By some estimates, annual losses totaling upwards of $16 billion can now be attributed to ad fraud. But with the industry focused on scrubbing this scourge from the modern advertising landscape, greater steps are being taken to combat this rampant epidemic. And the latest pairing born of this objective may do more than anything previously to curtail and discourage mobile advertising’s biggest headache.
Last week, the official word was handed down that Airpush, a respected mobile advertising leader, is merging with Tapcore, the foremost name in mobile app piracy detection and monetization.
Determined to detect and destroy the problem at its core, Tapcore and Airpush intend to pool resources, technology and industry experience to create what we’re told is an “entirely new solution for mobile developers and premium advertisers.”
With mobile app piracy costing developers dearly, and mobile ad fraud depriving advertisers of getting the full value of their ad spend, the partnership announced today comes at an ideal time for an industry staggering and, in some ways, stymied by a problem few have been able to mitigate.
The Tapcore and Airpush merger, however, carries the weight needed to alter that reality.
“In combining the cutting-edge technology of Tapcore, with the insight and mass developer footprint of Airpush — the merger creates a unified, laser-focused solution to begin cleaning up the tainted mobile app landscape,” reads a statement released to media. “Together, both companies are poised to combat both issues head on, while also providing a new solution for developers to truly monetize their users beyond traditional means.”
Just how big of an issue is mobile app piracy? Nearly 80% of free Android apps have been hacked, while 75% of free iOS apps have similarly been compromised.
“We’ve seen first hand the challenges piracy and fraud present in all aspects of the mobile advertising industry and our business specifically,” explains Asher Delug, CEO and Founder of Airpush. “From ensuring our 20,000+ advertisers maintain the effectiveness they’ve come to rely on with our platform, to battling piracy that affects the tens of million of users on our network around the world. Tapcore presents the perfect solution to help tackle these challenges through an extremely well-executed approach that complements our overall market strategy.”
Per the details shared, both companies will remain independent following the merger’s completion and continue to serve their respective clients. However, Airpush and Tapcore will “combine technology, teams and infrastructure” to strengthen the overall effort.
In addition, we’re told that the Tapcore and Airpush SDKs will be integrated to provide one, cohesive solution for developers to track, analyze and monetize their users.
In moving forward, the freshly merged entity will be led by CEO Stefan Keiss and CTO Dmitry Shkolnikov.
Asher Delug will now serve as Chairman of the Board, while current Airpush COO Inman Breaux will move into the role of president.
Financial terms pertinent to the merger were not disclosed as of this writing, but we can confirm that the combined companies are in the process of raising a round of investment to aid in its “aggressive growth and strategic acquisitions.”
“I’m extremely proud of what our team has been able to create, and the potential our technology has to truly create a shift in the industry when it comes to anti-piracy and ad fraud,” says Tapcore CEO and Founder Stefans Keiss. “Joining forces with Airpush gives us the reach and platform to truly extend our solution to the masses.”
