NextRoll

AI Spurs AdTech Alliances; Social Video Outgrows CTV

AdExchanger’s roundup highlights how agentic AI is driving unexpected partnerships across the ad-tech stack — from The Trade Desk embedding its DSP through Pacvue and Skai to Yahoo integrating its DSP workspace into Kochava’s StationOne — enabling shared agentic workflows and reducing duplicated tooling. The IAB projects U.S. digital video ad spend will surpass $80 billion in 2026, with social video ad spend growing ~13% year-over-year versus an ~11% gain for CTV, driven by AI personalization and clearer performance attribution on social platforms (YouTube is classified as social video alongside Instagram and Reddit). The piece also notes over 1,200 consumer-facing ChatGPT/Claude integrations with major brands, but early adoption is low due to discoverability constraints. Additional items: FTC/Media Matters settlement, Meta’s use of “AI bone structure analysis,” Viant’s close of TVision acquisition, and several industry hires including NextRoll’s new CTO.

Elizabeth Chapman on Nextroll and Privacy Sandbox (Audio)

During Advertising Week, Elizabeth Chapman, VP of Tech Partnerships & Channels at Nextroll (formerly AdRoll), discussed the company's approach to the cookieless future and the Privacy Sandbox. The in-person interview, recorded in October 2024, explores how Nextroll, a retargeting platform, is adapting to evolving identity standards and privacy requirements. Chapman outlines Nextroll's collaborations with privacy-preserving technologies and platforms to maintain measurement and targeting effectiveness as third-party cookies fade. The conversation situates Nextroll within the broader shift toward first-party data, data clean rooms, and universal IDs, emphasizing the importance of partnerships and technical readiness in a privacy-forward advertising ecosystem. The discussion is part of Marketplace’s Advertising Week coverage, which includes additional interviews on privacy, identity, and programmatic monetization.

Lockr Secures $2.5M to Tackle Email Identity Challenges

Lockr, an online identity management company with consumer-facing and B2B offerings, has raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed round led by Mozilla Ventures and Heracles Capital, with more than 20 angel investors. Backers include Adrian Bolosan of Snowflake and Sudheer Gopalam of Google Cloud, along with executives from Amazon, Oracle, Verisk and AdRoll. Lockr operates two businesses: lockrMail, a consumer email management service, and Identity lockr, a B2B email identity verification product for publishers and platforms. With more consumer tech companies withholding email data, Lockr aims to help identify real users and distinguish machine-generated or fake emails. The funding will support growth of a six-person team, including Jennifer Hagan as head of operations, as the company plans to hire in engineering, sales/partnerships, and consumer marketing. The company has not yet monetized either product and may explore a freemium model and affiliate opportunities.