What an exciting year it has been.
We went into 2021 with a clear strategy. We aligned as a team, we committed to our work and we stayed focused on our goals. And WOW….did we deliver on blowing our own expectations out of the water!
In 2021, GumGum generated $113 million in revenue, added 415 new clients, with over 32% year after year growth. We won major clients like Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Michael Kors, and worked with over 1200 premium publishers including CBS, Insider Inc. and Healthline. We set 2479 campaigns live, launched 6 new products, participated in 9 webinars and deployed new integrations with power players like deepintent+ and LOGIC. With our explosive global growth underway, we expanded our markets into Mexico and the APAC regions of Singapore and Hong Kong with 480 employees working from all over the world.
In April, GumGum received a $75 million investment from Goldman Sachs Growth to power the growth of our proprietary contextual intelligence technology engine, VerityTM and Display, Native, Video (OTT & Web) products. What a major milestone for all of us! This investment from Goldman Sachs, plus a strong backing from Morgan Stanley, New View and Upfront Ventures amplified our contextual expertise as a proven solution that would shape the future of our industry.
With the backing of Goldman Sachs, there was no stopping us! In the summer of 2021, GumGum acquired JustPremium, one of the largest rich media and video ad marketplaces in Europe. In December, GumGum acquired Playground xyz, a global attention based advertising platform. With the addition of Just Premium and Playground xyz, not only will GumGum provide high-impact contextual solutions to clients, but will also give advertisers the ability to measure the attention of contextually-driven campaigns without the use of any personal data.
I am also extremely thrilled that this past year, GumGum became the first independent ad tech provider, apart from YouTube, to have achieved Media Rating Council (MRC)’s content-level accreditation for contextual analysis, brand safety and suitability. This was a pivotal win for GumGum! Backed by third-party studies from Lumen Research and MAGNA Media Trials, this accreditation stands testament to the fact that GumGum’s contextual intelligence is future-proof, brand-safe and leading the way into a cookie-less world.
GumGum was also recognized for 4 BuiltinLA awards, including Best Places to Work, named one of AdExchanger’s 2021 Programmatic Power Players and won a B2B Marketing Exchange’s Killer Content Award for our Let’s Go Cookieless experience.
Within our own virtual walls we launched The VOICE Coalition, made up of GumGummers and external consultants, whose mission is to build an equitable, supportive, and inclusive culture where all voices are heard and all differences are celebrated through thoughtful, engaging, and authentic programming and community involvement. We worked to combat homelessness, rallied for the environment, promoted childhood education and made sure we were there for one another in these challenging and uncertain times. And we announced GumGum Farmhouse, our blueprint for a futuristic work space centered around a bigger purpose: flexibility, sustainability, community, and growth which we are building out in 2022.
On a personal level, my biggest highlight was when I explained GumGum’s business and mission to my 9 year old nephew. I told him that GumGum works to keep his personal information safe and protected as he grows up and he responded with, “Yeah, that’s cool!” When my nephew thinks my work is cool, I’ve made it! We’ve all made it!
For a virtual ride down GumGum’s milestones, click here.
I cannot be more proud to lead GumGum as a company, a team and a community as we embark on the next great adventure to amplify and magnify contextual advertising in our industry. Let’s keep going!
