IronSource

ironSource
Private Company
Industry
Founded 2009
Founder Tomer Bar-Zeev
Eyad Milrad
Roi Milrad
[1][2]
Headquarters Tel Aviv, Israel
Number of locations
 3
Key people
 Tomer Bar-Zeev (CEO, majority shareholder)[3][4]
Products
  • installCore
  • mobileCore
  • displayCore
  • mediaCore (not related to the Canadian company of the same name)
Number of employees
 300+
Subsidiaries
  • Upopa
  • AfterDownload
  • kudos-kit
Website ironsrc.com

ironSource is an online software and mobile distribution company backed by Carmel Ventures, a Viola Group affiliate. ironSource is the company behind brands such as MobileCore (The mobile SDK platform) and MediaCore (Algorithmic media buying infrastructure). The main product of ironSource is InstallCore, an SDK (Software Development Kit) for the creation of web based software installers with an integrated download manager and advertising component. It supports over 100 million software installs per month, according to the company.[5] The platform claims to shorten download time and to ease the install experience.[6] but usually runs adware installers before installing the desired software. The company monetizes downloads of "free" software by advertising and adware installs, and is part of the so-called Download Valley[7][8] in Israel.

History

Founded in 2009 in Tel Aviv, ironSource provides platforms and tools for application developers including analytics, user monetization, conversion, acquisition and optimization for all devices. In the first quarter of 2013, ironSource acquired Israeli advertising technology and network company AfterDownload Ltd. for $28 million to expand its integrated distribution, installation and value-building tools for software developers, publishers and advertisers.[9] The company also utilizes the C.A.S.T. native platform, kudosKit[10] appreciation platform, and MobileCore, which brings mobile application developers distribution and engagement services.[11]

In August 2013 Ironsource announced merger talks with fellow Israeli adware company Babylon,[12][13] but the deal was called off after Babylon lost high-value contracts with Google and Yahoo due to click fraud.[14][15]

IronSource opened US offices in San Francisco in August 2013 [16] and opened an office in Beijing, China in May 2014.[17]

Among others, ironSource was chosen as one of the '20 hottest startups' in Israel in 2013 and was the only Israeli company to be listed in the Wall Street Journal "Billion Dollar Startup Club".[4][18] ironSource raised approximately $85M from a group of international investors[19] and acquired the mobile game studio Upopa in the fall of 2014.[20]

Applications

In addition to its installation platforms, ironSource distributes software that it develops or owns in bundled packages.

Applications ironSource is associated with include

References

  1. ↑ Israeli IronSource Raises $85-100 Million From Ten Investors - Jewish Business News, 11 August 2014
  2. ↑ "Tomer Bar Zeev interview on Startup Camel Podcast". Startup Camel. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  3. ↑ Meet Israel’s low-profile unicorn: ironSource - Geektime, 18 January 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Garcia Phillips, Andrew. "The Billion-Dollar Startup Club". Wall Street Journal.
  5. ↑ "IronSource: 100m downloads a month, and counting". Times of Israel.
  6. ↑ "ironSource - CrunchBase Profile". Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Israeli IronSource Raises $85-100 Million From Ten Investors" Jewish Business News, Ilan Shavit, August 11, 2014
  8. ↑ "Hate Pop-Up Ads? Microsoft tries drawing line in the sand" Wall Street Journal, Orr Hirschauge, June 4, 2014
  9. ↑ "ironSource acquires AfterDownload for $28m - Globes". Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "IronSource Announces KudosKits, Allowing App Users To Show Their Appreciation With Money". TechCrunch.
  11. ↑ "Surviving Google’s notification ad ban: Android alternatives". mobyaffiliates.
  12. ↑ Babylon in merger talks with IronSource ahead of possible Nasdaq listing - Haaretz, 13 August 2013
  13. ↑ Babylon merger would leave IronSource’s four founders with NIS 2b - Haaretz, 29 August 2013
  14. ↑ Big trouble for Babylon as its rivers of money dry up - Haaretz, 3 November 2013. "Yahoo issued the Israeli company a severe warning that it was considering terminating the contract due to violations by Babylon. Yahoo management asserted that Babylon had inserted ads into Yahoo pages without permission by means of its software-distribution system and had also permitted "click fraud" to fictitiously inflate the traffic count that forms the basis for referral income.
  15. ↑ ironSource: We're one of the sexiest companies in Israel - Globes.co.il, 30 October 2014
  16. ↑ "ironSource Opens Office in San Francisco to Better Serve US Market". PRWeb.
  17. ↑ Gat, Aviva (June 3, 2014). "Israeli company ironSource follows Bibi’s lead and looks to collaborate with China". Geektime.
  18. ↑ "The 20 Hottest Startups In Israel - Business Insider". Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  19. ↑ Webber, Harrison (23 September 2014). "Ad delivery and software distribution startup IronSource nabs $85M". Venture Beat.
  20. ↑ "Israel's ironSource buys mobile game studio Upopa". Reuters. 4 September 2014.
  21. ↑ Dealply reference at IronSource
  22. ↑ Mention of several IronSource-related products in press release

External links