Early stage funding firm Antler Australia just lately backed a brand new cohort of startups as a part of its ongoing program to construct nice native tech firms.
Startup Each day is sharing the small print of every enterprise within the “Antler Investor Memos” collection, which is designed to offer you a fast, sharp understanding of the startups and other people concerned, with many looking for comply with up capital following Antler’s preliminary pre-seed funding.
Firm title: MADU
Formation date: 2022
Stage of enterprise: Pre-Seed
Founders: Hendricus (Rick) Willem and Ben Huang
Present traders: Antler
Presently elevating: No
Description of enterprise
Coined the “demise of third-party cookies”, digital advertisers and publishers will now not be capable of depend on
cookies to trace on-line consumer information by the tip of subsequent 12 months. In response to rising client privateness considerations, world know-how behemoths, together with Google, Apple and Mozilla Firefox, are phasing out third-party cookies on their platforms.
As advert spending within the world digital promoting market is projected to achieve over US$700 billion this 12 months, the {industry} is readying for the aftermath.
Powered by AI, adtech startup MADU helps publishers monetise their visible content material in a cookie-less world by turning each photograph on their web site right into a revenue-generating alternative.
The platform mechanically scans publishers’ pictures by its Product Recognition Engine, figuring out related merchandise and creating affiliate hyperlinks.
In doing so, it then shows intuitive digital adverts for customers to immediately “store the look,” all whereas an affiliate fee is paid by retailers and shared between the writer and MADU.
As publishers give attention to income diversification in response to sinking promoting budgets, heightened competitors, and the evolving client privateness regulation panorama, MADU allows publishers to show their present content material into extra income streams with out gathering private client information.
With over 17 years of expertise within the publishing {industry}, co-founders Hendricus Willem and Ben Huang are deeply conversant in the income challenges dealing with publishers, licensing charge hurdles dealing with photograph companies, and dwindling budgets dealing with advertisers.
MADU is based on the idea {that a} writer’s visible content material holds an limitless quantity of worth, but that is usually left untapped, till now.
Antler funding thesis
“MADU concurrently solves two challenges: enabling publishers to monetise their visible content material whereas abiding by client privateness laws, all whereas enriching customers’ on-line searching expertise with the flexibility to immediately purchase merchandise on the level of inspiration,” stated Jake Booker, Affiliate Associate at Antler Australia.
“The ever-evolving digital publishing {industry} should always adapt to altering market circumstances, client calls for, advertiser budgets, and regulation, to stay worthwhile. Our conviction in MADU stems from Hendricus and Ben’s unwavering give attention to unlocking new income streams with untapped alternatives from publishers’ personal content material.”
Traction/ milestones, thus far
In lower than 4 months since receiving Antler’s Pre-Seed funding, MADU has developed and launched its automated advert tech platform to the market.
A number of writer purchasers have signed as much as implement the system and there’s a pipeline of industry-leading writer purchasers within the resolution.
Past product improvement and optimisation, MADU has secured quite a few partnerships with affiliate networks together with Skimlinks, Awin and CommissionFactory offering entry to inventories with over 6,500 trend retailers globally.
Newest funding
Pre-Seed from Antler
Use of funds
With Antler’s preliminary funding, MADU has accelerated the event of its automated resolution and Product Recognition Engine.
Because it continues to give attention to product optimisation, MADU is getting ready a number of integration options for affiliate and publishing companions to simplify the implementation of its product, present customised choices, and speed up its adoption.
The founders say:
“With the stricter privateness regulation and disappearance of third-party cookies, a brand new period of B2C internet advertising is being created as we communicate. Our resolution is without doubt one of the frontrunners on this new market as we can assist customers with one thing they’ve all the time needed: store immediately on the level of inspiration,” stated Hendricus “Rick” Willem, cofounder of MADU.
“Whereas different commercial options lean closely on cookies and third-party information, MADU is establishing a brand new normal for internet advertising within the cookie-less period.
“We goal to remodel your complete on-line visible panorama right into a shoppable one, enabling customers to buy any product they see and love immediately, a functionality that was as soon as a distant dream however is now was a actuality.
“The teaching from Antler all through our journey up to now has been of huge worth. Antler helped us discover the ache factors inside our preliminary resolution once we first joined their cohort. They coached us all through our journey whereas ensuring that we made all the appropriate selections independently.
“Antler factors you in the appropriate course however doesn’t maintain your hand, which as a start-up, is nice and is a worthwhile approach to work together with your VC investor.”
What’s subsequent?
Antler, a worldwide early-stage VC, is revealing all its newest investments made in bold Australian founders and startups. With 100 investments in early-stage firms, MADU is one among its most up-to-date portfolio firms.