Kargo

Kargo is an AdTech solution provider that offers a suite of solutions to help marketers, publishers, and consumers reach their target audiences across various channels including mobile, video, and social media. The platform offers a supply-side ad platform (SSP) for publishers to display and measure mobile-friendly ad content and includes mobile campaign design tools and an identity graph to deliver targeted ads without the need for third-party cookies. Its proprietary AI-powered algorithm uses predictive performance analytics and natural language processing (NLP) to identify the contextual contexts where audiences can be reached most effectively. It claims to increase ad slot visibility by 50% and increase viewability by 2x compared with standard industry banners. The platform is also integrated with leading demand-side ad platforms ( MediaMath, AppNexus, theTradeDesk), identity and data partners (LiveRamp, Neustar, Datalogix), and measurement partners (Kantar, Upwave). As of February 2023, the platform had served more than 200 brands globally.  

The platform’s edge is that it claimed to be the only mobile advertiser to achieve 100% ads.txt compliance, reducing fraud and increasing trust in the programmatic advertising ecosystem. 

Kargo's product offering has been bolstered by a several acquisitions between 2020 and 2023. This includes AdTech solution provider Social Canvas (formerly Rhombus) in August 2020 and data-driven and personalized advertising solution provider StitcherAds for USD 64 million in October 2021. In 2022, the firm acquired Parsec Media, a marketplace to sell media on attention metrics, and cloud-based video technology company Ziggeo. In February 2023, the firm acquired VideoByte, an ad marketplace specialized in contextual advertising across connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT), to expand its video marketing suite.

Key customers and partnerships 

In September 2020, the firm partnered with AMP Project, an open-source initiative to optimize mobile web browsing, to provide advertisers new ad formats. In November 2021, Kargo entered into a preferred partnership with CafeMedia, a digital advertising agency for independent publishers and creators, to broaden the reach of its offerings. Additionally, in December 2021, Kargo partnered with NewsGuard and Oracle Moat, which are media quality measurement tools, to validate content quality.

Funding and financials

The company announced its profitability in October 2021 and expected its net revenue for 2021, which excludes expenses like publishers' fees, to exceed USD 100 million.