As streaming apps and services continue to increase their use of ads, adtech startup Vibe is paving the way for small businesses to take advantage of this trend. Through their self-serve ad platform, Vibe is enabling small businesses to access ad inventory on popular streaming platforms such as Google and Meta’s services.
Recently, the startup secured a funding round of $22.5 million, led by Paris-based VC firm Singular. Other investors include Elaia, Motier Ventures, and several business angels.
While Google and Meta currently dominate the online ad revenue, the rise of connected TVs and streaming services presents a growing opportunity for adtech companies. However, this market is fragmented with various streaming apps, channels, and live sports leagues.
Vibe has made deals with several of these companies or their partners, opening up ad inventory for Vibe’s customers. According to co-founder and CEO Arthur Querou, “Overall, we can access all the streaming apps and channels that are currently available except for Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube TV.”
Aside from the major players, there are multiple ad-supported streaming services, including FAST (free advertising-supported streaming television) services like Pluto and big OTT platforms like Fubo. Additionally, broadcasters such as Paramount, Warner Bros., and CNN also offer ad-supported streaming services.
Querou explains how their personal network played a significant role in securing partnerships with these companies. He states, “We were quite close to Comcast, which owns FreeWheel, a big platform that set up a kind of marketplace for all these inventories. We have Benjamin Antier on the board — he’s the founder of Publica, the biggest ad server for streaming apps. We also have Ari Paparo on the board, the founder of Beeswax, which was acquired by Comcast. Let’s be honest, it’s very political and very much about your personal network.”
One of the reasons Vibe has been successful in convincing a wide range of partners to work with them is because co-founder Arthur Querou is an adtech veteran. After selling MotionLead to Adikteev, Querou joined forces with Franck Tetzlaff, the co-founder of Doctolib and former CTO of Frichti, to create an adtech company called KMTX, which was later acquired by Seedtag in 2022.
After this success, the duo joined forces again to launch Vibe. Querou highlights their decision to focus on adtech again, as they believe it to be like the perfect sandbox with endless opportunities. He states, “You’ve got a lot of data, it’s a real marketplace, you’ve got decision making… You can do anything you want.”
One aspect of Vibe’s pitch is that their platform unlocks potential for small and medium businesses in the streaming ad space. While large companies like Coca-Cola and Ford have no trouble securing ad space on streaming apps and services, it can be challenging for SMBs.
Vibe simplifies this process by allowing businesses such as car dealerships, plumbers, and restaurants to create ad campaigns directly. The platform is easy to use, with businesses being able to choose which streaming apps and channels they want their ads to appear on. They can also target specific geographical areas and audiences based on various interests.
Businesses can upload their video assets, get them approved, and launch their ad campaigns. Vibe also provides a performance dashboard for tracking ad spend, cost per view, and other standard ad metrics.
So far, more than 2,000 companies in the U.S. have utilized Vibe’s services. While the company did not disclose their exact revenue numbers, they generated an impressive 8-figure revenue in 2023. Currently, Vibe has 40 employees and plans to grow to 110 by the end of the year.
The team is currently focused on optimizing their platform, including better targeting capabilities based on first-party data and automated campaign optimization.
When it comes to competition from Google and Meta, Querou believes it won’t be a major issue. He explains, “Meta is mostly focused on the ad space on its own social platforms. And Google, on one hand, publishers have learned their lesson and don’t necessarily want to go down the same road as they did with Google on the web. And on the other hand, streaming is also competing with YouTube.”
