Fund believes that technology will bring abundance to the world. For that reason, they aspire to support entrepreneurs and founders that make use of technology to create the massive outcomes.

Floodgate loves to invest in their startups early on, but they are also eager to accompany them every step of the way. Over the past two decades, the firm has worked with transformational consumer and B2B startups, and these companies are now worth $100 billion today.

Founded in 1989, Crosslink Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with ambitious early-stage founders who are building category-defining companies. To be specific, the firm tends to invest in consumer and enterprise businesses, and currently, they have over $2 billion in assets under management.

Crosslink invests during the seed stage and series A, and their initial investment ranges between $1 million and $8 million. Some of the ad-tech companies that Crosslink Capital has helped throughout the years include Bizo, Flurry, JellyCloud, Kiip, RadiumOne, RichRelevance, SET, and Vungle.

Trinity Ventures

Trinity Ventures strives to help passionate entrepreneurs who are working on breakthrough ideas that transform markets and lives. To help startups achieve all their business goals, the firm combines business insight, practical expertise, and financial assistance.

In terms of ad-tech companies, here are the startups that Trinity has invested in: Act-On Software, Dynamic Signal, Namo Media, Perfect Market, RadiumOne, Red Aril, and TubeMogul.

DAG Ventures

DAG Ventures is a mid-stage venture capital that partners with entrepreneurs who have a service-oriented mindset. This VC firm was once a part of Duff Ackerman & Goodrich, a private equity investment firm that specializes in the communications and media industries, but in 2004, DAG branched away.

Currently, DAG has over 160 companies in a wide array of technology sectors. Included in their portfolio are several ad-tech companies, such as Aggregate Knowledge, Convertro, Gigya, Lockerz, OpenX, TRUSTe, and Visible Measures.

August Capital

August Capital was founded in 1995 by Dave Marquardt and John Johnston, who are season veterans of the venture capital industry. This firm loves to invest in companies that deal with technical innovation and entrepreneurial excellence, so for the past 20 years, they have supported countless startups across the information technology sector.

As of right now, August Capital has around $2 billion under management. They also also invested in seven ad-tech companies thus far, namely Adara Media, Adchemy, Flingo, Gravity, Luminate, PubMatic, and SAY Media.

Inovia Capital

Inovia Capital is a venture firm that backs founders who are building enduring global technology companies. The firm has offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, San Francisco, and London, and they are currently managing over $1.5 billion across early- and growth-stage funds.

Some of the ad-tech companies that Inovia Capital has invested in the past couple of years are 33Across, Chango, Collective Media, Media Armor, Tag-Man, Resonate, and TripleLift.

Sequoia Capital

Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in startups from a wide variety of industries, including energy, financial, enterprise, healthcare, internet, and mobile. It is Sequoia’s goal to help founders build legendary companies from idea to IPO and beyond.

When chosen, the startups will receive funding and assistance from professionals who have worked with notable founders, such as Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison. Moreover, the companies that Sequoia has supported account for more than 25% of NASDAQ’s total value.

Accel

Founded in 1983, Accel is a venture capital firm that works with startups in seed, early-, and growth-stage investments. This firm focuses on the technology sector, and these are the areas that they tend to specialize in: consumer, infrastructure, media, mobile, SaaS, security, customer care services, enterprise software, and e-commerce.

Over the years, Accel has invested in so many well-known companies, such as Facebook, Slack, and Dropbox. In the field of ad-tech, their investments include AdRoll, Collective Media, Krux, myThings, OpenX, Origami Logic, and TRUSTe.

Norwest Venture Partners

Norwest Venture Partners is a global firm that invests in companies that focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. With over 60 years of experience, the firm has invested in over 600 companies, and they are currently supporting 150 companies in their portfolio.

Companies selected by Norwest will receive a deep network of connections, operating experience, and a wide range of impactful services to help them scale their businesses. Some of the ad-tech companies that Norwest has invested in are Act-On Software, Brand.net, Capillary Technologies, Ji-Wire, and SocialVibe.

Redpoint Ventures

Founded in 1999, Redpoint Ventures strives to partner with founders who are looking forward to create new markets and redefine existing ones. In particular, this VC invests across consumer and enterprise, and for over two decades, they have worked with thousands of entrepreneurs.

As of right now, Redpoint has backed over 465 companies, including Netflix, PureStorage, and 2U. They have also invested in ad-tech companies, such as BlueKai, Gravity, Impact Radius, Inadco, Intent Media, and SocialVibe.

Conclusion

Because of the currently ever-changing digital landscape, ad-tech companies are much more needed now than ever. But trying to keep an ad-tech company afloat is an ordeal on its own. So, the best way for you to succeed is to seek the help of an investor.

Fortunately for you, there are several venture capital firms that are willing to back ad-tech companies. The 20 mentioned above are only a few examples of this kind of VC. So, look through the list, find the VCs that you like, and send an application. Having an investor by your side will definitely raise your odds of success.

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