Gumball, a sophisticated promoting expertise answer from the staff behind claimed podcast community Headgum, has introduced it has closed a $10 million Collection A funding spherical led by Union Sq. Ventures and Good Associates. Bringing whole fundraising to $12 million, the spherical additionally contains funding from Craft Ventures, Vertical Enterprise Companions, Animal Capital, Calm Ventures, Gaingels, and Riverside Ventures.
Whereas host-read promoting is the automobile that constructed the ever-growing podcast medium, it is likely one of the few areas of digital advertising untouched by expertise or delivered at scale. Manufacturers and entrepreneurs at present negotiate and make contact with podcasters or networks individually, and unbiased podcasters should cede management to podcast networks to optimize revenues. Gumball is an revolutionary technology-led market that streamlines and democratizes the method. With only a click on, it permits entrepreneurs to attach with a number of podcasters to immediately determine and purchase stock and plan, handle and observe executions at scale and in minutes relatively than weeks.
The staff behind the critically acclaimed and business profitable Headgum Podcast Community created Gumball. Identified for its secure of comedy podcasts, its govt staff contains many key contributors that helped construct CollegeHumor earlier than its acquisition by IAC and the CTO of Vimeo earlier than its IPO.
Gumball’s present stock contains 100s of podcasts, together with Headgum Unique exhibits, podcasts throughout the Headgum Community, and a whole lot of unbiased podcasters and content material creators. Whereas in improvement, Gumball labored with greater than 500 manufacturers and delivered greater than 15,000 host-read adverts.
“The host-read advert is probably the most worthwhile and highly effective asset in podcasting, offering genuine, intimate, and endorsement-level messages natively inside goal content material,” mentioned Marty Michael, CEO. “Regardless of being equally beloved by manufacturers, listeners, and expertise, the way in which campaigns are purchased, deliberate, executed, and tracked is antiquated, gated, and largely unchanged for the reason that daybreak of podcasting. Gumball turbo-boosts the medium with an answer that gives the form of scale and effectivity of programatic promoting. At this time’s funding will enable us to additional put money into the expertise and appeal to unbiased expertise wishing to benefit from this impactful advertising self-discipline.”
A few of the greatest podcasting manufacturers embody Capser, CBS, Netflix, OkCupid, Squarespace, Warby Parker, Brooklinen, AMC, Linkedin, and StockX, to call a couple of efficiently utilizing Gumball. It’s a highly effective instrument with advantages for each advertisers and content material creators.
Gumball permits Advertisers to:
- Browse and e-book out there stock in real-time with clear pricing
- Discover audiences by demographic
- Have computerized model class exclusivity
- Make the most of automated advert copy, vainness URLs, and coupon code distribution
- Simply confirm adverts have been aired and hear in a single place
- Scale throughout hundreds of exhibits
Gumball permits Podcasters to:
- Acquire entry to the largest manufacturers that align with their values
- Higher handle campaigns with intuitive dashboard instruments, together with advert scheduling, unified script and referral code entry, and well timed reminders to verify adverts air on schedule and air checks uploads
- Receives a commission quicker and on time with clear funds with predictable timelines
- E-book extra promoting spots, improve income, and deal with creating compelling content material
