Virtual Minds
European full-stack adtech platform for programmatic advertising.
Available information varies by company and source.
Profile record updated:
Company facts
- Official name
- Virtual Minds GmbH
- Entity type
- COMPANY
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Company size
- 201–500
- Market role
- AdTech Vendor
- Official website
- virtualminds.com
What Virtual Minds does
Virtual Minds sells proprietary B2B advertising infrastructure across the buy side, sell side, ad serving and data layers. It creates value by giving enterprise advertising participants a modular but integrated stack that supports campaign execution, inventory monetisation, identity-agnostic ad serving, audience data activation and broadcast inventory digitisation. The business benefits from cross-selling multiple products into the same client account, especially where advertisers, agencies, publishers and broadcasters want interoperable technology under European privacy standards.
Category differentiation
Virtual Minds is an enterprise adtech infrastructure provider, not a consumer media brand or a virtual reality company. It differs from pure-point solutions by operating a multi-product stack across DSP, SSP, ad serving, data and broadcast monetisation.
Strategic context
AI-supported assessment from the existing company research; distinguish interpretation from sourced facts.
Virtual Minds GmbH is a German adtech company owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE. It operates a modular full-stack platform for programmatic advertising that includes a demand-side platform, ad server, supply-side platform, data management and marketplace capabilities, and broadcast monetisation software for linear TV and radio. Its products are built for advertisers, media agencies, publishers, broadcasters and media sales teams that need infrastructure for buying, serving, monetising and measuring advertising across digital and one-to-many channels. The company generates revenue from enterprise software licensing, platform access fees, transaction-based take-rates on programmatic media flows, and data-related monetisation tied to audience activation and marketplace activity. Its commercial model is centred on B2B clients that want European privacy-compliant adtech infrastructure and the ability to use multiple components of the stack together rather than relying on a single standalone tool.
Company news briefing
Briefing updated:
Under MFE-MediaForEurope's ownership, Virtual Minds continues to operate under the leadership of Managing Director Dirk von Borstel, who recently emphasised that European broadcasters can effectively compete with big tech by leveraging local market expertise. This strategic positioning aligns with the broader group efforts to strengthen European digital sovereignty and cross-border integration. Meanwhile, the AdTech ecosystem sees parallel advancements in deterministic identification standards and agentic advertising frameworks.
Business model & monetisation
Virtual Minds monetises through enterprise adtech software and transaction-linked platform economics. The DSP and SSP generate revenue through platform fees and take-rates on media spend or programmatic transactions. Adition is monetised through software licensing, platform access and implementation-oriented enterprise contracts. The Adex adds data marketplace revenue, audience activation fees and data licensing economics. Media Manager contributes broadcast monetisation software revenue from broadcaster and media-owner deployments. The company also increases contract value through bundled full-stack sales across multiple modules.
- Enterprise platform licensing across adtech products
- Software Subscription
- Programmatic media transaction fees on DSP and SSP activity
- Percentage Take-Rate
- Data marketplace and audience activation revenue
- Pay-per-Use
- Broadcast monetisation platform contracts
- Software Subscription
Products & capabilities
No products with linked sources are available in this view.
Programmatic stack & registry data
Registry entries and observed technical data do not establish certification, legal compliance or actual usage.
ADITION (Virtual Minds GmbH)
IAB vendor record: 39
- Cookies declared
- Yes
- Non-cookie access declared
- Yes
- Declared purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10
- Declared feature IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special feature IDs
- 1
Active Agent (Virtual Minds GmbH)
IAB vendor record: 40
- Cookies declared
- Yes
- Non-cookie access declared
- Yes
- Declared purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10
- Declared feature IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special feature IDs
- 1
Adex (Virtual Minds GmbH)
IAB vendor record: 44
- Cookies declared
- Yes
- Non-cookie access declared
- Yes
- Declared purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
- Declared feature IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3
Yieldlab (Virtual Minds GmbH)
IAB vendor record: 70
- Cookies declared
- Yes
- Non-cookie access declared
- Yes
- Declared purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10
- Declared feature IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special purpose IDs
- 1, 2, 3
- Declared special feature IDs
- 1
Products & market categories
Featured market maps
- Digital Out of Home Map Germany
This overview provides a concise snapshot of the German DOOH landscape and selected market participants. It is intended for orientation only and does not claim to be exhaustive. The selection is based on current market observations and publicly available information. As the German DOOH market continues to evolve rapidly, numerous additional players and specialized providers are active across the ecosystem. Further information on additional providers and market participants is available upon request or can be added upon verification.
