The FPC Podcast

SUMMARY How is AI rewiring the economics of content, advertising and audience growth, and what does it mean for the founders and investors building what comes next? This week Rich Ashton is joined by Josef Najm, Principal at Thomson Reuters Ventures, the $250M corporate venture arm investing across legal, tax, risk and compliance, and media and ad tech. Josef's path into venture is anything but li...

Recorded live at Cannes Lions 2026, this episode of the FPC Podcast brings together some of the industry’s leading operators to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming advertising, media and marketing technology. The conversation covers why AI is raising expectations across the industry, the growing importance of independent infrastructure, containerisation, first-party data, transpare...

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the FPC Podcast and Guests 05:38 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship 15:08 Current Scale and Growth of GoodNet 21:45 The Performance-Driven Approach to Sustainability 27:30 The Evolution of Sustainability in Advertising 37:11 Future Directions: Omnichannel and Data Licensing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Description In an era of declining cookies, falling referral traffic and the rise of AI-driven search, publishers are all asking the same question: how do we make more revenue from the audience we already have? In this episode, Rich is joined by Dave Barr and Nick Fletcher, colleagues at FirstPartyStudio and co-founders of TruText, a company incubated through the Studio and backed by FirstPartyCap...

Description This week on the FPC Podcast, we are joined by Rob McLaughlin, CEO and co-founder of AUDIENCES, to unpack Publicis’ proposed acquisition of LiveRamp. The conversation explores what it could really mean for the data activation market, agency holding groups, first-party data infrastructure, identity, interoperability and the future role of cloud-native platforms. Rob shares why the deal...

Description Rich, Kevin and Ciarán are joined again by Shane Shevlin, CEO and co-founder of Bedrock Platform. The conversation digs into Bedrock’s recent announcement with Index Exchange, which sees Bedrock’s bidder containerised inside Index Cloud. Shane explains why bringing bid decisioning closer to the impression can dramatically reduce latency, lower infrastructure costs, and unlock more soph...

Description Matt Byrne, CRO at OAREX, and Rich's old boss at FastPay, joins the FPC podcast to announce a new strategic partnership between FirstPartyFinance (FPC's debt arm) and OAREX. Inside the episode: The FastPay reunion, and what OAREX has built since (170 clients, ~$5bn of ad-spend processed) The $5M worked example — what a properly blended raise actually looks like on the cap table The hid...

Summary In this episode, Andrew Casale, CEO of Index Exchange, discusses the groundbreaking innovations in Adtech, including the containerisation of the Bedrock DSP on the Index Cloud, and the future of open web ecosystems. Key insights include the impact of Index Cloud on cost reduction, speed, and performance, as well as the shift towards a more open, collaborative industry. Andrew closes the lo...

Summary In this episode, we discuss the evolving Adtech landscape, focusing on first-party data, cloud-native infrastructure, and innovations in streaming TV advertising. We explore how new technologies like containerised DSPs and attention measurement are shaping the future of digital advertising. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the AdTech Ecosystem 01:28 The Evolution of AdTech Infrastructure 03:...

FirstPartyCapital and FirstPartyStudio discuss a new model for corporate innovation in ad tech. How corporates can access market intelligence, co-build products, and invest in the next wave of AI-driven startups. 00:00 Introduction to FPC and Corporate Innovation 02:08 The FPC Stack and Its Evolution 06:07 Corporate Partnerships and Innovation Strategies 09:55 Market Intelligence and Insights 17:5...

In this edition, we sat down with Harry Maitland, Founder of Vendi Tech. We discuss how Vendi is transforming vending machines into digital media and data infrastructure — closing the loop between brand awareness and real-world conversion. Retail Media and DOOH are two hot sectors atm - and this is their lovechild 00:00 Introduction to Vendi and 'Industrial' Ad Tech 03:03 The Intersection of Out o...

00:00 Introduction to digitalAudience and Its Journey 02:50 Ruben Niet's Background and Insights 05:54 The Concept of Data Collaboration 08:59 Market Dynamics and Competition 11:56 Growth and Expansion Plans 15:00 Retail Media and Case Studies 17:58 Amazon's Market Influence 21:02 Google's Antitrust Trial and Industry Impact Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Introduction and Background of Vibe 02:57 Recent Developments in AdTech 06:06 Arthur's Entrepreneurial Journey 09:02 Vibe's Growth Strategy and Funding 12:03 Fixing AdTech: A New Approach 14:57 Targeting the Long Tail of Advertisers 18:02 Growth Metrics and Strategies 21:04 Future Trajectory and Investor Expectations 24:12 Hiring and Company Culture 27:06 Parting Thoughts and Key Takeaways H...

