interclick
Interclick was a New York-based ad tech company founded in 2006 by Michael Katz, specializing in audience targeting and data-driven advertising.
Profile
Provided a self-service platform for advertisers to target and optimize custom audience segments using multi-source data.
Interclick was a New York-based ad tech company founded in 2006 by Michael Katz, specializing in audience targeting and data-driven advertising. The company gained traction with its Open Segment Manager (OSM) platform, which allowed advertisers to create and optimize custom audience segments at scale. Interclick's technology focused on ingesting diverse data types to improve ad targeting efficiency, differentiating itself from competitors by emphasizing data valuation and flexible segmentation.
In November 2011, Yahoo acquired Interclick for $270 million to bolster its display advertising capabilities, but the integration was rocky—Katz later sued Yahoo over compensation disputes and left within a year. Post-acquisition, key Interclick executives, including Katz, went on to found mParticle, a mobile data platform. Interclick's legacy lies in its early innovations in audience segmentation, though its standalone operations ceased after the Yahoo acquisition.
Who buys this
- Brand advertisers seeking granular audience targeting
- Direct response marketers optimizing for performance
- Media agencies managing cross-platform campaigns
- E-commerce companies leveraging behavioral data
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Pioneered flexible audience segmentation with Open Segment Manager (OSM), enabling custom data combinations
- Strong focus on quantifying data value to improve campaign efficiency
- Attracted acquisition interest from Yahoo, validating its tech in a competitive market
Watch for
- Post-acquisition turmoil with Yahoo, including lawsuits over executive compensation
- Key leadership exodus post-Yahoo deal, with founders launching competing ventures
- Dependence on third-party data sources, which faced increasing privacy scrutiny
Key Information
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- New York, USA
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Interclick and what did it do?
Interclick was a New York-based ad tech company founded in 2006 that provided a self-service platform for advertisers. It specialized in data-driven audience targeting through its Open Segment Manager, allowing custom audience segmentation using multi-source data to optimize digital advertising campaigns.
How did Interclick's Open Segment Manager work?
Interclick's Open Segment Manager (OSM) enabled advertisers to create and optimize custom audience segments at scale. The platform ingested diverse data types, allowing flexible combinations for precise targeting. This differentiated Interclick by focusing on data valuation and efficient segmentation for display advertising campaigns.
Why did Yahoo acquire Interclick?
Yahoo acquired Interclick in November 2011 for $270 million to strengthen its display advertising capabilities. The deal aimed to integrate Interclick's audience targeting technology into Yahoo's ad platform, though the integration faced challenges including executive departures and legal disputes over compensation.
What happened to Interclick after the Yahoo acquisition?
Post-acquisition, Interclick's standalone operations ceased as it was absorbed into Yahoo. The transition was rocky—founder Michael Katz sued over compensation disputes and left within a year. Key executives later founded mParticle, a mobile data platform, continuing their work in data-driven technologies.
What was the significance of Interclick's technology?
Interclick pioneered flexible audience segmentation in ad tech through its Open Segment Manager. Its focus on quantifying data value and enabling custom combinations set industry standards for efficiency. The Yahoo acquisition validated its approach, though privacy concerns about third-party data later emerged in the market.
What did Interclick's founders do after leaving Yahoo?
Michael Katz and other Interclick executives founded mParticle, a mobile data platform company, after their Yahoo departure. Katz also became an angel investor. Their post-Interclick ventures continued the focus on data-driven technologies, building on their audience segmentation expertise from the Interclick years.
Sources
- www.adexchanger.com — Launch of Genome product and context of Google-Admeld acquisition
- www.adexchanger.com — Post-Yahoo trajectory of Interclick founders and lawsuit details
- www.adexchanger.com — Functionality and differentiation of Open Segment Manager (OSM)
- techcrunch.com — Michael Katz's angel investment activities post-Interclick