ScanScout

ScanScout operated as an online video advertising network, specializing in the delivery of in-stream advertisements within video content. The company was established in 2005 by Waikit Lau and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Lau, who holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Finance from MIT, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School, embarked on his entrepreneurial journey with ScanScout in 2005. His background includes experience as an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners and roles at A.T. Kearney, Goldman Sachs, and the MIT Media Lab.

The firm's business model revolved around partnering with advertisers and publishers to optimize video advertising opportunities. ScanScout's technology was designed to provide precision targeting, real-time optimization, and brand protection for its clients. The company generated revenue by monetizing both pre-roll and overlay ad impressions, offering competitive CPM pricing to its partners. By July 2009, comScore recognized ScanScout as the largest online video ad network, with a publisher network that included over 600 premium sites such as Fox News and RealNetworks.

ScanScout successfully raised $17.5 million in funding over three rounds from investors including General Catalyst, First Round Capital, and EDBI. A significant milestone in the company's history occurred on November 8, 2010, when it was acquired by Tremor Video for approximately $65 million. This acquisition was a strategic move within the consolidating online video advertising industry, positioning the newly combined entity as a major independent source of video ad inventory, second only to Hulu at the time in terms of ad streaming volume. The merger aimed to combine Tremor Media's scale with ScanScout's brand protection and optimization technologies. Following the acquisition, ScanScout's operations were integrated into Tremor Video, which later became part of Tremor International, a company with an end-to-end advertising technology platform focused on video and Connected TV (CTV).

Keywords: video advertising network, in-stream ads, adtech, pre-roll advertising, overlay ads, digital advertising, Waikit Lau, Tremor Video acquisition, online video ads, brand protection, ad targeting, ad optimization, CPM pricing, publisher monetization, General Catalyst, First Round Capital, Boston startup, comScore, ad network, video monetization, Tremor International