CARTO

Forrester Wave: The Location Intelligence Space Is Nascent, But Picking Up Steam

Forrester published a Wave evaluating the emergent location intelligence platform space, noting that firms want to apply location data across digital touchpoints while the technology remains early-stage. Forrester defines location intelligence as a subcategory of digital intelligence and says enterprises must orchestrate location insights across the organization to reduce silos and improve decision-making. Pitney Bowes and Esri were named leaders for offering broad, full-stack solutions. Oracle and CARTO were strong performers but were dinged on at least one criterion. Ubimo, Near (formerly AdNear), and MapLarge trailed behind; Ubimo and Near focus on marketing and programmatic advertising but were criticized for lacking platform appeal. Forrester’s criteria included data capabilities, analytics, data management, and execution, and required APIs/SDKs and activation-ready platforms. The analyst notes the space is poised to mature in the next few years, with a broader emphasis on the marketing and advertising use cases.

Industry Insiders Warn Of An Ad Tech Brain Drain

AdExchanger examines a growing brain drain in ad tech, with both senior and mid-level talent leaving the sector for roles at Google or Facebook or for non-ad tech paths such as AI and life sciences. The piece quotes industry veterans like Ana Milicevic on the natural pull to new challenges after two decades in a fast-changing field, and cites multiple moves to adjacent areas such as analytics, data, identity, computer vision, or machine learning. Notable moves include Omar Tawakol, BlueKai founder, departing Oracle to launch AI startup Workfit; LiveRamp founder Auren Hoffman launching SafeGraph; Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg exiting Invite Media after its 2012 sale to Google to build Flatiron Health (which raised $175M and eyes an IPO); Dstillery SVP moved to Carto; and Neal Richter, former Rubicon Project CTO, considering a shift to marketing tech. Yet many remain in ad tech, while others head to Facebook or Google.