Segmento

Segmento operates as a Russian programmatic advertising platform, leveraging machine learning and a combination of offline and online data to deliver targeted digital advertising campaigns. The firm originated from RuTarget, which was established in 2011 by co-founders Evgeny Legkiy, Roman Nester, and Kirill Safonov. Legkiy brought experience from JetBrains and LG's strategy development, while Nester had a background in companies like WPP and Bonnier Group and co-founded QuantBrothers, a developer of financial trading algorithms. The company launched its first campaigns in 2012 and officially entered the market as Segmento in August 2013.

The platform's core business is to enable advertisers to reach specific audience segments across various digital channels, including banner ads, online video, mobile applications, and social networks. Its business model involves both direct contracts with advertisers, which account for about 40% of revenue, and partnerships with local and international advertising agencies, making up the remaining 60% as of 2018. The company's technology utilizes anonymized data to predict consumer behavior and optimize ad placements through real-time bidding auctions. This allows for personalized advertising based on factors like purchase history, browsing interests, and other behavioral data points. Clients have included major brands such as Hyundai, Pfizer, Mastercard, and L'Oréal.

A significant milestone occurred in March 2015 when Sberbank, Russia's largest state-owned bank, acquired a controlling stake in Segmento, with the option to increase its share to 100%. This was followed by an investment from Sistema Venture Capital in 2016. The integration with Sberbank provided Segmento with access to vast, anonymized customer data, which significantly enhanced its targeting capabilities. By 2016, its database contained 250 million user profiles. More recently, in April 2023, MTS, a major Russian mobile network operator, acquired the company. In 2022, Segmento (operating as RuTarget) was named in U.S. Treasury sanctions against Sberbank and its subsidiaries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Keywords: programmatic advertising, adtech, real-time bidding, digital marketing, audience targeting, data-driven advertising, machine learning advertising, marketing automation, Russian adtech, RuTarget, Evgeny Legkiy, Roman Nester, Kirill Safonov, Sberbank, MTS, online advertising platform, consumer data, behavioral targeting, cross-channel advertising, media buying