AnyMind acquires in-app advertising platform

AnyMind Group has acquired India-based in-app advertising platform Pokkt Mobile Ads, triggering a leadership reshuffle.

Pokkt Mobile Ads is integrated with over 1000 app publishers, and claims to reach over 500 million monthly active users. It operates a DSP, a mobile ad exchange and provides various ad formats, including in-app video ads. It claims to have 200 advertising partners. The business was founded in 2012 in India, and has since expanded into Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

AnyMind Group will integrate Pokkt’s in-app advertising tech stack into the AdAsia Digital Platform, which currently allows marketers to activate, manage and track media buys across desktop and mobile web display and video advertising, and digital-out-of-home.

It will also expand the features of its publisher platform AdAsia360, which allows publishers to activate, manage and track monetisation opportunities, and was originally focused on browser-based publishers.

AnyMind's acquisition of Pokkt also expands its geographic presence, with an additional three offices in India and an office in the UAE. AnyMind Group will extend its other business lines and brands into these markets, including its influencer marketing platform CastingAsia, its talent network CastingAsia Creators Network, and AdAsia’s offerings including the AdAsia Digital Platform and AdAsia Premium Marketplace.

The company would not provide financial terms of the deal, but it did use its recent US$26.4 million capital infusion to fund the acquisition. 

AnyMind cofounder and CEO Kosuke Sogo said there is a "strong and immediate synergy" between both companies, including product and offering fit, geographies covered and management teams.

"Both advertisers and publishers across Asia and globally can only benefit from this deal taking place, as we look to scale our combined offerings and open up new value for our customers," he added.

Pokkt cofounder and CEO Rohit Sharma said the company is "extremely excited" to be part of Anymind Group and "cross-leverage tremendous synergies in markets, products and skill sets". 

The deal has triggered some leadership changes at AnyMind. Pokkt's Sharma has been appointed chief operating officer of AnyMind Group, while Pokkt cofounder and COO Vaibhav Odhekar has been appointed managing director of India and the Middle East, responsible for the rollout and integration of Pokkt’s solutions to AnyMind Group’s markets.

Elsewhere, Otohiko Kozutsumi, co-founder and former COO of AnyMind Group, will take on the role of chief commercial officer.

AnyMind Group has been very acquisitive over the past year. In March last year it purchased a majority stake in Thai multi-channel network Moindy, which has over 500 YouTube and Line TV channels. In January this year it bought 51% of Japan-based influencer network Grove from its owner, Space Shower Network. Earlier this month, it invested in fitness apparel brand Lyft to launch an influencer direct-to-consumer offering.