The field of mobile advertising has been evolving steadily but fairly quietly in the past year. Now startups are ready to make more noise, thanks in part to the world’s biggest tech company.
Boston-area startup Adelphic says today it has raised $11 million in Series B venture money, which brings its total funding to $23 million. The new round was led by Blue Chip Venture Company, and previous investors Matrix Partners and Google Ventures also participated. Blue Chip is based in Cincinnati, OH, and has a sector focus on advertising and marketing software.
Waltham, MA-based Adelphic makes software that helps brands and agencies target mobile ads to specific consumers. It does that by processing huge amounts of data on how mobile subscribers are interacting with ads and content in real time, taking into account factors like geography and time of day.
The company got a big boost last month when Apple announced it is revving up its iAd business to serve up mobile ads more widely through automated marketing software. The tech giant has formed partnerships with Adelphic and other tech companies, including AdRoll and The Rubicon Project, in part to compete more effectively with Google, Facebook, and Twitter in mobile ads.
Adelphic was founded in 2010 by Jennifer Lum and Changfeng Wang. The company is now led by CEO Michael Collins. It is the latest in a grand tradition of Boston mobile advertising companies that includes m-Qube, Enpocket, Third Screen Media, Quattro Wireless, Where, Jumptap, and Nexage—all of which were acquired in the past eight years.
