The player: Bill Loewenthal, CEO of Kiptronic, an online video technology firm that specializes in delivering targeted and dynamic ads to online video and digital devices.
The play: Kiptronic’s technology lets Web video producers insert fresh ads on the fly into their online video creations that run across multiple platforms. The concept of dynamic ad insertion isn’t new to TV or the Web, but it can help online video advertising be as relevant and timely as possible. “We make sure the ads go wherever the content goes,” Mr. Loewenthal said.
The pitch: Advertisers and publishers are moving away from the manual insertion of ads. Kiptronic lets them manage their own ads but do so in a more automated and targeted fashion, Mr. Loewenthal said. In addition to delivering targeting ads, the Kiptronic tools let Web programmers serve ad-supported content both online and to iPods, smart phones, Internet-enabled TVs, game consoles and other devices.
In the mix: Kiptronic counts more than 40 media brands as customers, including Fox, CBS College Sports and CondeNet. Kiptronic competes with YuMe Networks, FreeWheel and VoloMedia. The Kiptronic system integrates into DoubleClick’s widely used DART system as well as into the popular Atlas system that advertisers use for campaign management. The ads Kiptronic delivers are typically pre-rolls, mid-rolls and post-rolls.
The money guys: Prism Venture Works and Blueprint Ventures have invested $7 million in the company. Kiptronic makes money via fees paid by publishers for serving their ads. The company should be profitable in the next 12 months.
Backstory: Kiptronic was founded in 2005 and Mr. Loewenthal joined as CEO in 2007.
The pros: Online video advertising should grow to $989 million this year, up from $471 million last year, according to Forrester Research. Kiptronic is delivering six times more ads this year compared to last year as new customers have come on board.
The cons: “This is a very blurry market and there are a lot of different companies out there,” Mr. Loewenthal said.
Background: Mr. Loewenthal was born in Chicago and raised in Chicago and Southern California. He earned a degree in marketing and economics from San Jose State University. Before joining Kiptronic, Mr. Loewenthal was general manager at Replay TV; he also worked at Command Audio and Mitsubishi. He lives in San Mateo, Calif., with his wife and two kids.
Who knew? Mr. Loewenthal plays fantasy baseball, football and basketball and does pretty well in each, he said.