What’s shaping the modern adtech ecosystem today? Arthur Leopold, co-founder and CEO at Agentio shares his perspectives:

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Hi Arthur, tell us about Agentio’s journey so far and more about your recent funding. What new enhancements can end users look forward to in the near future?

Since launching a year ago, we’ve built a fully automated, end-to-end ad platform that enables brands to buy creator content – starting with YouTube creator integrations – as easily as they buy ads on Meta/Google. We believe the future of advertising is creators telling a brand’s story, not more banner, display, and skippable video ads. Until Agentio, it’s been too hard to scalably buy authentic creator content.

Given the platform’s automated buying capabilities, we’ve seen the world’s best performance marketing teams quickly adopt Agentio. These brands can easily increase spend (without decreasing efficiency) from $50K/month, to $1M/month or more.

Our recent $12M Series A funding, led by Benchmark, validates the demand for what we’re building and gives us the runway to expand. We’re expanding our brand and creator network, as well as hiring across product and go-to-market. We’re also focused on developing new ad units and enhanced analytics tools to make campaigns even more actionable and measurable.

What trends are shaping the programmatic ad space today?

A major trend is the shift toward more authentic, creator-driven advertising. Consumers are tuning out traditional ads, and brands are realizing that creator-led content resonates on a deeper level. YouTube is also now the most watched streaming platform – we are meeting audiences where they are moving to. We’re also seeing a demand for transparency in ad performance – marketers want real-time insights and a clear understanding of ROI. Automation is also becoming non-negotiable, as tools that reduce manual processes and scale campaigns are beginning to lead the charge in this space. Lastly, advertisers are actively looking for ways to diversify their spend away from the walled gardens – we enable scalable, highly-performant ad buys on Agentio.

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How are you seeing adtech innovations impact the advertising ecosystem, and in what ways will the ecosystem shape up in the near future?

Adtech is leveling the playing field by making high-performing ad channels, like creator integrations, accessible at scale. Innovations like AI-driven matching, predictive analytics, and automated workflows are shifting the focus from transactional ad buys to meaningful, performance-driven partnerships.

In the near future, I’d expect the advertising ecosystem to become more decentralized, with budgets moving away from traditional platforms and into creator-led channels. Data transparency and accountability will also be key as brands prioritize ROI and measurable impact.

A few top-of-mind advertising best practices that modern digital ad teams need to keep in mind for better output?

• Focus on authenticity by creating ads that feel genuine and align with your brand’s voice and values, especially through creator content.
• Prioritize performance, rather than reach, as a high-trust, engaged audience will consistently deliver better results than a broader but less invested one.
• Leverage real-time data to dynamically optimize campaigns and make adjustments proactively, rather than waiting for post-mortem reports.

Some adtech optimization tips that you’d like to highlight here?

• Streamline workflows and free up teams to focus on strategy rather than execution.
• Use A/B testing to refine everything from talking points to creator matches to maximize results.
• Embrace AI, as predictive analytics and machine learning tools can help you target the right audiences with pinpoint accuracy, saving time and resources.

Comments on the impact of AI and advertising before we wrap up?

AI is fundamentally reshaping advertising by enabling precision at scale. From matching brands with the right creators to optimizing ad performance in real-time, AI is making campaigns more efficient, impactful, and measurable than ever. In the future, I see AI continuing to automate arduous tasks and allow marketers to push the boundaries of creativity and personalization in ways that were previously unimaginable.

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