Change Ventures

Backing the ENGYcell team to build software and solutions for commercial and industrial battery…

We are excited to back this business and look forward to their rapid growth through the Baltics and beyond.

The Ad Industry Petitions Platforms For Payment Leniency As Cash Flow Dwindles

Amid COVID-19–driven cash-flow pressures, the ad tech industry is pressing Google, Facebook, and Amazon to offer more flexible payment terms. An anonymous Change.org petition had about 300 signatories as of Thursday, urging the platforms to provide relief as vendors and agencies anticipate delays or defaults from SMBs and possibly larger brands. The piece describes a cascading payments system where brands and agencies pay after campaigns are served, leaving intermediaries with debt while publishers seek earlier payments. Sizmek’s bankruptcy the previous year left ad tech vendors owing millions to rivals such as Index Exchange, PubMatic, OpenX and AppNexus, with Google reportedly owed over $1 million. Industry voices argue for leniency, noting some campaigns (including YouTube) are paid upfront, while others operate on 60–90 day terms; some relief is reportedly offered case-by-case. MeasureMatch is cutting platform fees in half to weather the crisis, and its CEO James Sandoval emphasizes a first move to build trust.

Dialogue is Key to Trust - ExchangeWire.com

An ExchangeWire report covers a 2015 roundtable hosted by AdTruth to discuss how dialogue can rebuild trust in digital marketing and the data exchange economy. The discussion framed transparency and consumer control as critical paths to better engagement, with speakers emphasizing education, consistent disclosures, and easier expression of preferences. Attendees from industry bodies and brands—EDAA, IAB UK, TRUSTe, WFA, Havas, nugg.ad, Rubicon Project, Sanoma, and Change.org online—shared views on how to empower consumers while enabling relevant ad experiences. Ipsos data highlighted broad privacy concerns in the U.S., including 92% worried about online privacy, 77% moderating activity, and 57% avoiding ads. Practical ideas included simpler privacy statements, a central opt-out mechanism (ID management like AdTruth Resolve), and business models that value data use, with Channel 4’s celebrity-fronted privacy video cited as a positive example. The piece underscores ongoing self-regulation and the need for dialogue to sustain trust.