| Type of business | Advertising |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California |
| Founder(s) | Andrew Torba (former CEO), Charles Szymanski (former CTO) |
| Parent | AdHawk |
| URL | www.AutomateAds.com at the Wayback Machine (archived March 8, 2016) |
| Native client(s) on | Facebook, Google |
Automate Ads (formerly Kuhcoon) was an American advertising technology company that offered products for running and creating advertising campaigns on Google and Facebook.[1][2] The company was founded in 2011 and was acquired by AdHawk in October 2017.
History
Kuhcoon was co-founded in 2011 by Andrew Torba and Charles Szymanski, who were college roommates at the time, in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[3][4][5] In October 2011, Torba became CEO of the company.[6]
In late 2014, Y Combinator invested in Kuhcoon.[4] In February 2015, the company claimed it was working with over 6,000 advertisers in over 90 different countries,[7] said they would soon launch on Google Adwords, and were also planning on launching on Twitter and Pinterest.[7] Kuhcoon also claimed their focus was on serving small and medium-sized advertising businesses rather than serving big businesses.[7] On June 25, 2015, the company renamed itself to Automate Ads.[8] In August 2016, Torba stepped down as CEO of the company.[6] That same month, Torba co-founded Gab, an alt-tech social networking service known for its far-right user base, with Ekrem Büyükkaya.[9]
On October 18, 2017, AdHawk announced that they had acquired Automate Ads for an undisclosed amount.[1][3] According to a press release from AdHawk, no employees from Automate Ads would join AdHawk in the acquisition, but the "underlying technology" from Automate Ads would still be acquired.[1][3] AdHawk also agreed to consult CTO Szymanski to help integrate Automate Ads' technology into AdHawk's advertising platform.[1][3] AdHawk was planning on fully integrating their platform with Automate Ads' platform in the first quarter of 2018.[1][3] According to The New Republic, prior to the acquisition, Automate Ads "nearly shut down".[10] As of August 2021, AdHawk is part of a network of websites on a "mission to transform the way flooring is bought and sold."[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ha, Anthony (2017-10-18). "AdHawk acquires Automate Ads to improve Google and Facebook ad campaigns". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ↑ "Automate Ads Launches Automation Tasks To Put Digital Advertising On Autopilot". PR Newswire. 2015-09-10. Archived from the original on 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Sullivan, Laurie (2017-10-19). "AdHawk Acquires Automate Ads, Without The Negative Vibes". Media Post. Archived from the original on 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- 1 2 Dickson, Caitlin; Wilson, Christopher (2018-10-30). "Who Is Gab Founder Andrew Torba?". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ↑ Lee, Micah (2021-03-03). "Donald Trump's Gab Account Uses an Email Address Belonging to the Extremist Platform's CEO". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- 1 2 "Gab". StartEngine. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- 1 2 3 Ha, Anthony (2015-02-19). "YC-Backed Kuhcoon Promises To Automate Facebook Ad Campaigns For Small Businesses". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ↑ "Automate Ads". OpenCorporates. Archived from the original on 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
- ↑ Wolverton, Troy (October 27, 2018). "The suspected Pittsburgh shooter allegedly had a following on a social network that many call the far-right's alternative to Twitter — here's everything we know about Gab". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- 1 2 Silverman, Jacob (2021-08-23). "The CEO Trying to Build a White, Christian, Secessionist Tech Industry". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2021-08-25.