Affine, the contextual targeting platform for video advertising, announced that Michael Mathieu is joining the company as chief executive officer and chairman. Co-founder Michael Sullivan will assume the position of chief technology officer and will remain a member of the board.
The moves come shortly after Affine closed a $5 million round of funding led by Crosslink and existing investor Highland Capital Partners. Andy Miller, general partner at Highland, will also be joining the board. Miller previously was chief executive officer of Quattro Wireless and Apple executive in charge of the iAds program.
Mathieu (pictured) previously was chief executive officer of video ad technology provider YuMe. Before that, he was the president of Freedom Communications’ Internet division, a national privately owned information and entertainment company of print publications, broadcast television stations and interactive businesses.
Affine’s technology provides in-stream visibility and control over where ads appear. The company says the partner network provides access to more than 85 percent of online video impressions.
Jim Feuille, general partner at Crosslink Capital, said: “Given the increasing demand for in-stream video targeting, we conducted an extensive search for the right leader to capitalize on Affine’s momentum, and are pleased to have Michael join the team. Michael’s experience and proven track record in the online video space made him the ideal candidate to accelerate Affine’s growth.”
Miller said: “Michael is the right leader to capitalize on Affine’s momentum as advertiser demand for in-stream targeting surges. His leadership experience and history of success in the online video space make him the ideal candidate to accelerate the growth of Affine’s position in the marketplace.”
Mathieu said: “Broadcast advertisers are looking to expand their reach via video while carefully sponsoring the right content for their brand. Our company’s core technology provides the ideal solution to attain both of those goals by reducing buying complexity and ensuring transparency.”
Related links:
http://www.affinesystems.com
http://www.affine.tv
