2021-06-30 · ipo · completed
Public markets Integral Ad Science
DoubleVerify's main rival followed it onto the public markets weeks later; IAS was taken private again in 2025.
The M&A tracker
Ad tech consolidates constantly. 88 landmark deals worth a disclosed $304B+ since the 1990s, plus new deals detected in the news as they break. Why does it keep happening? Read the lesson.
Just announced
Detected in the news| Date | Deal | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | Lyra Technology Group → Concept Data Lyra Technology Group, part of Evergreen, has acquired Concept Data, a company based in Adelaide. Details about the transaction and Concept Data's specific role in the digital advertising ecosystem were not provided. | — | announced |
| 2026-10-01 | Knorex → AscendX Knorex has announced plans to separate its AscendX unit, which focuses on helping publishers generate revenue from their digital content. The move is described as a strategic carve-out, indicating AscendX will operate independently from Knorex's core business. | — | announced |
| 2026-10-01 | Shamrock → Saylor Shamrock has acquired a majority stake in Saylor and is merging it with Mutiny, a gaming-focused agency. The new combined agency aims to offer brands expertise in engaging fan communities, extending beyond just entertainment and gaming sectors. | — | announced |
| 2026-10-01 | Audiohook → Podscan Audiohook, an audio advertising platform, has acquired Podscan, a company specializing in podcast monitoring. This move is aimed at enhancing Audiohook's ability to track and analyze podcast ad placements and performance. | — | announced |
| 2026-10-01 | Roku → Fox Roku's Chief Financial Officer has sold 7,000 company shares, totaling $1.1 million. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice is extending its review of Roku's planned acquisition of Fox, indicating ongoing regulatory scrutiny. | — | announced |
| 2026-10-01 | Yext → Flamel.ai Yext has signed an agreement to acquire Flamel.ai, a company specializing in localized paid ad campaigns across platforms like Google, Meta, and ChatGPT. The move aims to provide multi-location brands with a unified platform for managing both organic and paid media. | — | announced |
2021-04-21 · ipo · completed
Public markets DoubleVerify
A [[verification]] company that measures [[viewability]], [[brand-safety]] and [[invalid-traffic]] went public, showing how central ad quality had become to ad budgets.
2021-04-15 · ipo · completed
Public markets AppLovin
AppLovin listed as a mix of mobile games and ad tech; it later sold the games and became one of the largest ad tech companies by market value.
2020-12-09 · ipo · completed
Public markets PubMatic
A profitable, India-engineered [[ssp]] listed at the height of the pandemic ad tech rally, reopening public markets to sell-side companies.
2016-09-21 · ipo · completed
Public markets The Trade Desk
The independent [[dsp]] became one of the most valuable ad tech companies in the world, proof that a buy-side platform without its own media could thrive.
2014-04-02 · ipo · completed
Public markets Rubicon Project
One of the first [[ssp|SSPs]] to go public. Rubicon later merged with Telaria and renamed itself Magnite.
2013-10-30 · ipo · completed
Public markets Criteo
The French [[retargeting]] specialist became one of the first pure ad tech companies to list in the US, showing investors that performance display could be a big business.
2012-05-18 · ipo · completed
Public markets Facebook
The largest tech IPO in US history at the time put a price on social advertising and forced Facebook to prove it could make money on mobile.
2004-08-19 · ipo · completed
Public markets Google
Google went public on the back of search advertising, proving that auction-priced, performance-based ads could fund one of the world's largest companies.