Private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Integral Ad Science, the latest in a wave of deals involving advertising technology companies that help marketers measure the effectiveness of their digital ads.
Founded in 2009 as AdSafe Media, IAS works with companies such as Verizon Communications Inc., HP Inc. and Citibank to help prove that their digital ads are viewable, meaning they aren’t running on parts of websites that can’t be seen.
The company also helps marketers ensure their ads aren’t running on sites with objectionable content.
“We feel like there’s so much more we could be doing for the industry, both for buyers of advertising and sellers of advertising,” said IAS Chief Executive Scott Knoll. Vista provides IAS with the “operational excellence, intellectual capital and resources” to help the company “measure more types of media in more countries,” he said.
IAS touts about 600 employees in various markets, with more than $140 million in revenue, according to a person close to the company.
Read More at The Original Article: www.wsj.com
