Blockchain in Adtech: Exclusive Interview with Manny Puentes from Rebel AI
While buyers think they are buying premium inventory, they may actually be paying for low-quality traffic from a masked source. Since the browser is the source of record for advertising domain reporting, solving this has been an industry-wide challenge. Rebel AI has created a sophisticated blockchain-enabled ad security solution that protects publisher identity and advertiser spend, and prevents ads from ever appearing on an unauthorized site.
CoinScenario.com team is determined to bring you an industry vertical specific series every month which would highlight the names of the companies and their efforts to introduce Blockchain in the mainstream tech. Continuing with our series “Blockchain in Adtech” here we are presenting an exclusive interview with Manny Puentes from Rebel AI.
Enjoy the read!
What is Rebel AI?
Rebel AI brings simplicity and scale to digital advertising with products built to protect and secure programmatic media trading between premium publishers and advertisers. Our patent-pending technology establishes a digital identity for each participant in the advertising ecosystem and protects that identity using cryptography.
Tell us something about you and the team behind Rebel AI?
I’ve been in the digital advertising space for more than 20 years and developed one of the first ad platforms in 1997. I’ve seen the industry evolve from direct buys to ad networks, to ad exchanges, to the current paradigm. I’ve always been passionate about creating a secure and efficient digital advertising ecosystem. I started Rebel AI in 2016 to achieve this goal, and am working with many of the same team members I’ve worked with for more than 16 years. We feel we have a unique opportunity to bring lasting change.
Why does the ad industry need a solution like Rebel AI?
The rise of digital media in the ‘90s gave advertisers the ability to reach audiences online with metrics that helped optimize their business within 24 hours. This dramatically changed the marketing landscape. It was a transformative time, but the protocols that were used to build media trading were shoehorned into the protocol, rather than the protocol being built around the business requirements. As a result, this revolution came with lots of problems, including billions of dollars of fraud and waste per year. We need new technology to fix this, and Rebel AI is building a new layer of security to digital advertising to solve these problems in the long run.
Why do you think that the solution that you are proposing can only be possible through Blockchain?
Right now, the entire advertising industry suffers from a severe lack of trust and transparency. The biggest brand marketers are pulling millions of dollars of spending. But digital advertising isn’t going away. We’ve been stuffing digital advertising into an antiquated protocol (HTTP) and Blockchain technology finally offers the opportunity to create a new paradigm of media trading-where everyone has an identity and true value can be exchanged and monitored.
Who are the other participants on this initiative with you, who could potentially be early adopters?
We work with major advertising agencies and brand clients. Publishers can sign up today and to establish their verified identity, which we are developing into a wallet where transactions can be sent and received.
Are you planning to do an ICO in the near future to raise money?
We may plan an ICO in the future, but we believe there is a fundamental social and economic shift in advertising that needs to happen before an ICO or cryptocurrency will be successful in this context. With the volatility of the crypto-markets, advertisers are not yet going to want to convert their USD or fiat currency to something with an unstable value.
Is your product already on the market?
Any major releases coming up? Our product is in closed beta testing with select advertisers and publishers. General release will occur later this year. We also have recently developed a custom browser that shows all the current network requests in programmatic advertising, which really highlights the need for a more transparent, secure solution. Readers can request a download at rebelai.com/path.
Are you hiring? If yes, how can one apply for the open positions?
We are always looking for people passionate about the intersection of advertising and blockchain, and the future of digital media. Get in touch at [email protected].
Thank you Manny for your time and sharing your thoughts with us. On behalf of CoinScenario.com team, I would like to wish you all the best for your upcoming product release.
Also Read: Blockchain in Adtech: Interview with Ian Kane from Ternio.io
This is a featured exclusive story in the “Blockchain in Adtech” series and we plan to cover as many initiatives in this vertical as possible over next few weeks. If you have any blockchain initiative in the adtech vertical that you would like to highlight, please write to [email protected]. If you have any grievances or objections about any content matter above, please write to us.
Disclaimer: Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the promoted company or any of its affiliates or services. CoinScenario.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in the press release.