00:00 Introduction and Overview of Recent M&A Activity 02:49 Deep Intent's Acquisition and the Healthcare Ad Tech Landscape 09:15 Bending Spoons Acquires Vimeo: A Strategic Move 17:48 Digiseq's Acquisition by Hawk Infinity: A New Player in Ad Tech 24:22 Streamr's Acquisition by Magnite: Expanding Creative Solutions 26:50 Spaceback and Rembrandt Merger: Ambitious Plans Ahead 28:44 Captify's Acq...

00:00 Welcome Back and Upcoming Events 02:28 M&A Activity in European Ad Tech 05:31 Trends in European Ad Tech Acquisitions 09:01 Diversity of Acquirers in Ad Tech 11:50 The Importance of Financial Conversations 14:55 Merging MadTech Money with ATS London 18:10 Panel Discussions and Key Topics 21:06 Challenges in Ad Tech Financing 23:53 Insights from Industry Leaders 27:05 Future of Ad Tech an...

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Audiences and Its Mission 02:48 The Importance of First-Party Data 06:08 How Audiences Differentiates Itself 08:57 Real-Time Data Access and Its Impact 12:03 Competitive Landscape and Market Positioning 14:49 Revenue Growth and Future Plans 17:52 Strategic Partnerships and Opportunities 21:12 Vision for the Future and Closing Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

00:00 Introduction to Index Exchange and FPC Fund 2 05:11 Andrew Casale's Early Journey in Ad Tech 09:54 The Evolution of Index Exchange 14:59 Business Model and Market Strategy 19:52 Trends in Ad Tech: AI and Sell-Side Curation 25:03 Index's Corporate Dev Strategy and Potential IPO Plans 29:52 Index's Strategic Investment into FirstPartyCapital Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

00:00 Introduction to Brian Wieser and His Background 03:02 Impact of Tariffs on Digital Advertising 05:45 De-globalization and Its Effects on Advertising 09:13 Emerging Opportunities in European Markets 12:05 Perception Issues in Advertising 15:00 The Role of Advertising in Business 17:54 The Future of Agencies and Services 20:54 Under-appreciated Trends in Media and Advertising Hosted on Acast....

00:00 Introduction to Financial News and Guests 01:26 M&A Activity in Ad Tech / Insights on Greenbids Acquisition 10:02 Founder's Perspective on M&A 14:09 Picnic's Fundraising Journey 22:02 Shift to Media Quality at Picnic 29:55 Ad Tech Partnerships and Curation 36:05 Future of Picnic and Industry Trends Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Introduction to FirstPartyStudio 05:26 The Role of a Venture Studio 12:35 Incubation and Innovation Strategies 19:30 Building an Expert Network 25:48 Investor Perspectives and SEIS Opportunities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Introduction to Mark Zagorski and DoubleVerify 04:59 Mark's Journey in Ad Tech 10:08 The Evolution of Ad Tech and DoubleVerify's Role 15:10 M&A Strategy and Investment Insights 19:56 DoubleVerify's Investment in FPC and Future Collaborations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Navigating the Current Economic Landscape 02:59 Shane Shevlin's Journey in Ad Tech 05:53 The Impact of Recent M&A Activity 08:58 Insights on WPP's Acquisition of Infosum 11:48 The Future of M&A in Ad Tech 15:08 The Rise of Curation in Ad Tech 17:54 Bedrock Platform: A New Player in Ad Tech 20:56 The Role of Bedrock in the Ad Tech Ecosystem 24:05 The Future of Media Buying and Curatio...

00:00 Introduction and Industry News 10:00 Mathieu Roche and ID5 Overview 20:01 Funding Journey and Challenges 24:04 Acquisitions and Market Trends 31:56 Agency Success in Acquisitions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Introduction to Scope3 and Anne Coghlan 02:30 Anne's Journey in Ad Tech 04:02 Scope3's Mission and Sustainability Focus 06:42 Fundraising Experience in Ad Tech 09:06 Latest Product Launches and Innovations 13:22 The Role of Super Signal Aggregators 18:31 Partnerships and Collaborations 23:38 Future Vision and Market Positioning Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

00:00 Introduction and Overview of Recent Acquisitions 01:25 T-Mobile's Acquisition of Bliss: A Strategic Move 05:59 The Implications of T-Mobile's Strategy in Ad Tech 11:50 Publicis Acquires Lotome: Industry Reactions 14:12 Curation and the Evolution of Ad Tech 19:00 The Rise of Sell-Side Curation 26:26 Future Innovations in Ad Tech and Data Privacy 32:21 AI in Ad Tech: Opportunities and Challeng...