February 26, 2013
Dentsu Inc. Subsidiary Cyber Communications, Inc. Joins Lead Investor Samsung Venture Investment Corporation as New Investor in OpenX Series E Round
Total Investment in OpenX Exceeds $75 Million
LOS ANGELES, February 26, 2013 OpenX Software Ltd. (OpenX), a global leader in digital and mobile advertising revenue products and services, today announced it has closed additional financing in its Series E round with funding from new investor cyber communications, inc. (cci), Japan’s leading media representative company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. (TYO: JP: 4324) (Dentsu). The new investment brings the total investment in OpenX to more than $75 million. The Series E round was announced in January 2013 and was led by new investor Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, which manages investment and investment-related activities for Samsung affiliate companies. Existing investors Accel Partners, Index Ventures, SAP Ventures, Mitsui & Co. Global Investment, Inc., and Presidio Ventures, the wholly owned investment vehicle of Sumitomo Corporation, also participated in the round. OpenX will use the funds to further accelerate growth, finance additional acquisitions, expand internationally and broaden adoption of its digital revenue platform.
OpenX’s products enable digital media companies to maximize their ad revenue on any digitally connected screen. The company has grown rapidly since its May 2011 Series D funding round, achieving greater than 100% year-over-year revenue growth in both 2011 and 2012. In 2012, OpenX also completed two acquisitions – LiftDNA and JumpTime – both of which further OpenX’s mission to maximize ad revenue for digital media companies. To drive this growth, during 2012 OpenX doubled its team to more than 260 employees, expanded to five datacenters on three continents and opened new offices in New York, London and Tokyo as well as opening a new 45,000 square foot headquarters in Los Angeles.
A key driver of OpenX’s growth has been the global adoption of its pioneering Real-Time Bidding (RTB) exchange, OpenX Market (Market). OpenX was one of the first proponents of RTB and is now one of its leading providers: Market now processes more than one million bids per second at peak. Now 95% of the nation’s leading advertisers participate in Market. In 2012, OpenX served nearly four trillion ad transactions, a 300% increase over 2011.
In partnership with OpenX, cci operates the exchange as OpenX Market Japan, the first marketplace in the region to offer RTB functionality. cci supplies both Web-based and mobile inventory, including both smartphone and tablet inventory, from online and mobile publishers. Advertising agencies and Demand Side Platforms bid on the inventory in the RTB exchange. OpenX Market Japan handles many billions of impressions monthly.
“We’re excited to expand our relationship with OpenX and begin our investment in it,” said Hideyuki Nagasawa, chief executive officer, cyber communications, inc. “The OpenX Market Japan exchange partnership has grown rapidly and, through it, OpenX has successfully introduced its Real-Time Bidding technology platform and innovative marketplace design to Japan. Given the anticipated growth of RTB in Japan and globally, we believe OpenX is well positioned to become one of the world’s most significant digital advertising companies.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome cyber communications, inc. as an investor in OpenX,” said Tim Cadogan, chief executive officer, OpenX. “The scope of our investors is truly inspiring. cci/Dentsu, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, SAP Ventures, Accel Partners and Index Ventures are all leaders in their respective spaces. The capital, knowledge and relationships these investors offer all give OpenX a major advantage as we execute on our mission of providing a transformative revenue management platform to digital media companies worldwide.”
About OpenX
OpenX is a global leader in digital and mobile advertising technology. OpenX’s vision is to unleash the full economic potential of digital media companies. OpenX products, including OpenX Enterprise, OpenX Market, OpenX Lift and JumpTime provide a unique Software-as-a-Service platform by combining ad serving, an ad exchange, a Supply Side Platform and content valuation.
OpenX is based in Los Angeles and is backed by leading investors including Accel Partners, Index Ventures, SAP Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, Mitsui & Co. Global Investment, Inc., Presidio Ventures, the wholly owned investment vehicle of Sumitomo Corporation, and cyber communications, inc., Japan’s leading media representative company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc.
For more information, please visit www.openx.com
OpenX is a trademark of OpenX Limited.
OpenX Media Contact:
Al Duncan
1.626.466.1142
About cyber communications, inc.
cci is a total interactive marketing company having its headquarters in Japan and now expanding into other Asian markets with a branch in Singapore. We are committed to helping publishers, advertising agencies, and clients to gain access to a full range of digital communication, while remaining on the leading edge of the digital frontier. We serve more than 500 advertising agencies and more than 500 publishers in Japan.
By planning and marketing advertising products and services for transmission through cutting-edge media and devices, we have continued to offer “one-stop” marketing services in the interactive domain, based on our sophisticated technology, ad network, ad exchange for publishers, and ad platform for advertising agencies and advertisers.
For more information, please visit: www.cci.co.jp/en/overview/
cyber communications inc. press contacts:
Takayuki Otagaki / Fumihiko Yoshida / Yoko Sugisawa
Corporate Planning Division
Email: pr-div@cci.co.jp
