AdEx: A Journey into the Origins and Evolution of a Web3 Advertising Platform

Great ideas often sprout from the most unexpected places, and this is particularly true for AdEx. Let’s dive into the fascinating story of how AdEx came to be.

How did the idea of AdEx emerge?

AdEx’s founders, Ivo Georgiev and Dimo Stoyanov, kicked off their entrepreneurial journey with a project called Stremio - a streaming platform that has skyrocketed since its creation and is now being used by millions of people worldwide. In 2015, Stremio’s team embarked on a mission to monetize the platform through digital advertisements and tested a number of ad networks. However, this endeavor took an interesting turn, as none of the platforms they put to the test reported results that aligned with the data collected by the team. This led to the realization that none of the existing advertising platforms was providing the transparent, verifiable, and true results that the advertising industry desperately needed.

And thus, the idea of AdEx, a revolutionary advertising platform that aimed to tackle the issues the advertising industry had head-on, was born. Drawing from their invaluable firsthand experience gained during the Stremio journey, AdEx’s founders set out to create a network that would nurture self-governance while addressing the pervasive industry issues of transparency, loss of funds to unnecessary fees, and the escalating threat of ad fraud. With unwavering determination, AdEx set out to reshape the advertising landscape by prioritizing transparency, curbing financial losses, and combating the detrimental effects of ad fraud.

How did AdEx tackle industry issues?

AdEx revolutionized the achievement of these objectives by leveraging cutting-edge technology through a multifaceted approach. At its core, the platform harnessed the power of blockchain technology, providing a secure and immutable framework for all transactions. This ensured that results remained tamper-proof, enhancing transparency and fostering trust among all parties involved.

In addition, AdEx implemented advanced Layer 2 solutions, such as payment channels, to enhance scalability and operational efficiency. By utilizing account abstraction, AdEx became a pioneer in harnessing the benefits of smart contracts. Through this innovative technology, publishers on the AdEx platform received payment for each impression generated on their websites, with each transaction being both verifiable and immutable. This breakthrough not only facilitated seamless transactions but also provided publishers with transparent and reliable compensation for their contributions.

Validators played a crucial role in fortifying the security and integrity of the AdEx platform, instilling confidence in its operations. Through a decentralized consensus mechanism, validators collectively ensured that all transactions were legitimate, transparent, and consistent with the predefined rules and protocols of the platform. This distributed validation process added an extra layer of security, as it required a consensus among multiple validators before a transaction could be deemed valid.

Furthermore, through a staking mechanism, participants had a direct stake in maintaining the platform's security and reliability. In return for their contribution, stakers were rewarded with additional tokens or incentives. This incentive structure encouraged active participation and ensured a vested interest in upholding the platform's integrity.

Through these strategic measures, AdEx established a robust ecosystem that prioritizes trust, transparency, and reliability.

What results did AdEx yield for advertisers?

By integrating AdEx, our publishers experienced significant benefits, including increased earnings, transparent outcomes, and elimination of middlemen fees and hidden costs. Within the initial months of adoption, Stremio successfully monetized 30% of its 135 million sessions, achieving its objective of striking a perfect balance between ad monetization and an optimal user experience. La Iguana TV also saw a tremendous increase in ad inventory by more than 300% after becoming a publisher and integrating AdEx ads.

On the advertiser side, we managed to create partnerships with a number of prominent names, such as NordVPN and Exolix. Within the first 24 hours of launching a campaign with AdEx, NordVPN generated an increased number of sales, resulting in an ROI of more than 230%. In addition, we leveraged the power of the AdEx platform to amplify the visibility of our very own Ambire Wallet and our ongoing rewards program. By launching targeted campaigns on relevant financial websites through AdEx, we successfully generated over 6 million impressions and attracted more than 20,000 monthly visits to Ambire Wallet. This strategic utilization of the AdEx platform greatly contributed to the growth and exposure of our wallet and rewards initiative.

AdEx’s Journey since 2017

Since its creation in 2017, AdEx's history has been marked by significant milestones and transformations:

• In June 2017, AdEx conducted a successful crowdfunding, raising more than $10 million to support the development of the platform.
• The AdEx platform was officially launched in January 2018 as an ad network, directly connecting advertisers with publishers and enabling efficient ad placement.
• The ADX token was listed on a number of big exchanges, including Binance, Huobi, and more, which strengthened the project’s credibility.
• Technology layers like OUTPACE channels, AdEx Registry, and Market were added in the following years to enhance security and functionality.
• The project delved into the DeFi space by incorporating staking mechanisms and various DeFi features.
• This venture into the DeFi space naturally led to the creation of a second product, called Ambire Wallet - a self-custodial Web3 wallet, which acts as a gateway to all things DeFi with multiple functionalities, such as gas saving options, dApp catalog, staking features and more.
• In 2021, the company Ambire was created to incorporate both products and AdEx’s name was changed to Ambire AdEx in alignment with the newly established parent company.
• At the end of 2022, Ambire announced that AdEx will become an advertiser-centric ad platform and act as a DSP in the programmatic space.
• In 2023 through a community vote, a decision was made that Ambire AdEx and Ambire Wallet would be separated on two different websites, and the platform would revert back to the name AdEx.

What’s next for AdEx?

Our commitment remains in combating ad fraud while prioritizing transparency and verifiability through the integration of blockchain technology. However, we have now shifted our focus towards Web3 advertisers and assisting them in reaching the untapped potential of the next billion users in the crypto space. But how do we plan on achieving this ambitious goal? By transforming into a programmatic demand-side platform (DSP) that verifies transactions on the blockchain and establishes connections with supply-side platforms (SSPs). Through this approach, we aim to deliver a substantial volume of high-quality traffic to our Web3 advertisers, enabling them to engage effectively with their target audience.

Stay tuned for more information on the AdEx DSP and register your interest to find out when AdEx re-launches:

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