Open Market

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Open Market is a podcast about building companies in the advertising space. This is not another news podcast. Rather, hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa will dive deep into the stories of successful companies and growth strategies to help listeners understand how to replicate that success. For example, how did Eric build Undertone to a $180M exit? How would you reverse-engineer a $10M adtech exit? Why do you need a chief audience officer? Entrepreneurs, execs, and GTM professionals in advertising should walk away from each week’s episode with new ideas on how to build their companies.

Joe Zappa


    • Apr 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 40m AVG DURATION
    • 48 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Open Market

    The Next $1B Commerce Media Business with PayPal Ads GM Dr. Mark Grether

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 32:40


    Dr. Mark Grether joins the pod to talk about the four components of a massive commerce media business, how to maximize the opportunity for advertisers, why he joined PayPal to build their commerce media network after building Uber's ad business to $1B in revenue, and how AI is changing commerce media for advertisers, media owners, and consumers.

    From Brand Safety to Suitability with Michael Bishop and Rich Raddon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 30:19


    OpenAds CTO (and former Moat engineer) Michael Bishop and Zefr CEO Rich Raddon join Eric and Joe to discuss the evidence-based case (or lack thereof) for brand safety, why we should shift our mindset from safety to suitability and contextual targeting, the link between suitability and performance, and how AI is changing the space. Plus, Michael drops the term "poststructuralist" on the pod, a philosophical allusion for the ages.

    AI, Work Productivity Gaps, and Customer Experience with Crosshatch CEO Soren Larson

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 48:44


    Friend of the pod and Crosshatch CEO Soren Larson joins Eric and Joe to discuss how AI is transforming venture scaling and bootstrapped business building, the hot sectors of adtech, and how LLMs will change the customer experience. Plus, Soren is now a car guy, and Joe presses Eric on the dark secrets of VC secret society.

    The OpenAI Ad Opportunity, Second-Time Founders, and Reading Your Coworkers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 48:31


    OpenAI says it won't build an ad business. Joe and Eric say it will — and it'll be massive. Plus, how AI is boosting margins, why adtech disproportionately rewards second-time founders, and what Eric's Enneagram type reveals.

    AI for the Open Web and Product-Market Fit Is Like ... Porn?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2025 41:56


    Eric dons his professorial glasses and trots out his most sumptuous-sounding microphone to hold office hours as he and Joe discuss the performance TV thesis' equivalent for the open web, how Joe can work with early-stage startup founders, and how you know you have product-market fit (hint: it's like porn).

    A Deep Dive into Adtech M&A with Azerion's Matt Newcomb

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025 41:57


    Matt Newcomb, head of Azerion in the US, UK, and APAC, joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to dive deep into mergers and acquisitions. They discuss how the CEO can maximize a company's chances of a favorable exit, integration best practices, what will drive adtech M&A over the next couple of years, and war stories. Joe promises to visit Eric in his nursing home and shares what it's like to record a pod with not one but two handsome devils.

    Practical Takeaways from the Scope3 AI and Aperiam 2.0 Launches

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 28:33


    Eric and Joe discuss the three things you need to do to maximize the impact of a product launch or press announcement by analyzing the success of two launches last week: Scope3's AI products and Aperiam 2.0. Plus, Eric can't sit with Joe at lunch, and Eric is hoarding modernist wooden elephants.

    Reply Guy to "CTV for SMBs" Founder with Streamr CEO Jonathan Moffie

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2025 36:58


    Streamr CEO Jonathan Moffie joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss AppLovin's success, the performance TV opportunity, making streaming accessible to SMB advertisers, and returning to his natural role as a reply guy, be it on Brooklyn Nets or adtech Twitter.

    Creating Shareholder Value with Marpipe CEO Dan Pantelo

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2025 41:35


    Marpipe founder and CEO Dan Pantelo joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa on the pod to talk about bringing his company back from a near-collapse during the Silicon Valley Bank crash, rejecting an acquisition offer, discovering product-market fit, and dynamic product ads' contribution to the future of performance advertising.

    Measuring B2B Marketing with Octane11 CEO Dan Rosenberg

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2025 39:00


    Octane11 CEO Dan Rosenberg joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss B2B marketing measurement, lessons from MediaMath, and differentiating from other data/measurement companies.

    Attention, Adtech Hype, and Getting Denied a Raise with Eric and Joe

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2025 38:16


    Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa talk about the the formula for generating more attention, where we are in the adtech hype cycle, the time Joe got denied a $650/month raise, and weeks where decades happen.