- Market Map CTV Commerce
A comprehensive market map of the CTV Commerce ecosystem.
Recent recorded signals
Dates refer to the source publication. Older entries are historical context, not evidence of a new event.
European netID Exec Discusses Deterministic IDs and AI's Impact
Identity · Recorded impact score: 3/5
In an interview, Daniel Dagehus, CTPO of the European netID Foundation, discusses the evolving role of deterministic identifiers in the open web. He argues that while AI and probabilistic models are useful for planning and simulation, deterministic IDs remain essential for campaign activation and delivery to real people across devices. netID has integrated with major ad tech platforms, including The Trade Desk, enabling advertisers to target deterministic segments. Dagehus emphasizes the importance of publisher login relationships to maintain direct user contact and independence from tech providers, especially as AI chatbots change the customer journey. He also highlights FedCM as a standard that can simplify logins and support publisher strategies for direct audience relationships.
- Daniel Dagehus is CTPO of the European netID Foundation.
- netID has integrated with The Trade Desk, allowing booking of netID and Utiq segments in its Data Marketplace.
Virtual Minds: Building Interoperable Operating Model for Total Video
CTV · Recorded impact score: 2/5
Virtual Minds argues that true convergence between linear TV and CTV advertising requires an interoperability layer rather than replacing existing systems, preserving the strengths of each environment. Managing Director Ricarda Jebsen and Business Development Manager Max Deyerl highlight that while audiences already consume video seamlessly, planning and measurement remain siloed. The company cites progress in Austria, where broadcasters under JIC AGTT have adopted digital buying logic, CPMs, and real-time HbbTV signals (Teletest 2.0) to optimize linear TV via Virtual Minds' Media Manager. The approach aims to extend this model to all video channels, including mobile and DOOH, and emphasizes that AI will only improve workflows if data silos are integrated first. Virtual Minds advocates for industry-wide collaboration to establish common standards and avoid fragmentation, positioning its infrastructure as the solution for a converged 'Total Video' operating model.
- Virtual Minds proposes an interoperable convergence layer for linear TV and CTV integration, preserving strengths of each environment.
- Since 2024, AGTT/Teletest members in Austria use Virtual Minds Media Manager for dynamic linear TV optimization using CPMs and real-time HbbTV signals.
Broadcasters Can Compete with Big Tech, Says Expert
Publisher & Media Owner · Recorded impact score: 1/5
An article published by VideoWeek on 2026-07-13 reports Dirk von Borstel, Managing Director at Virtual Minds, saying European broadcasters can compete with large technology companies if they pick the right battleground. Von Borstel argues broadcasters should leverage local knowledge rather than trying to match Silicon Valley on metrics like unique users, measurement, or spending. The short piece was filmed in Cannes and is presented as an analysis/interview segment on VideoWeek.
- Article published on 2026-07-13 by VideoWeek.
- Dirk von Borstel is Managing Director at Virtual Minds and is quoted saying, "big tech is everywhere, and everywhere is nowhere."
Explore company relationships
Questions about Virtual Minds
What is Virtual Minds?
Virtual Minds is a German adtech vendor that provides a modular full-stack for programmatic advertising, including DSP, SSP, ad server, data and broadcast monetisation products.
Who uses Virtual Minds?
Its users are enterprise buyers such as advertisers, media agencies, publishers, broadcasters, media owners, trading desks and data owners.
How does Virtual Minds make money?
It makes money through software licensing, platform access fees, transaction-based take-rates on programmatic activity, and data marketplace and activation revenue.
Sources & coverage
This profile uses public, official and technically observable information. Missing information does not prove that a product or relationship does not exist. The list below does not imply that every profile statement has been verified.
29 publicly documented primary sources and citations linked across the market graph.
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