Virtual Minds
Virtual Minds is a european full-stack adtech platform for programmatic advertising.
Analyst Perspective
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.
Analyst Signal Briefing
Archived (Stand: 14 Jul 2026)No new strategic signals in the last 90 days. Showing historical briefing.
Under MFE-MediaForEurope’s control, Virtual Minds continues to scale its Media Manager and Active Agent DSP under the leadership of Dirk von Borstel and Ricarda Jebsen. Following the departure of product lead Anna Schenk to ID5, von Borstel has emphasised leveraging local market expertise as a primary competitive advantage against global technology firms. This strategic focus aligns with the parent group’s prioritisation of digital asset scaling and cross-border synergies as it prepares a unified pan-European streaming architecture for 2027.
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Key insights about Virtual Minds
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.
Virtual Minds: About
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.
How Virtual Minds Works & Monetises
Business model analysis and core revenue streams
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.
Revenue Channels
Side-by-Side Comparisons
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Virtual Minds: Key Competitors & Alternatives
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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.
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A comprehensive market map of the CTV Commerce ecosystem.
Recent Signals (Virtual Minds)
The Stack: AI Fuels Business
ExchangeWire published a machine-readable IAB TCF vendor disclosure registry shown in an article titled "The Stack: The Great Digital Rewiring" (page HTML metadata timestamp 2026-08-07T08:14:16+00:00; article published 2026-08-14 at https://www.exchangewire.com/blog/2026/08/14/the-stack-the-great-digital-rewiring/). The page reproduces TCF (TCF 980) vendor entries for dozens of AdTech and MarTech companies, each entry enumerating declared legal bases (Consent and Legitimate Interest), Purposes (e.g., personalised advertising, measurement), Special Purposes and Features (e.g., fraud prevention, device identification), Categories of personal data processed (IP, device identifiers, geolocation, etc.), Data Retention Periods, and consent/cookie metadata (tracking method, consent expiry). The document functions as a comprehensive, industry-facing registry of participating vendors and their self-declared processing activities for privacy and compliance reference.
Read original sourceBroadcasters Can Compete with Big Tech, Says Expert
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.
Read original sourceAnna Schenk Joins ID5 as VP Product
Identity provider ID5 has appointed Anna Lena Schenk as Vice President Product. Schenk joins from Virtual Minds and previously held roles including at Semasio. In her new role she will lead product strategy and further development of ID5’s identity solutions, focusing on scaling the technology and adapting it to a more privacy- and regulation-driven digital ecosystem. ID5 frames the hire as a strengthening of its product and innovation capabilities; CEO and co-founder Mathieu Roche noted Schenk was a long-time customer and brings deep product and adtech experience.
Read original sourceVirtual Minds: Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Company Facts
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Core Segment
- AdTech Vendor
- Company Size
- 201–500
- Official Link
- virtualminds.com