    Debate! Outcomes Era vs Quality Era with Erez Levin

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2025 43:21


    Adtech influencer and product guy Erez Levin joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa on the pod to debate Joe's thesis, the Outcomes Era, and present an alternative, the Quality Era. They debate whether Outcomes or Quality is the dominant paradigm of digital advertising, what constitutes a quality or real outcome, and whether media should be primarily valued based on its quality or its propensity to drive sales, among other points. Eric leverages his experience refereeing fights in his dojo gym to moderate.

    The AI-Inflected Future of Ads with OpenAds Co-Founder Michael Bishop

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2025 48:13


    OpenAds co-founder and CTO Michael Bishop joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss how AI will transform static ads into personalized experiences, the multi-hundred-billion-dollar AI "search" ad opportunity, the challenges and advantages of building an adtech AI startup, and the irrational, gut-oriented disposition tech entrepreneurs need to go after huge but hard opportunities.

    The Future of AI and Customer Experiences with Crosshatch CEO Soren Larson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2025 47:39


    Crosshatch CEO Soren Larson joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss how AI will improve customer experiences, why first-party data isn't enough to power personalization, the intersection of AI agents and advertising, and the role of the agency in an AI-driven advertising industry.

    How Adtech GTM Is Changing with Peer39 CEO Mario Diez

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2025 44:01


    Peer39 CEO Mario Diez joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss why publishers banding together failed 11 years ago and still hasn't worked, the advantages of a GTM CEO and the gaps they need to fill, how adtech GTM has changed over the last 15 years, and the future of advertising data companies in an AI-driven world.

    Live from CES: What's Next for Viant AI with Viant CEO Tim Vanderhook

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 23:01


    Viant CEO and co-founder Tim Vanderhook joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa live at CES to discuss what's next for ViantAI, how AI will disrupt advertising, the ramifications of Google's dominance, and CES vibes.

    Building a Community with AdTech God

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2025 39:07


    The mysterious deity of adtech, Adtech God, joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa on the pod to discuss how to build an audience and community, why most adtech companies are still approaching marketing with a 2005 playbook, and what individuals and organizations can do to capture the precious attention of their audiences.

    Lessons from 2024 and Predictions for 2025

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2025 47:35


    It's just Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa, your humble hosts, on this episode as they break down the ever-increasing power of content to influence your reputation and relationships, the companies that dominated adtech in 2024, and the adtech and advertising sectors to watch in 2025. Plus, Eric hates dogs (if you know, you know).

    Inventing Performance TV with Jason Fairchild

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 43:22


    tvScientific CEO and co-founder Jason Fairchild joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to talk about the lessons he brought from OpenX to tvScientific, inventing the performance TV category, and which big players, including The Trade Desk and AppLovin, might get into performance TV (or not).

    Rising from the Ashes of MediaMath with AdLib CEO Mike Hauptman

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2024 35:35


    AdLib CEO and co-founder Mike Hauptman joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to tell the story of meta DSP AdLib's reinvention after the collapse of MediaMath in 2023. We go deep into the story of the day MediaMath was shut off and explore how AdLib reoriented itself and came back stronger in the wake of that event. Plus, Joe makes fun of Eric for being old — replete with nautical metaphors!

    Charting New Territory for DMPs with Permutive CEO Joe Root

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2024 39:43


    Permutive CEO and co-founder Joe Root joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss the evolution of the DMP category and how to evolve the identity of a company as market forces shift around it. Eric and Joe put Joe Root in the hot seat, too, as they workshop Permutive's message in real-time.

    Getting in the Arena with Matt Barash

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 43:26


    Matt Barash is perhaps the best example of an adtech influencer. The master networker and content creator joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss what most people get wrong about building influence, his theory of attention, why executives shouldn't be afraid of controversy, and the opportunities Matt is excited about today in the advertising industry.

    Moving Marketing to the Boardroom with Goodway Group CEO Jay Friedman

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2024 39:23


    Jay Friedman, CEO of Goodway Group, joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to talk about elevating marketing within organizations, developing a distinct marketing philosophy, driving incremental returns on advertising, and carving out space for yourself and your business with bold, provocative takes.

    Preaching in the Desert with ID5's Mathieu Roche

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024 38:23


    Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa interview Mathieu Roche, CEO & co-founder of ID5, about evangelizing identity solutions before it was cool, driving urgency, competing with big players, bringing a European business to market in the US, and managing a remote-first workplace.

