PebblePost is a New York-based marketing technology company founded by Lewis Gersh, Tom Gibbons and Robert Victor in 2014.[1] The company invented a marketing channel called Programmatic Direct Mail, which takes online web browsing intent data to send relevant direct mail. PebblePost was selected for The ARF's First Innovators A-List and named in the 2016 list of the 100 Most Exciting Startups.[2]

PebblePost
IndustryMarketing Technology
FoundedOctober 1, 2014
FoundersLewis Gersh
Tom Gibbons
Robert Victor
HeadquartersNew York, NY
Servicesmarketing and mailing services

History edit

The company was founded by Lewis Gersh, Tom Gibbons and Robert Victor in 2014 and is headquartered in New York.[1][3] Gersh has stated that at first the company had trouble finding support and was "mostly kicked to the curb with it"[4] but the founders persisted, raising a successful seed round[5] followed by the release of their Programmatic Direct Mail technology platform.[6]

In 2018 PebblePost gathered support and funds from Advance Venture Partners, Capital One Growth Ventures and other investors to close out the company's Series C round, which totaled $31 million.[7][8] PebblePost has also received funding from RRE, Greycroft, Tribeca Venture Partners, and other investors in digital media.[9]

The company has filed for a number of various utility patents on the manufacturing of privacy complaint, targeted direct mail, which are pending for their digital-to-direct mail technology.[10][11] In addition, PebblePost was granted the trademark for “Programmatic Direct Mail” on March 22, 2016.[12] PebblePost currently has approximately 51-200 employees[13] and is headquartered in the NoHo neighborhood of New York City.[14]

Functions edit

PebblePost is a digital-to-direct mail marketing platform that provides brands with a medium to reach shoppers at home with highly targeted mail.[7][15] PebblePost operates by using clickstream data from brand's website visitors to help brands determine which customers are most likely to be interested in certain products at a given time, and then sends branded mail to them within 12–24 hours every day.[6][16][17]

Reception edit

PebblePost received positive reception with the release of the Programmatic Direct Mail platform, signing over 100 brand partners as well as a listing in ARF's First Innovators A-List.[2][18] PebblePost was also included in another list of "Most Exciting Startups in New York" by the Berlin-based business magazine The Hundert, which included Business Insider's Henry Blodget and Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, chairman of Spitzer Partners as judges.[19]

Programmatic Direct Mail has been recognized by the United States Postal Service as part of "the next generation of direct mail".[20] Business Wire praised PebblePost as the first company to unite the power of digital advertising and the performance of physical mail.[7] Forbes Magazine noted PebblePost's fast growth and expansion in its ventures.[4] Kimberly Collins of the website ClickZ featured PebblePost in its "Martech Company of the Week", calling it "one technology that might be cutting through the noise."[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Interview with Lewis Gersh, CEO of Pebble Post - Nasdaq Disruptors". Nasdaq. September 27, 2018
  2. ^ a b c Collins, Kimberly. "Meet PebblePost, creators of Programmatic Direct Mail". CLickZ.
  3. ^ "PebblePost Team". PebblePost.
  4. ^ a b Rogers, Bruce. "Lewis Gersh's PebblePost Invents Programmatic Direct Mail". Forbes. March 23, 2017
  5. ^ "This NYC Startup Just Raised $3M To Change Mail Forever". Alley Watch.
  6. ^ a b Sullivan, Laurie. "PebblePost Takes Programmatic Addressable TV Concepts To Offline Direct Mail". Media Post. July 13, 2016
  7. ^ a b c James, Emily (29 November 2018). "Capital One Growth Ventures Invests in Programmatic Direct Mail® with PebblePost, Joins Series C Investor Round Led by Advance Venture Partners" (Press release). Business Wire. November 29, 2018
  8. ^ Hercher, James (21 August 2018). "PebblePost Raises $25 Million To Push Direct Mail Further Into Programmatic". Ad Exhanger. August 21, 2018
  9. ^ "PebblePost Raises Additional $6M in Series C Funding". FINSMES. 29 November 2018. November 29, 2018
  10. ^ "PebblePost Secures $5 Million in Series A Funding" (Press release). Cision. May 16, 2016
  11. ^ PMX Agency. "A Q&A With PebblePost: User Experience Crucial To Converting During This Holiday Season". PMX Agency. October 3, 2016
  12. ^ "PROGRAMMATIC DIRECT MAIL - Trademark Details". Trademark Justia. June 22, 2015
  13. ^ "PebblePost". Linkedin. 26 June 2021.
  14. ^ PebblePost Google Maps
  15. ^ "Closed-loop Programmatic Direct Mail® platform". PebblePost.
  16. ^ Chamberlain, Lauryn. "PebblePost Takes A Digital Approach To Direct Mail". Geo Marketing. January 20, 2016
  17. ^ Southwell, Elyse. "Interview with Lewis Gersh, CEO of Pebble Post - Nasdaq Disruptors". Nasdaq. September 27, 2018
  18. ^ Urbanski, Al (3 March 2016). "Will Programmatic Direct Mail Be the New Growth Channel?". DMN. March 3, 2016
  19. ^ The Hundert. "100 of the most exciting startups in New York City". Business Insider (but excerpt is taking from The Hundert. December 8, 2016
  20. ^ "7 REASONS WHY FINTECH COMPANIES NEED PROGRAMMATIC DIRECT MAIL". United States Postal Service.