Sovrn

Sovrn provides a sell-side ad platform (SSP) enabling publishers to connect with ad buyers through a secure exchange. The firm provides several solutions for publishers specializing in commerce content including access to more than 30,000 merchants for affiliate marketing and price comparisons as well as content creation tools to build or showcase a personalized carousel of products by theme or product type. In November 2021, Sovrn introduced Signal, an ad optimization platform for publishers to identify, target, and price ad placements.  In September 2022, the firm claimed that publishers using its platform reported a doubling of its deal revenue. The firm also gives access to its team, which provides strategic advice to improve ad performance.

Sovrn has also executed several acquisitions to expand its product offerings (most of which have been after fundraising rounds) to include ad analytics and ad monetization solutions. In July 2021, the firm acquired digital media company Proper Media and Monetizer101, an ecommerce monetization platform for publishers.  

A competitive edge of the firm is the many publishers in the UK and US that use Sovrn’s platform (60,000+ as of July 2022), including Ziff Davis, Vox Media, Daily Beast, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Salon. This enables it to provide consumer insights and enriched audience data without needing third-party cookies. In August 2021, the firm claimed to be the first SSP to comply with IAB Europe’s Seller-Defined Audiences (SDA) specification, a transparency and privacy framework for publishers enabling advertisers to buy programmatic audiences at scale by leveraging anonymous, standardized IDs in place of cookies and mobile IDs. The firm claimed that publishers using Sovrn Signal had experienced ~2X lift to its deal revenue

Key customers and partnerships

The firm's platform provides advertisers access to both open web and walled garden publishers including Google. In June 2022, it was recognized as a certified publishing partner.

Funding and financials

In July 2022, Sovrn raised USD 36 million in Series C funding and is earmarked for further M&A activity. The firm also stated that it had achieved YoY revenue growth for seven consecutive quarters.