
AdWhirl
Advertising mediation platform for iphone applications that allow developers to switch between ad networks on-the-fly.
Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
---|---|---|---|
investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
Total Funding | 000k |

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AdWhirl emerged in 2009 as a platform addressing the burgeoning mobile application market, founded by Sam Yam and Ra Roath. The company developed a specialized tool for mobile app developers, enabling them to integrate and manage advertisements from multiple networks within their applications for both Android and iPhone. This service functioned as an ad network aggregator, providing developers with the flexibility to switch between different ad networks on the fly, thereby optimizing their ad revenue.
The core of AdWhirl's business was its open-source software development kit (SDK) and server, which allowed for the dynamic allocation of ad inventory. Developers could set the percentage of ads shown from various supported channels, such as AdMob, Quattro Wireless, and Millennial Media, and even manage their own direct-sold ad campaigns through a feature called House Ads. This model was particularly valuable as it aimed to maximize developers' ad fill rates and overall monetization. AdWhirl's technology was offered for free, with the platform's value rooted in providing an open and transparent mediation layer in the mobile ad ecosystem.
The startup quickly gained traction, and by August 2009, it was acquired by AdMob, a major mobile advertising network at the time. The acquisition was a strategic move by AdMob to quickly integrate a mediation solution into its offerings and enhance transparency in the market. Following the acquisition, AdWhirl continued to operate and even expanded its capabilities, allowing developers to use an unlimited number of ad networks. The journey continued when Google acquired AdMob in a landmark $750 million deal finalized in May 2010. For a period, AdWhirl was supported under Google's ownership. However, as Google developed its own native AdMob Mediation service, it eventually decided to retire the AdWhirl platform, officially discontinuing the service on September 30, 2013, though the open-source code remained available.
Keywords: AdWhirl, mobile advertising, ad mediation, ad network aggregator, app monetization, open source SDK, iPhone ads, Android ads, Sam Yam, Ra Roath, AdMob acquisition, Google, in-app advertising, ad inventory, fill rate optimization, mobile ad networks, developer tools, ad platform, advertising technology, mobile monetization