Spot Runner

Spot Runner emerged in 2003 as an advertising technology company, founded by the entrepreneurial duo Nick Grouf and David Waxman. Their shared history includes the successful launch and sale of two prior companies: Firefly, a personalization technology firm acquired by Microsoft, and PeoplePC, which was sold to EarthLink. The idea for Spot Runner crystallized after they collaborated on technology integration for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, where they identified a significant gap in the market for accessible and targeted television advertising for small and medium-sized businesses.

The company's initial value proposition was a web-based platform that allowed businesses to bypass traditional advertising agencies. Clients could select from a library of pre-produced commercials, customize them with their own branding, and then use an algorithmic recommendation engine to plan and purchase targeted media placements on cable television. This automated, self-service model drastically reduced the cost and time required to launch a local TV ad campaign, from months to mere days. The business model focused on providing a package of services including commercial production, media planning, and ad placement. Spot Runner attracted significant attention and investment, securing a $7 million Series A in January 2006 and a larger Series B round later that year from investors including Index Ventures, Battery Ventures, CBS, and WPP.

As the company expanded, it developed the Malibu Media Platform, an exchange for national media inventory across television and radio. However, the economic downturn of 2008 and resistance from traditional ad agencies, who saw the platform as a threat, created significant headwinds. Following these challenges, Spot Runner's Malibu Media Platform was acquired by Harris Broadcasting Communications in 2011. The company has since re-emerged as Spot Runner 2.0, building on its legacy with a focus on artificial intelligence for the connected TV (CTV) era. The current platform leverages AI and multi-modal analysis to align advertisements with content based on emotional and contextual relevance, serving ad agencies, streaming platforms, and publishers.

Keywords: advertising technology, television advertising, adtech, media buying, automated ad platform, local advertising, SMB advertising, Nick Grouf, David Waxman, media planning, video advertising, connected TV, CTV advertising, contextual targeting, AI in advertising, Spot Runner 2.0, Malibu Media Platform, Firefly, PeoplePC, Harris Broadcasting Communications