    Expanding CTV Access to SMBs with Vibe's Arthur Querou

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2024 37:05


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa speak with Vibe founder and CEO Arthur Querou about an unconventional adtech product launch, aligning product with marketing and sales, and the differences between enterprise and SMB sales.

    Deep Dive on Acquisitions with LUMA's Terry Kawaja

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2024 49:57


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa interview Terry Kawaja, founder and CEO of LUMA. They cover the existential importance of marketing to acquisitions, the role of the CEO in building the brand of a startup, and the optimal conditions for exiting.

    “The Most Anticlimactic Moment” and Other Lessons from Undertone

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 47:57


    Joe Zappa interviews co-host Eric Franchi about the biggest lessons he learned building and selling Undertone. Eric talks about his best-ever hires, the biggest challenge Undertone faced in his tenure, and how he approached life and business post-exit.

    Why Sincera Is So Bad at Marketing with Sincera Founder Mike O'Sullivan

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2024 53:47


    Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa interview Sincera founder Mike O'Sullivan about the category Sincera is creating, marketing early-stage startups, and the risks of playing it safe.

    Taste as a Differentiator, Hiring a Head of Growth, and Zuck

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 39:33


    This week on the pod, co-hosts Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi dig into the new frontier of taste in Silicon Valley, whether you should hire a head of growth and what they should focus on, the MrBeast memo, viral adtech social posts, and Mark Zuckerberg's live interview on stage with the Acquired pod.Links:Taste is Eating Silicon Valley. by Anu AtluruAndrew Yeung's LinkedIn post on “Head of Growth”MrBeast memo

    Building Businesses on Thought Leadership with Eric Seufert

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 44:11


    Co-hosts Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi chat with Eric Seufert about how he's used thought leadership, especially via his blog Mobile Dev Memo, to launch successful tech, media, and investing businesses and become one of the best-known voices in mobile.

    The Vanderhooks on the Best Adtech Product Launch… Ever?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 43:19


    Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa chat with Tim and Chris Vanderhook, co-founders of Viant. They discuss the Vanderhooks' creative approach to the extremely successful launch of ViantAI, their take on “founder mode,” and how their approach to adtech entrepreneurship has evolved over 25 years. (Note: Viant is a client of Joe's agency, Sharp Pen. This episode was not sponsored.)

    The Common Traits of Eric's 3 Most Successful Investments

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2024 36:55


    Joe Zappa interviews co-host Eric Franchi, a general partner at the venture capital fund Aperiam, to identify the three traits his three most successful investments have in common. They discuss Kevel, Transmit.live, and tvScientific.

    Founder Mode with mParticle's Michael Katz

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2024 41:44


    Michael Katz, CEO and co-founder of the customer data platform mParticle, joins Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi on the pod to discuss his take on founder mode. Michael argues that founders can most effectively build organizations by focusing on two factors, context and culture, but most leaders optimize for the wrong factors when they make key hires.

    Building a Dynamic Culture and Tackling Big Problems with Brian O'Kelley

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 49:28


    Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa interview adtech entrepreneur Brian O'Kelley. The former Right Media and AppNexus executive turned co-founder and CEO of marketing sustainability company Scope3 discusses how his approach to leadership has changed and how to inspire boldness and drive as organizations scale. Brian also touches on whether he'd do the AppNexus acquisition the same way today and responds to common criticisms of Scope3.

    The Non-Founder Path to CEO with Lauren Wetzel

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2024 43:26


    This week on the pod, Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi interview the sharpest-tongued CEO in adtech, Lauren Wetzel. Newly minted as the CEO of InfoSum, Lauren talks about her journey to the position, including: How her consulting background launched her into the adtech C-suiteThe Venn diagram between a COO and a CEOWhy a company should hire a chief of staff (or not)Why CEOs shouldn't be afraid of speaking out about industry issues

    PR Is Dead. Long Live PR!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2024 35:48


    Joe Zappa and Eric Franchi mourn the death of PR as we know it. Listen to the episode to learn how PR and other forms of marketing are becoming more entwined — and how CEOs should assume the mantle of PR on social.

