Its first-ever acquisition marks a bold step in powering the new world of cookieless digital advertising

In its commitment to enabling the next generation of programmatic advertising, MiQ, the global programmatic media partner, today announced the acquisition of UK-based AirGrid, the privacy-first audience platform. Powered by edge computing, AirGrid adds critical publisher-focused technology capabilities and proprietary data to MiQ’s extensive solution suite, accelerating its leadership in shaping the cookieless future for clients.

AirGrid is the only platform which enables marketers to connect directly to publishers for privacy-first and cookieless audience creation and activation. Instead of using cookie-based data, AirGrid uses machine learning to segment publisher audiences without the use of any identifiers. It then stores, models, and activates locally on-device or “at the edge” so that user data never leaves a device. In addition to maximising yield for publishers, these capabilities supercharge marketer audience strategies across a network of premium publishers, without ever having to handle user data, and increases reach in cookieless environments, such as the Safari web browser.

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“The addition of AirGrid is just the beginning for MiQ. With our newly-formed M&A business division, we’re laser-focused in executing our strategic plan to drive impactful growth and expansion of our business, and serve as the preeminent authority on privacy-first digital advertising.”

“Just two months after our monumental PE investment from Bridgepoint, we’ve made this exciting move with AirGrid that gives us a transformational technology asset to remain front of the pack in delivering privacy-first programmatic solutions to our clients,” said John Goulding, Global Chief Strategy Officer for MiQ. “With AirGrid, publishers and marketers will be able to target inaccessible audiences previously out of reach due to cookie blockers. It’s a win-win-win scenario. Publishers get better control, access, and monetisation opportunities, brands can apply more precise targeting functionality to key audiences historically out of reach, and consumers’ data never leaves their device.”

AirGrid bolsters MiQ’s existing cookieless suite of authenticated data connection, advanced contextual data methods, and clean room solutions, which together power better analytics and targeting. With a global reach of hundreds of millions of users, AirGrid’s solutions are available now for any campaigns targeting UK supply, providing instant access to first-party data from five UK publishers and over 750 domains. MiQ is already working to expand this to the U.S. and Canadian markets, which will be available in the second half of 2023.

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AirGrid will retain its brand name and serve as a standalone entity under the MiQ umbrella.

“Google may have delayed the cookieless deadline to 2024, but its reality is already here,” said Dennis Yurkevich, AirGrid founder and CEO and now Managing Director and CTO. “The internet has experienced rapid change, even within the last several years alone, as consumers, legislators, and other tech giants demand the eradication of data practices of the past. We need to heed their words proactively versus reactively when it’ll be far too late. We’ve watched as MiQ has led this charge for years, and we’re excited to be on board now to drive even further innovation for publishers and marketers in this future.”

Goulding continued, “The addition of AirGrid is just the beginning for MiQ. With our newly-formed M&A business division, we’re laser-focused in executing our strategic plan to drive impactful growth and expansion of our business, and serve as the preeminent authority on privacy-first digital advertising.”