    How Do You Become an Investor?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2024 41:22


    Joe Zappa interviews his co-host, Eric Franchi, a general partner at the venture capital fund Aperiam, about how to become an investor. They cover: The difference between being an operator and a VCHow VCs decide which startups to fund What founders should expect from investorsHow to get into investingWhether non-professional investors should do angel investing

    Marketing Grab Bag: Attribution, Cookies, and Toad!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2024 39:51


    This week's episode is a marketing grab bag! Eric and Joe discuss: Why most companies misunderstand B2B marketing attributionHow companies should respond to the latest on cookies from a GTM POVWhat founders can be doing early on to market themselvesWhat companies should be getting out of a 20-person marketing team

    Building Sales Orgs at Twitter and tvScientific with Chris Riedy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 43:01


    This week on the pod, Eric and Joe are joined by Chris Riedy, former VP of Global Sales and Marketing at Twitter and current CRO at tvScientific, to discuss how to build sales organizations. Chris has the answers to all your sales development questions, whether your business is an early-stage startup or tech behemoth.

    What Does Strategic Marketing Actually Look Like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2024 22:55


    Joe gets his Bill Simmons on in this quick solo episode on how to do strategic marketing.If you go on B2B marketing LinkedIn (God help you), you'll see tons of people talking about strategic marketing. But what actually are the components of a marketing strategy? How do you put one together?Joe explains how he writes a strategic marketing plan in this episode so that you can do the same — or know what to expect from your marketing colleagues.

    How Eric and Mike Built Undertone to a $180M Exit

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2024 69:16


    Joe interviews Eric Franchi and Mike Cassidy to unearth the story of Undertone, the ad network company they sold to Perion for $180 million.How did Eric and Mike get Undertone to about $3M in revenue as an agency? Why did they switch to the ad network model? And how did they scale it from there to $100M in revenue, including key hires, GTM, and taking on private equity?Check out this deep dive to hear two founders' take on the steps required to produce a massively successful adtech outcome.

    Creating an Audio Behemoth with Vox's Ryan Pauley

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2024 35:31


    Joe and Eric interview Ryan Pauley, President of Revenue and Growth at Vox Media, to uncover how the digital media company moved into audio with great success. They cover the best practices for expanding to audio, how to exploit what makes audio unique (think: talent, personality, and intimacy), and what differentiates audio as a marketing opportunity. Check out the episode to learn insider tips from someone who did it right!

    4 Ways to Win with AdTech Marketing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2024 31:56


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa discuss the four ways to win with adtech marketing (including great detail on how to pursue each strategy).1. Differentiated story 2. Original data/insights3. Thought leadership4. Being prolific, present, and personableCheck out the pod to learn about how to grow your business with each approach!

    What Makes a Great AdTech CEO?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 35:28


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa dig into the evergreen question of what sets the great CEOs apart in the adtech world. Whether they're a CEO/founder or a hired gun, a great CEO has to balance: Product expertiseA GTM strategyCompany culture and valuesTalent acquisitionWe rattle off a few “shiny” CEOs that come to mind and analyze what made them so successful. If you're curious who made the list, this episode is for you! By the way, click here to read Auren Hoffman's blog post on the LiveRamp acquisition.

    What to Do If Your Market Isn't Big Enough

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 33:32


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa cover what to do if your market is too small to achieve your business goals. For example:How to launch a new product or enter into a new marketWhen and how to involve your customers in market expansion effortsWhat sales/marketing and product teams need to do to get alignedHow to derisk your transition by enlisting customer championsIf you're eyeing a pivot to retail media and/or CTV right now, this is for you!

    How to Grow Adtech Companies from $1M to $10M

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2024 39:10


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa dive into the details of how adtech startups grow from $1M to $10M and what pitfalls to avoid along the way. They cover: What your team should look like around the $1M / Series A markHow to transition from founder-led sales to a professionalized sales teamWhen and how to hire marketersWhat to look for and how much to pay key early hires such as a VP of salesUsually you need to book time with people like Eric to get this info. Now it's available here!

    Why You Should Hire a Chief Audience Officer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 38:43


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa explain why you should hire a chief audience officer. The discussion includes:The 3 things adtech customers really care aboutWhy most adtech companies' theories of victory are wrongWhat to look for in a chief audience officerWho in adtech is a good example of a potential CAOAlso, here is the My First Million episode we discuss on the pod: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qNgPuS5aePbWSgjdsKn2o?si=PHfj0u_TTEKLAOV67p1QLQ

    How to Reverse-Engineer a $10M Adtech Exit

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2024 31:05


    Co-hosts Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa dive into a thought experiment: how to reverse-engineer a $10M adtech exit. They touch on:What value you need to provide to get bought for $10MAn actual example of an adtech company that sold for low eight figuresThe ideal teamAdtech product ideas that could lead to a quick $10M exit right nowAs a VC, Eric initially hated this idea, but by the end, Joe wears him down. Check out the X thread that started the discussion: https://x.com/joe_zappa/status/1788246400020447375

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